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.
Pink
Califone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Black lip and red carnation
Safe house safe
Tap shoes break union station marble
Wrapped in malpractice
Quiet in the sway
Oooo-drop down drop down
De-sung ribcages shelter
Wound river languid
Husk of old jet
Sweet light tavern in the morning
Taxi driver silent
Hard long hands
Oooo-kill the kids kitchen light
Oooo-drop down drop down
Safe house dead trying to whisper
A soft vaccination
Cotton in the calm
Along your side lost my language
On sand and smoke foundation
Loose in the sway
Oooo-sing to me pink and sour
Oooo-kill the kids kitchen light
The lyrics to Califone’s song Pink & Sour are filled with cryptic imagery that intently contributes to the fragmented and indistinct nature of the song’s meaning. The opening line of “Along your skin lost my language” is a declaration of total submission and surrender to another person or significant other. It is the loss of one's sense of self in relation to the other. The phrase “Tap shoes break union station marble” paves way for a couple of explanations - it could be a reference to the sound of tap shoes on the marble floor of a train station or could signify the downward trajectory or failure of a union. “Wrapped in malpractice” is another ambiguous line, which could be a metaphor for self-imposed restrictions, emotional barriers, or guilt.
The chorus of “Oooo-sing to me pink and sour / Oooo-drop down drop down” is almost like a plea for action or desire fulfilled, but then the verses take on a more introspective and haunting quality. “De-sung ribcages shelter / Wound river languid” implies a sense of emptiness and vacancy, akin to an anti-romance, with “kill the kids kitchen light” seemingly indicating the futility of existence in a rapidly changing world, where the simplest things can lose their luster. The song's cryptic, surreal and fragmented nature is indicative of a post-modern, impressionistic existential state of mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Along your skin lost my language
I am unable to articulate my thoughts when I am with you
Black lip and red carnation
You wear dark lipstick and a bright red flower
Safe house safe
We are in a secure place
Tap shoes break union station marble
The sound of tap shoes hitting the ground echoes through the station
Wrapped in malpractice
I am surrounded by people acting unethically
Quiet in the sway
We are both silent and moving gently
Oooo-sing to me pink and sour
Sing something sweet but with a sour undertone to me
Oooo-drop down drop down
Keep going lower and lower
De-sung ribcages shelter
People who have lost their voices find comfort together
Wound river languid
A river flows slowly, and it is damaged
Husk of old jet
The shell of a plane that has seen better days
Sweet light tavern in the morning
A charming bar that looks great in the daylight
Taxi driver silent
The driver of the taxi is not talking
Hard long hands
Large hands that are firm
Oooo-kill the kids kitchen light
Turn off the lights in the kitchen to bring a dark ambiance
Safe house dead trying to whisper
Someone who is trying to communicate is unable to do so despite being in a secure environment
A soft vaccination
A small amount of something meant to cure or strengthen
Cotton in the calm
A peaceful place filled with soft materials
Along your side lost my language
When we are together, I am at a loss for words
On sand and smoke foundation
Something built on shaky or unstable ground
Loose in the sway
We move nonchalantly
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Benedetto Massarella, Brian Deck, James Becker, Joseph F Adamik, Temistoclas Hugo Rutili
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind