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.
Spider's House
Califone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fingerings lost
In the motions of our hands
Sit just as you are
Lost in the crime
Carry the choir
Age and peel
After the quiet bleeds
Peel and age
Familiar peace
In the pain
Pulling you wrong
In soft belief and midnight
Finish a violent quiet freeze
The carnival fighters are
Sharing a bed tonight
Bruised in the hay
The circle around the brawl divides
In frozen rain
On spider's house
After the quiet bleeds
Peel and age
Familiar peace
In the pain
Raindrops tremble
And wait to freeze
On spiders house
The lyrics in Californie's song Spider's House paint a vivid picture of a desolate and eerie atmosphere, filled with contrasts and contradictions. The first verse begins with "The icicles chime, fingerings lost in the motions of our hands, sit just as you are." This line sets the tone for the rest of the song, with icicles (symbols of winter and coldness) clashing against the warmth and fluidity of human movement. The image of fingerings lost in motion is both sad and beautiful, suggesting that something has been let go as the hands move.
The next verse builds on this sense of tension and ambiguity, with the lyrics "Lost in the crime, carry the choir, age and peel." Here, the reference to a choir adds another layer of meaning to the song. The idea of carrying a choir evokes the religious implications of community and shared experience, while the later reference to aging and peeling speaks to the inevitability of decay and loss.
The rest of the song continues in this vein, with more imagery of violence and unease ("Pulling you wrong in soft belief and midnight, finish a violent quiet freeze") and a sense of division and separation ("The circle around the brawl divides in frozen rain, on spider's house"). Overall, Spider's House is a haunting and enigmatic song, with lyrics that leave much to interpretation and contemplation.
Line by Line Meaning
The icicles chime
The sound of icicles chiming is heard
Fingerings lost
The ability to play an instrument is lost
In the motions of our hands
It happens while we are using our hands
Sit just as you are
Stay put as you currently are
Lost in the crime
Feeling disconnected from the situation at hand
Carry the choir
Take responsibility for leading the singing group
Age and peel
Grow older and become less attractive or whole
After the quiet bleeds
Following a period of peace and calmness
Peel and age
Things deteriorate over time
Familiar peace
A sense of comfort and ease
In the pain
Despite the discomfort and suffering
Pulling you wrong
Leading you astray or in the wrong direction
In soft belief and midnight
During a time of uncertainty and darkness
Finish a violent quiet freeze
End with an abrupt and harsh stillness
The carnival fighters are
The entertainers who fight in the carnival
Sharing a bed tonight
Sleeping together
Bruised in the hay
Injured while lying on the haystack
The circle around the brawl divides
The group watching the fight splits up
In frozen rain
During the cold and icy rain
On spider's house
At the location called 'spider's house'
Raindrops tremble
Small water droplets shake or shiver
And wait to freeze
Expecting to turn solid as the temperature drops
On spiders house
At the location called 'spider's house'
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Glen Sherman, Temistoclas Hugo Rutili
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind