Mehldau is first and foremost an improviser, and greatly cherishes the surprise and wonder that can occur from a spontaneous, directly expressed musical idea. But he also has a deep fascination for the formal architecture of music, which informs everything he plays. In his most inspired playing, the actual structure of his musical thought serves as an expressive device. As he plays, he listens to how ideas unwind, and the order in which they reveal themselves. Each tune has a strongly felt narrative arc, whether it expresses itself in a beginning and an end, or as something left intentionally open-ended. The two sides of Mehldau’s personality--the improviser and the formalist--play off each other, and the effect is often something like controlled chaos.
Mehldau has performed around the world at a steady pace since the mid-nineties, with his trio and as a solo pianist. His performances convey a wide range of expression, and he favors juxtaposing extremes. Often, the intellectual rigor and density of information in the abstraction of one tune is followed by a stripped down, emotional directness in the next. Over the years, he has attracted a sizeable following, which has grown to expect a singular, intense experience in his performance.
Knives Out
Brad Mehldau Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's not coming back
Look into my eyes
I'm not coming back
So knives out
Catch the mouse
Don't look down
If you'd been a dog
They would've drowned you at birth
Look into my eyes
It's the only way you'll know I'm telling the truth
So knives out
Cook him up
Squash his head
Put him in the pot
I want you to know
He's not coming back
He's bloated and frozen
Still there's no point in letting it go to waste
So knives out
Catch the mouse
Squash his head
Put him in the pot
The song “Knives Out” by Brad Mehldau Trio has a mysterious and cryptic quality to it with its obscure lyrics. The song opens with a painful admission of truth, “I want you to know, he's not coming back,” which is then followed by an equally painful truth, “look into my eyes, I'm not coming back”. The singer is portraying someone who has gone through a traumatic experience and is trying to convey the message of finality, that the ones who have gone are not returning, including the singer himself.
The lyrics of the song then take on a more powerful and angry tone. The phrase “knives out” is repeated multiple times throughout the song, possibly alluding to something harmful or violent that needs to be done. The line “If you'd been a dog they would've drowned you at birth” further emphasizes the idea of violent tendencies. The ensuing lines suggest that the singer is telling his/her audience to take action, “catch the mouse”, and dispose of it by “shoving it in your mouth” or “putting it in the pot”. The song seems to be examining themes of pain, guilt, action, and sacrifice.
Line by Line Meaning
I want you to know
I feel the need to inform you
He's not coming back
He will not return
Look into my eyes
Directly gaze at my eyes
I'm not coming back
I will not return
So knives out
Prepare to take action
Catch the mouse
Capture the intended target
Don't look down
Avoid distracting yourself
Shove it in your mouth
Consume the target
If you'd been a dog
Had you existed as a different kind of being
They would've drowned you at birth
They would've shown you no mercy or compassion from the beginning
It's the only way you'll know I'm telling the truth
Gazing at my eyes is the only assurance that I'm not lying
Cook him up
Prepare the target for consumption
Squash his head
End the target's life experience in a brutal fashion
Put him in the pot
Place the target in preparation for consumption
He's bloated and frozen
The target's body is swollen and stagnant
Still there's no point in letting it go to waste
Nevertheless, it would be imprudent to discard the opportunity for consumption
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Colin Charles Greenwood, Edward John O'Brien, Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood, Philip James Selway, Thomas Edward Yorke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Adam Powell
These guys are vibing. The drummer is nuts. I really came to see Brad. Great stuff.
dr05guitar
awesome...they are really feeling it
J Díaz
😰perdí absolutamente el sentido de mi ser... Me dejé llevar y desperté muy lejos en el 2045. Oooh esos ritmos🏃🏻♂️
Flann Flynn
What a drummer.
Max Grass
gotta love those drums. yeah!!!
Reuben E
love ! Thanks for posting
SMiley in USA
much better version of knives out with out video issues
midinerd
calmest blisters
midinerd
1:10 angular extremes
Steve Bennett
nice