A Silver Mt. Zion is a band formed in 1999, in Montreal, Quebec, by Godspeed You! Black Emperor musicians Efrim Menuck, Sophie Trudeau and Thierry Amar. According to an interview with VPRO Radio in The Netherlands, originally the project was for Efrim to learn how to score music, but the idea was soon abandoned as Efrim decided that he preferred music not to be defined by rules, preferring simply what sounds best. Despite this, he continued the project out of a desire to experiment with ideas that would not work within the context of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The decision to record an album was partly inspired by the death of his dog Wanda, who had died while Godspeed You! Black Emperor was on tour. He wanted to record an album in her memory, but did not feel that he could effectively do this through Godspeed's collective, consensus format.
Unlike Godspeed You! Black Emperor, A Silver Mt. Zion's music often features vocals. The last few albums they have released contain no purely instrumental tracks. Efrim confessed that he was uncomfortable with this at first, feeling "foolish" and uncomfortable with the role of the singer in music generally. That is, he did not want to be the focus of the band's music but rather wished to use vocals as a stylistic tool. Some fans were initially ambivalent about the use of vocals, but Efrim's poetic lyrical style is now well respected among fans. Furthermore, A Silver Mt. Zion's fanbase has expanded, and they are no longer seen merely as an offshoot of Godspeed You! Black Emperor but as a unique and separate entity.
The addition of members has moved their music from a well weighted, and curiously empty (in terms of space) sound to all encompassing and complex arrangements, recently focusing more on vocal layers.
Other than the main three members, various other people joined the band for recording and touring including: Beckie Foon, Ian Ilavsky, Jessica Moss and Scott Levine Gilmore.
A Silver Mt. Zion:
2000: He Has Left Us Alone, but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms...
The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band:
2001: Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band With Choir:
2003: "This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing,
Thee Silver Mountain Reveries:
2004: Pretty Little Lightning Paw (EP)
Silver Mt. Zion:
2004: Song of the Silent Land - contributed track "Iron Bridge to Thunder Bay"
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band:
2005: Horses in the Sky
2008: 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra:
2010: Kollaps Tradixionales
2012: The West Will Rise Again (EP)
2014: Hang On to Each Other (EP)
2014: Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything
Teddy Roosevelt's Guns
A Silver Mt. Zion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your gentile rainbow is choking on your tongue
And your bankers vain plazas never nurture no one
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
And your concrete expanses lay fallow in the sun
And your cities all collapsing while your corrupt mayors shrug
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
And your grownups all gone bankrupt and their children all on drugs
And your doe-eyed policeman demanding more guns
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
And your disdained farmers waiting on the flood
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
Overfed and easy led and twisted in the wind
Your senators in diapers, all stinking of gin
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I have always been your son
Shop and save
Beneath the western Sun
Bought and paid for with
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
The lyrics of A Silver Mt. Zion's song Teddy Roosevelt's Guns start off with strong criticism of Canada, the country where the band originates from. The first stanza talks about how the gentile and welcoming image of Canada is a facade, and underneath lies a country that does not take care of its people. The concrete expanses symbolize the urban areas where most of the people live, and the fact that these lay fallow in the sun implies a sense of emptiness and lack of activity. The corrupt mayors are not taking any action to help the situation, and the grownups have all gone bankrupt, leaving their offspring vulnerable to drugs and despair. The final line of the stanza is a direct reference to the gun culture that is prevalent in the country, with doe-eyed policemen demanding more guns.
The second stanza starts with a repetition of the first line, emphasizing the singer's lack of connection to Canada. The line "overfed and easy led and twisted in the wind" suggests that Canadian society is complacent and easily manipulated, without any sense of direction. The following line about the senators in diapers links back to the corrupt mayors mentioned earlier, further emphasizing the idea that Canadian leaders are incapable of taking action. However, the final line of the stanza flips the narrative, with the singer declaring that they have always been Canada's son. This could be seen as a call to action, a reminder that everyone has a part to play in improving the country.
The final section of the song, which repeats the line "Teddy Roosevelt's guns," could be interpreted in a number of ways. On one hand, it could be a reference to the fact that the guns that were used to pacify Indigenous people during the colonization of Canada came from the US. This would tie in with the criticism of Canada's history of violence and aggression. On the other hand, it could be seen as a comment on the current gun culture in both Canada and the US, with Teddy Roosevelt's guns representing a kind of cultural inheritance that perpetuates violence.
Line by Line Meaning
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
I have no connection to Kanada
Your gentile rainbow is choking on your tongue
Your pride is holding you back, causing you harm
And your bankers vain plazas never nurture no one
Your focus on money does nothing to help people grow
And your concrete expanses lay fallow in the sun
Your urban landscape is barren and useless
And your cities all collapsing while your corrupt mayors shrug
Your cities are falling apart while your leaders ignore the problem and let it happen
And your grownups all gone bankrupt and their children all on drugs
The adults are broke and their children are addicted to drugs
And your doe-eyed policeman demanding more guns
Your innocent looking police officers want more firearms
And your disdained farmers waiting on the flood
Your farmers are being overlooked and waiting for disaster
Overfed and easy led and twisted in the wind
People are complacent and easily influenced by the winds of change
Your senators in diapers, all stinking of gin
Your politicians are too old and too drunk to do their jobs well
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I have always been your son
I have always been a part of Kanada, even if I don't like what it has become
Shop and save
Beneath the western Sun
Bought and paid for with
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
People buy and save things in the sun, but it comes at a price - bought with the guns of Teddy Roosevelt
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
The things people have acquired have come at a cost - the weapons of Teddy Roosevelt
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind