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.
Pastry Sharp
Califone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A finger for an invitation
Too sane to find the feel
Cotton blood in a jewelry box
The last to leave, the last to come
The elevator waits to take you down
She throws a prayer you'll never catch
And I'm not holding on
Got the trap door by the feathers
Dressing for your date with the dumb anyway
The last to leave, the last to come
The elevator waits to take you down
She throws a prayer you'll never catch
And I'm not holding on
Drunken sailor ripe
Heart attack station
Sharp as pastry
Now for baby to find
The lyrics of Califone's song Pastry Sharp are an enigmatic and poetic description of a situation where the singer is seemingly filtering down to a person they want to connect with. The opening lines, "By the time I filter down to you / A finger for an invitation," describe a feeling of distance and a need for a way into the other person's world. The phrase "Too sane to find the feel" suggests a sense of rationality or boundaries that is making it difficult for the singer to connect with their desire. The line "Cotton blood in a jewelry box" is abstract but evocative, perhaps speaking to a hidden or hard-to-reach aspect of the other person, while "The last to leave, the last to come" creates a sense of urgency and missed opportunities.
The mention of the elevator waiting to take the other person down suggests a physical distance between the two, but the following line "She throws a prayer you'll never catch" adds a mystical or spiritual dimension to the story. The singer seems resigned to not being able to hold onto the other person, even as they observe the sense of purpose or urgency with which the other person is moving. The line "Baby's in the engine room, alright" creates a sense of danger or excitement, while "Got the trap door by the feathers / Dressing for your date with the dumb anyway" suggests a willingness to take risks or participate in something questionable. The final lines "Drunken sailor ripe / Heart attack station / Sharp as pastry / Now for baby to find" further add to the sense of unease or potential for disaster, as well as a sense of deliciousness or temptation.
Overall, the lyrics of Pastry Sharp are open to interpretation, but they create a vivid and evocative mood of longing, danger, and potentially sweet rewards. The song seems to be about the difficulty of connecting with someone or achieving a desired outcome, and the sense of loss or regret that can come with missed chances.
Line by Line Meaning
By the time I filter down to you
It takes me some time to reach you
A finger for an invitation
A subtle way of asking you to come closer
Too sane to find the feel
Being too practical to understand emotions
Cotton blood in a jewelry box
A beautiful appearance covers the darkness within
The last to leave, the last to come
Always being the last one arriving and leaving
The elevator waits to take you down
Waiting for something drastic to happen
She throws a prayer you'll never catch
Wishing for something you cannot achieve
And I'm not holding on
Letting go of the past and moving on
Baby's in the engine room, alright
Metaphorically referring to someone doing all the hard work
Got the trap door by the feathers
Being in a dangerous situation with no escape
Dressing for your date with the dumb anyway
Putting effort into something that is not worth it
Drunken sailor ripe
Being foolish and reckless
Heart attack station
A stressful environment
Sharp as pastry
Being dangerous and harmful
Now for baby to find
Time to move on and find someone better
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Temistoclas Hugo Rutili
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind