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.
Don
Califone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dreaming of a whore that's sparkling like a sparkler
Dead eyed starlet calm
Laid you down upon the coats covering the bed
And said you are my brothers and what's his is mine
The blinder you get the more you can taste
Don't let me die nervous
The kids are eating candy skulls
The breaks were singing as you slide someone else's name
Like a crosseyed baby teething on a rusty knife
I'm gonna have your backside
Lay your plantation down
Jump the fire, burn your hair
Don't let me die nervous
You can't hear a noise til your tongue's bitten out
Don't let me die nervous
Sweated off the number on the palm of your hand
Cold rain about to bust in between your bones and skin
Forgot what I was begging for
You walk like a healthy meal
The car alarms are moaning someone else's name
Jump the fire, burn your hair
Don't let me die nervous
The blinder you get the more you can taste
Don't let me die nervous
[Repeat x8]
Don't let me die nervous
These lyrics in Califone's song Don seem to be a blend of vivid, cryptic, and metaphorical phrases. The song tumbles through conflicting thoughts and visuals, offering an enigmatic story about a protagonist who is caught between pleasure and dissolution; between living and dying nervous. The first line, "Weather like the crucifixion," may imply that the weather is extreme, punishing, and oppressive, much like how Jesus was crucified. It sets the tone of the song by suggesting that the singer is going through a hardship that is beyond their control.
In the next verse, the line "Dead-eyed starlet calm" sounds like an oxymoron, but it paints a picture of a person who appears to be tranquil but has a void within them. The singer then has a sexual encounter with a whore and blurts out, "You are my brothers, and what's his is mine," which conveys a sense of being lost and searching for belonging. As the song progresses, the lyrics take unpredictable turns, and the bridge melody repeats the phrase, "Don't let me die nervous," almost like a plea or a mantra to ward off an uncertain future. The song seems to be about succumbing to temptation, accepting the consequences of one's actions, and trying to overcome fear, but it leaves everything open to interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
Weather like the crucifixion
The weather is as unbearable as the pain of the crucifixion.
Dreaming of a whore that's sparkling like a sparkler
Having dreams about a prostitute who is glittering like a sparkler.
Dead eyed starlet calm
A calm and unemotional female movie star.
Laid you down upon the coats covering the bed
Putting you down on a bed covered with coats.
And said you are my brothers and what's his is mine
Declaring that you are my sibling and whatever belongs to him, belongs to me.
The blinder you get the more you can taste
The less you can see, the more you can experience with your other senses.
Don't let me die nervous
Please don't let me die anxious.
The kids are eating candy skulls
Children are eating candy shaped like skulls.
Your face is buried in the engine
You have your head buried in the engine of a vehicle.
The breaks were singing as you slide someone else's name
The brakes of the vehicle made a high-pitched sound as you slid with someone who's not your significant other.
Like a crosseyed baby teething on a rusty knife
As though a baby with crossed eyes is trying to chew on a rusty knife.
I'm gonna have your backside
I'm going to get revenge on you.
Lay your plantation down
Giving up your property.
Jump the fire, burn your hair
Jumping over a fire and getting your hair burnt.
You can't hear a noise til your tongue's bitten out
You can't sense anything until your tongue has been bitten off.
Sweated off the number on the palm of your hand
Sweating so much that the number on your palm is washed off.
Cold rain about to bust in between your bones and skin
A cold rain is about to penetrate through your bones and skin.
Forgot what I was begging for
I don't remember what I was asking for.
You walk like a healthy meal
You walk looking healthy and nutritious.
The car alarms are moaning someone else's name
The car alarms sound like they are calling for someone other than you.
Jump the fire, burn your hair
Jump over a fire, which will cause your hair to burn.
Don't let me die nervous
Please don't let me die anxious.
The blinder you get the more you can taste
The less you can see, the more you can experience with your other senses.
Don't let me die nervous
Please don't let me die anxious.
Don't let me die nervous
Please don't let me die anxious.
Don't let me die nervous
Please don't let me die anxious.
Don't let me die nervous
Please don't let me die anxious.
Don't let me die nervous
Please don't let me die anxious.
Don't let me die nervous
Please don't let me die anxious.
Don't let me die nervous
Please don't let me die anxious.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Temistoclas Hugo Rutili
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind