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.
New Black Tooth
Califone Lyrics
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Silver dollar rash
Rain on the lens, rain on the lens
Maybe I'm over, over
The ocean even couldn't make you wet
Stand down sailor, send your brace rib home
Save it for a later leave
Heaven must have spit you out with sandstorm prayers and pealing bells
Out like a switch, out like a switch
Silver dollar rash
Gonna make you wiser
Got a new black tooth
Gonna make you wiser
Cooked in orange and gin
Your winter coat, all summer long
Rain on the lens, dim little voice
Out like a switch
Cooked in primer and rust
Glass plums, dead bums
Mail your brass rib home
Gonna make you wiser
Got a new black tooth
Gonna make you wiser
The song New Black Tooth by Califone appears to be a complex and abstract composition, with lyrics that probably have multiple interpretations. The opening line of "Charcoal mother will you wear me out?" can be interpreted as a plea to mother nature to put an end to someone's suffering or an appeal to the universe to release someone from a curse or a dark past. The "silver dollar rash" can be interpreted as a general feeling of uneasiness or a symbol of a disease that has the power to cause destruction.
The lines "Rain on the lens, rain on the lens" suggest a lack of clarity or a blurring of vision, which can further imply confusion. The next line "Maybe I'm over, over" may reveal a sense of disillusionment or resignation, or the realization that one has to let go of something to move forward. The reference to the ocean being unable to make someone wet could represent a sense of invincibility or lack of vulnerability.
In the final lines, we see the recurring image of a "new black tooth", which could represent a transformation or rebirth. The last line, "Gonna make you wiser", implies that the process of acquiring wisdom may be painful or challenging, but ultimately rewarding.
Line by Line Meaning
Charcoal mother will you wear me out?
Asking a powerful figure if they will exhaust them.
Silver dollar rash
A rash with small raised silver coins.
Rain on the lens, rain on the lens
It is raining and the camera lens is getting wet.
Maybe I'm over, over
Feeling like they might be done or finished.
The ocean even couldn't make you wet
Even a large body of water couldn't dampen this person's spirits or mood.
Stand down sailor, send your brace rib home
Sailor, take a break and go home to your family.
Save it for a later leave
Hold on to something for future use.
Heaven must have spit you out with sandstorm prayers and pealing bells
This person is unique and unusual, like they were created with a mix of different elements.
Dim little voice, jet entrails
A small and quiet voice, with trails of exhaust from a jet plane.
Out like a switch, out like a switch
Sudden and quick, like turning a switch off.
Silver dollar rash
A rash with small raised silver coins.
Gonna make you wiser
Going to learn and grow from experiences, becoming smarter.
Got a new black tooth
A new tooth that is black in color.
Gonna make you wiser
Going to learn and grow from experiences, becoming smarter.
Cooked in orange and gin
Prepared or created with orange and gin flavors or ingredients.
Your winter coat, all summer long
Wearing a heavy coat meant for winter during the summer.
Rain on the lens, dim little voice
It is raining and the camera lens is getting wet, while a small and quiet voice speaks.
Out like a switch
Sudden and quick, like turning a switch off.
Cooked in primer and rust
Prepared or created with primer and rust colors or textures.
Glass plums, dead bums
Plums made of glass or a reference to a poem, while dead people lay around.
Mail your brass rib home
Mail your personal belongings and start anew somewhere else.
Gonna make you wiser
Going to learn and grow from experiences, becoming smarter.
Got a new black tooth
A new tooth that is black in color.
Gonna make you wiser
Going to learn and grow from experiences, becoming smarter.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Temistoclas Hugo Rutili
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind