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.
St. Martha Let It Fold
Califone Lyrics
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Black smoke threads a straight line
From your kidney to your hand
From your hand to kingdom come
Be light enough to ride,
The backside of a magnet
Let it stay in lust with all the
Silver ghosts and dirty pictures
Fire in the horses mouth
Spitting cherry stems
And square knots and drunk flies in the elevator camera
The backside of a magnet
Let it stay, let it stay
Let it fold, let it fold
The alderman are praying, praying to your picture
St. Martha locomotion, snakes under foot
If Easter was a river and the river folded under
Be light enough to ride
Let it stay, let it stay
Glass behind the the plains, hanging out ether Jesus strobe
Decatur when you're blown, when the river folded under
Shifting plates and bottle rockets
Ground out with your shoe, St. Martha with the serpents
Let it stay, let it stay
Let it fold, let it fold
The lyrics of Califone's song St. Martha Let It Fold is a surrealistic and metaphorical representation of different images and thoughts that depict one's inner turmoil. The author uses powerful imagery to describe the chaos that goes within oneself. The song starts with a line describing the imagery of nail gun marines, foaming midget horses, and black smoke threads in a straight line from one's kidney to the hand. It represents the intense emotional pain one goes through, and the smoke connecting the kidney to the hand indicates how every action is a result of this pain.
The author then goes on to describe the desire to be light enough to ride the backside of a magnet- a metaphorical representation of being able to stay put and not get stuck in the chaos. The fire in the horse's mouth represents the burning emotions that one feels, and the spitting cherry stems further add to the surrealism.
The chorus, "let it stay, let it fold," represents the acceptance of the chaos and how it should be allowed to be folded within oneself without fighting it. The last few lines of the song talk about the alderman praying to one's picture, and the reference to St. Martha and serpents adds to the religious undertones of the song.
Overall, the lyrics of St. Martha Let It Fold are open-ended and subject to interpretation, but the powerful imagery and surrealistic descriptions create a vivid and haunting picture of the inner pain, chaos, and acceptance.
Line by Line Meaning
Nail gun marines, foaming midget horses
A chaotic and absurd scenario where nail gun-wielding soldiers ride miniature horses that are frothing at the mouth.
Black smoke threads a straight line
A thick and dark smoke moves in a straight line.
From your kidney to your hand
Describing the physical sensation of something moving up the body – from the kidney to the hand.
From your hand to kingdom come
Continuing from the previous sentence, it's conveying the idea of something being forcibly removed from the body and launched into oblivion.
Be light enough to ride,
Aspiring to be wight enough to ride something else.
The backside of a magnet
The opposite side of a magnet.
Let it stay in lust with all the
An invitation to let oneself get lost in a particular lustful feeling or desire.
Silver ghosts and dirty pictures
Referring to memories or haunting flashbacks from the past, that could either be pleasant or uncomfortable.
Fire in the horses mouth
A metaphorical image of some sort of anger or frustration.
Spitting cherry stems
A twisted image of something that was supposed to be sweet and enjoyable being thrown out instead.
And square knots and drunk flies in the elevator camera
A bunch of confusing and random images mixed together in one sentence.
The alderman are praying, praying to your picture
A religious or spiritual statement involving some sort of prayer or ritual related to St. Martha.
St. Martha locomotion, snakes under foot
A reference to the religious iconography of St. Martha and the idea of her treading on serpents.
If Easter was a river and the river folded under
Describing a scenario that uses an Easter-themed metaphorical river that collapses suddenly.
Glass behind the the plains, hanging out ether Jesus strobe
An image of a surreal and otherworldly scene.
Decatur when you're blown, when the river folded under
A reference to a river that has collapsed makes its way into this line again, likely invoking some sort of natural disaster.
Shifting plates and bottle rockets
A sequence of chaotic or explosive images.
Ground out with your shoe, St. Martha with the serpents
A reference to St. Martha's ability to tread on serpents, interpreted for this song as a way to ground oneself and face difficult challenges.
Let it stay, let it stay
The repetition of this phrase functions as a call to let go and allow the experience to unfold.
Let it fold, let it fold
The repetition of this phrase functions as a call to allow events to happen naturally and take their course.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Temistoclas Hugo Rutili
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind