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The Old Gold Shoe
Lambchop Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The gold stereo
Stretches out the sound
Turns the plates until they're rounded
The whole that you know
Gets closer to the ground
Closer to that thing you found

For all our massive brains
To call on choked remains
It's painful
It's certain
That something's bound to break
(Inside)

This house is not alone
I'm kicking 'round here somewhere
So check behind the ancient speaker
Like painful southern bliss
Pured upon like caramel
And garnished with some crushed pecans

To grow is not to grind
To mope is not to mind
The old cap
The geezer
The 15 second teaser

Behold and you know
Everyone's a ringer
He's not even a very good singer
The dirt on the tracks
Has hardened into clusters
Earthen legs and honey mustard

A storm is closing in
Our leaves start to spin
It's getting
Much later
I wish I heard your radio
(Tonight)

The people in the rain
Are staring through our backs
Wishing you had half a brain
For all our little pain
Tender is the mangle
The science diet the ivory tangle

The world goes away
Each every stinking day
I'm getting
Much better
This night's little upsetter

The kids out in the street
Take their toys and break them
Look at them, then walk away
The guy on the cross
Is holier than I
But then again he's made from plastic

There's cattle tied with a chain
Pinch the weeping Willie
I know it's dumb, but sometimes I'm silly
I crawl out of the rain

Think of me as fetal
Think of me as the fifth Beatle

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Lambchop's "The Old Gold Shoe" paint a picture of a complicated and confusing world, where technology and relationships are strained, and even ourselves are still puzzles to us. The gold stereo, with its ability to stretch out sound, represents a distorted reality where even the familiar becomes unrecognizable. The pain and certainty that something is bound to break inside us makes us realize that our massive brains are just choked remains. But amidst all of these challenges, we try to find solace in something sweet and familiar, like caramel garnished with crushed pecans.


The song presents the idea that growing does not necessarily mean grinding, and that moping does not necessarily mean minding. The 15-second teaser or the southern accent of our loved ones, no matter how weird or painful, might just be the thing that sustains us. But even as we try to find comfort in these things, the world keeps moving away from us. The storm is closing in, the leaves start to spin, and we wish we could hear the radio of our loved ones to keep us company. The people in the rain are staring through our backs, wishing we had half a brain to understand what's going on.


The last lines of the song present a sharp contrast to the confused and complicated world we find ourselves in. The singer asks us to think of them as fetal or the fifth Beatle, both images of starting points, of beginnings. Perhaps, amidst all these pain and uncertainty, there is hope yet for us to find our way out and start anew.


Line by Line Meaning

The gold stereo
A golden stereo system.


Stretches out the sound
Produces high quality sound.


Turns the plates until they're rounded
Rotates the vinyl records until the grooves are curved.


The whole that you know
The familiar things surrounding you.


Gets closer to the ground
Becomes more grounded and relatable.


Closer to that thing you found
Closer to the discovery or realization of better things.


For all our massive brains
Despite intelligence and knowledge.


To call on choked remains
To remember the unspoken skeletons of the past.


It's painful
The process is uncomfortable.


It's certain
It will happen regardless.


That something's bound to break
Something is destined to give way.


This house is not alone
The artist is surrounded by other things.


I'm kicking 'round here somewhere
The writer/poet/singer of the song is present in some form.


So check behind the ancient speaker
Check the overlooked or hidden areas for important things.


Like painful southern bliss
Something beautiful yet uncomfortable; likely to be a personal memory.


Pured upon like caramel
This beautiful and uncomfortable memory is overwhelming.


And garnished with some crushed pecans
The memory is made more poignant by the addition of small, memorable details.


To grow is not to grind
Growth doesn't have to be a taxing ordeal.


To mope is not to mind
Being unhappy doesn't equal a lack of mental fortitude.


The old cap
The old lid (a hat).


The geezer
An old person or spectator.


The 15 second teaser
A brief period of preview or advertising.


Behold and you know
This is an obvious, telling action to behold.


Everyone's a ringer
Everyone's a winner.


He's not even a very good singer
The person in question isn't particularly talented.


The dirt on the tracks
The grime, grit and obstacles of life.


Has hardened into clusters
Difficulties and frustrations have become more intense and compact.


Earthen legs and honey mustard
Visual descriptors of complicated things.


A storm is closing in
Something difficult or harmful is on the horizon.


Our leaves start to spin
The situation/tension is getting worse.


It's getting
The situation is intensifying.


Much later
The situation has gotten worse and more difficult to handle.


I wish I heard your radio
I wish I had a better understanding of your perspective.


The people in the rain
People caught in the midst of adversity.


Are staring through our backs
These people are both horribly close but just out of reach.


Wishing you had half a brain
Wishing that something unpleasant wasn't causing problems for everyone involved.


For all our little pain
These trivialities cause us so much trouble.


Tender is the mangle
Something that causes pain can also be something precious.


The science diet the ivory tangle
A series of seemingly reasonable assumptions that are difficult to reconcile with each other.


The world goes away
Nothing bad can last forever.


Each every stinking day
Every bad day and all negative moments carry equal weight.


I'm getting
I am experiencing a change.


Much better
The change that once plagued me is healing and improving.


This night's little upsetter
A small infusion of negative feelings into an otherwise good night.


The kids out in the street
Children in the area.


Take their toys and break them
The children have a careless attitude that can cause chaos.


Look at them, then walk away
Accept the situation for what it is, and allow the children this outlet.


The guy on the cross
Image of Jesus on the cross.


Is holier than I
I am not as good as Jesus (or imply that Jesus didn't suffer as he did).


But then again he's made from plastic
Contrast reality with myth.


There's cattle tied with a chain
A person or thing restrained.


Pinch the weeping Willie
To diminish and embarrass someone emotionally.


I know it's dumb, but sometimes I'm silly
I know how things look, but sometimes I'm fooling around.


I crawl out of the rain
Get out of an unhappy, unhealthy environment.


Think of me as fetal
Think of me in my most vulnerable state.


Think of me as the fifth Beatle
Think of me as someone seen as part of a group but never really there, or as someone who is important but not officially part of it.




Lyrics © SCHUBERT MUSIC PUBLISHING INC.
Written by: WAGNER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@djpauliegee6571

My uncle is in this band.

@MrAidanMcManus

WOW!

@texlee1640

I wish I had found this stuff years ago, eggsalent!!!

@marialouettepiaggidasilva4304

Maravilhoso não canso de ouvi-lo.

@jacob4560

Should have more views for sure

@chazk7530

evenings big upsetter