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.
The Eye You Lost in the Crusades
Califone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Soft bones a skeletal stretch of drive
Skinny arms your white dress
Comes cigarette teeth by now
The eye you lost in the crusades
Is planted in the sand
Kneeling by wait to reap another sight
This where you leave behind
Your brush fires and wedding day
Our Ethiopian bones
The pictures and the pills
Remember when this was the ocean
Tiny rivers bleed the map
The eye you lost in the crusades
Is planted in the sand
The lyrics to Califone's "The Eye You Lost in the Crusades" seem to be about a person who is preparing for sleep and reflecting on their life. The first line of the song, "Emptying yourself for sleep," suggests a release of thoughts and emotions in order to rest. The following lines describe the physical state of the person, with "soft bones" and "skinny arms" indicating exhaustion and fragility. The reference to "cigarette teeth" suggests a connection to addiction or the numbing of pain.
The second verse shifts to a more symbolic and poetic tone, with the line "The eye you lost in the crusades" standing out as a particularly striking image. This could be interpreted in several ways, but it may refer to a loss of innocence, a traumatic experience, or a battle that was fought and lost. The line "Kneeling by wait to reap another sight" could imply a sense of waiting or anticipation for something to happen.
The final verse contains several references to memory and loss, with "brush fires" and a "wedding day" being left behind. The line "Our Ethiopian bones" may allude to the idea of displacement or separation from one's cultural heritage. The imagery of a map with tiny rivers bleeding suggests a sense of disorientation or confusion. Overall, the lyrics to "The Eye You Lost in the Crusades" evoke a feeling of weariness and introspection, with a sense of longing for something lost or unattainable.
Line by Line Meaning
Emptying yourself for sleep
Letting go of all the thoughts and worries of the day to be able to rest
Soft bones a skeletal stretch of drive
Feeling weak and tired, but still pushing yourself forward
Skinny arms your white dress
Your appearance, perhaps frail or delicate, in contrast with the purity of your white dress
Comes cigarette teeth by now
Implying a habit or addiction, a reference to the physical effects of smoking on teeth
The eye you lost in the crusades
Referring to a significant loss, perhaps of innocence, faith or perspective
Is planted in the sand
Left behind in the past, embedded and unmovable
Kneeling by wait to reap another sight
Remaining in a state of expectation, waiting for a new perspective or experience
This where you leave behind
Leaving a place or state of mind, moving on from something
Your brush fires and wedding day
Perhaps referring to past events or emotions, powerful and intense like brush fires or weddings
Our Ethiopian bones
A reference to the fragility and similarity of all human bones, regardless of race or origin
The pictures and the pills
The things that we use to cope or remember, perhaps memories or medications
Remember when this was the ocean
Reflecting on a time or place that has been lost or changed, no longer recognizable
Tiny rivers bleed the map
Small tributaries or details that can change the entire landscape or image
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Temistoclas Hugo Rutili
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robby D
Skilled Talent Booyah! Loved it.
LocoBanzai
Great song
award
one of the great, all time youtube comments. three full internets have been awarded to you sir.
Steve Gergetz
AWESOME song. Something wrong with this video though...it stutters at 8 or 10 different spot, first one around 38 seconds.
afkhajiit
intense need to relax
lb92390
It doesn't seem like it's possible to comment on a youtube video nowadays without being insulted.
orijimi
In my experience, most places use high performance canola oil.
orijimi
That depends on the place frying anything else in there. At the places I've worked fish was in one fryer and tots and fries the other.
Matthew Kovach
Intensely personal use of the camera. The director seems almost fearless in his pursuit of personal truths and understanding.
WFryco
Why is it that brilliant songs like this get paltry viewership, but Justin Bieber has the most views on Youtube of anyone? Or, wait, was it Nicki? Cardi? No, no. Ed Sheeran? Whatever. It's not this. And it goddamned should be. Sigh.