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.
Burned by the Christians
Califone Lyrics
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While we warm twine
While we breathe
Skip notes and bless
Where you been
We lose days
Broke hearts are whole
Recline held under your tongue
Like a tiny stone carried home
Sung throated air
Down your spine
Crown cooks light
We wolfed and whale bellied on
We shone down
Blinder and winterless days
Lost a black ocean recline
Held under your tongue
Like a tiny stone
Paid and gone
The lyrics of "Burned by the Christians" by Califone explore themes of religion, love, and loss. The opening lines "Wire in the teeth / While we warm twine / While we breathe" suggest a sense of being caught, trapped, or restrained, while trying to find warmth and air to breathe. The phrase "skip notes and bless" may express a desire to break free or move on from previous constraints. The next lines "Where you been / We lose days" could hint at a separation or disconnection between people, and the feeling of time slipping away while trying to reconnect.
The chorus "Broke hearts are whole / Or burned by the Christians" is a powerful statement that blends religious references with emotional pain. The idea of hearts being broken but also becoming whole suggests that suffering can lead to growth or understanding, while being "burned by the Christians" may represent the damage caused by religious beliefs or institutions. The lines "Recline held under your tongue / Like a tiny stone carried home" could imply a hidden or secret pain that is carried inside, but also has the potential to become something solid or valuable over time.
The verses that follow continue to explore these themes, with phrases like "crown cooks light," "shone down / blinder and winterless days," and "lost a black ocean recline / held under your tongue / like a tiny stone / paid and gone." These words evoke images of contrast, loss, and transformation, and the song ends leaving many possible interpretations open.
Overall, "Burned by the Christians" is a haunting and evocative song that uses powerful images and metaphors to explore complex emotions and ideas.
Line by Line Meaning
Wire in the teeth
We are tense and on edge, feeling ready to snap at any moment
While we warm twine
We distract ourselves with small, insignificant tasks to try and soothe our nerves
While we breathe
We try to keep calm and steady our breathing to avoid a full-blown panic attack
Skip notes and bless
We try to overlook details and focus on the positive aspects of our situation to keep our spirits up
Where you been
We wonder about the whereabouts of those who could potentially help us through our struggles
We lose days
Our struggles become all-consuming and time seems to slip away without anything getting better
Broke hearts are whole
Despite our emotional pain and hardship, we try to maintain a façade of strength and wholeness
Or burned by the Christians
We have been hurt or rejected by those who claim to act in the name of love and faith
Recline held under your tongue
We keep our deepest, most painful feelings locked inside us and try to avoid showing vulnerability
Like a tiny stone carried home
Our emotional burdens feel heavy and unshakable, like stones we carry with us wherever we go
Sung throated air
Our attempts to communicate our pain to others are stifled and feel futile
Down your spine
Our emotional pain is physicalized and feels like a physical ache in our spine
Crown cooks light
We try to find meaning and hope in even the smallest things, like the way light hits our surroundings
We wolfed and whale bellied on
We try to fill the void inside us with anything we can find - food, distractions, etc.
We shone down
We try to put on a brave face and shine in spite of our pain
Blinder and winterless days
Our struggle feels never-ending and we can't see a way out of it
Lost a black ocean recline
We feel lost and alone, like we are adrift in a vast, dark ocean
Paid and gone
Our pain has a cost - to our mental health, relationships, and sense of self - and we fear that it will never truly go away
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Temistoclas Hugo Rutili
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind