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.
If You Would
Califone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
sun on red tile
this winter bed
lives and breathes
winter bed
could do so much
if you would
The lyrics to Califone's "If You Would" paint a picture of a quiet winter scene, with mentions of "candy glass" (perhaps referencing the delicate frost that can form on windows during winter), "sun on red tile" (evoking imagery of a warm, yet chilly, morning), and "winter bed" which "lives and breathes." The last line of the first verse, "winter bed could do so much," is a curious one, leading the listener to wonder what is meant by this statement.
The chorus of the song provides some clarification, with the repeated line "if you would." It is as though the singer is speaking to someone, perhaps a lover, and suggesting that they could do something great or significant if only they would take a certain action. The winter bed, it seems, is a metaphor for something that has potential, but needs someone to believe in it and bring it to life.
Overall, the lyrics to "If You Would" hint at both the beauty and the potential that can be found in a quiet, wintry setting. It is up to the listener to interpret exactly what the winter bed represents, and what action the singer is hoping the listener will take.
Line by Line Meaning
candy glass
Transparent and fragile, like a piece of candy made from glass
sun on red tile
The warm sunlight shines on the red tiles, representing the beautiful moments in life
this winter bed
The coldness of winter is reflected in the emptiness of the bed, representing a sense of loneliness
lives and breathes
The bed is alive and breathing with the emotions of the person who sleeps on it
winter bed
The bed represents the feeling of coldness and emptiness that winter brings
could do so much
The bed has the potential to be a place of comfort and warmth, if only the person would allow it
if you would
If the person would give the bed a chance, it could provide them with the love and affection they so desperately need
Contributed by Blake S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.