Califone is the musical project of former Red Red Meat frontman Tim Rutili. Its regular and rotating contributors include many former members of Red Red Meat and some members of other Chicago bands, such as Tortoise. Their music is less rooted in blues-rock than Red Red Meat and is more directly inspired by experimental music and early American folk music as can be found on Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music.
Califone's current lineup includes Joe Adamik (drums), Jim Becker (banjo, violin), Ben Massarella (percussion), and Tim Rutili (vocals, guitar, keyboards). Each member is a multi-instrumentalist.
Tim Rutili has collaborated with a number of other artists as well. He joined up with Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock and others in 2002 to release the album Sharpen Your Teeth under the band name Ugly Casanova. Some members also toured with Freakwater and served as a backing band to record the album Thinking of You in 2005. In 2006, Tim Rutili teamed up with Wil Hendricks and Michael Krassner under the name The Unseen Hand to record the soundtrack for Rank, a documentary about bullriding. In the same year Califone worked with animator/musician Brent Green on a series of performance art pieces featuring animation, live music, and spoken word. They are also featured on the soundtrack for the movie Stranger than Fiction.
Beneath the Yachtsman
Califone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be my legs, be my mouth
Heaven's fake, your mother lied
Sunday morning rolls her eyes and steals your home
On your back, on the roof
Steel eyed babies never play
Let your mouth fill up with rain
You never sing to me
The lyrics to "Beneath the Yachtsman" by Califone are somewhat ambiguous and open to interpretation, but at their core, they seem to be addressing feelings of disillusionment and disappointment. The opening line, "Knock you down when you stall," could be interpreted as a reference to life's challenges and setbacks, which can leave one feeling defeated and powerless. The next two lines, "Be my legs, be my mouth / Heaven's fake, your mother lied," suggest a desire for someone to take charge and speak truthfully about the nature of the world, which can be harsh and unforgiving.
The lyrics then turn to a description of a rainy, melancholy scene, with "Sunday morning" appearing to represent a kind of bleak inevitability. The line "Steel eyed babies never play" is particularly enigmatic, but it could be seen as a comment on the way in which people become hardened and jaded over time. The closing lines, "You never sing to me / No water, no more," suggest a sense of loss and absence, perhaps of a time when things felt more hopeful and fulfilling.
Line by Line Meaning
Knock you down when you stall
I'll be there to pick you up when you're struggling and keep you motivated to keep going
Be my legs, be my mouth
I need you to help me speak and act out my thoughts and dreams
Heaven's fake, your mother lied
The idea of a perfect afterlife is false, and the person you trusted most deceived you with this belief
Sunday morning rolls her eyes and steals your home
Even the most peaceful and holy day of the week can bring disappointment and upheaval, leaving you feeling out of place or displaced
On your back, on the roof
We're lying down, looking up at the sky and contemplating our place in the world
Steel eyed babies never play
People with a tough exterior or unemotional demeanor often miss out on innocent joys and playful experiences
Let your mouth fill up with rain
Allow yourself to feel a range of emotions and express them fully, like rain filling up a space
You never sing to me
You never share your true self or open up to me in a vulnerable way
No water, no more
All sources of comfort or sustenance have run dry, leaving us feeling alone and empty
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Temistoclas Hugo Rutili
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind