Califone is a critically-acclaimed experimental folk band from Chicago. The… Read Full Bio ↴Califone is a critically-acclaimed experimental folk band from Chicago. The band is named after Califone International, a long-standing manufacturer of audio equipment commonly found in schools, libraries and businesses.

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.

Our Kitten Sees Ghosts
Califone Lyrics

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Scratched and bit crawl out of the fault line this book is
The mask on the bride circle til the engine dies tail
High let it lay burn our dead shin high it's almost
Surgical the way you shatter when you hit the water drawn

On the window steam claws on sleep addiction this
Conversation is the dust on anything slow and green burn
Our dead this unwilling is the way you shatter when you

Hit the water

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Califone's song "Our Kitten Sees Ghosts" are both abstract and poetic in nature, making it difficult for a straightforward interpretation. The opening line, "Scratched and bit crawl out of the fault line this book is," suggests a struggle or a conflict that one is trying to escape from. The imagery of the "fault line" and the physical actions of being "scratched" and "bit" indicate something traumatic and painful. The second line, "The mask on the bride circle til the engine dies tail high," introduces a new image that is both ominous and mysterious. What is the "mask on the bride"? Is it a literal mask worn by a bride or something more metaphorical? The repetition of "circle" and "tail" throughout the song gives it a cyclical feel, as if things keep repeating or coming back around.

Later in the song, the lines "On the window steam claws on sleep addiction this / Conversation is the dust on anything slow and green burn" paint a picture of a dark and murky environment. The "claws on sleep addiction" suggest someone or something that is very attached or addicted to sleep, but it is unclear what this means. The conversation that the lyrics refer to is described as "the dust on anything slow and green burn," which is difficult to decipher but could be referencing something physically or emotionally draining. The final line, "This unwilling is the way you shatter when you hit the water," brings the song to a close with an image of someone breaking or shattering upon impact. It is unclear whether this is a physical or emotional shattering, but it is clear that it is not a willing or desired result.

Line by Line Meaning

Scratched and bit crawl out of the fault line this book is
We emerged from a dark and difficult situation, battered and bruised, as if we were crawling out of a fault line.

The mask on the bride circle til the engine dies tail
The bride is wearing a mask and dancing in circles until the very end, when the engine finally dies.

High let it lay burn our dead shin high it's almost
We are leaving our past behind and moving on, as if we are burning our dead and standing shin-deep in the ashes.

Surgical the way you shatter when you hit the water drawn
Your fall into the water is so precise and calculated, as if it were a surgical procedure, and it causes you to shatter into pieces.

On the window steam claws on sleep addiction this
As we stare out the window, the steam fogs it up and makes it seem as if claws are scratching at us, representing our addiction to sleep or even death.

Conversation is the dust on anything slow and green burn
Our conversations are like dust settling on anything slow and green, suffocating it and ultimately causing it to burn.

Our dead this unwilling is the way you shatter when you
Our past mistakes and regrets are unwilling to leave us, and they cause us to shatter into pieces when we try to move on.

Hit the water
This phrase is a continuation from the previous line and refers to the act of falling into the water and shattering.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: James Becker, Temistoclas Hugo Rutili

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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