An enigmatic folk nomad, McCombs is a quintessentially American artist; "he's quietly become one of (the country's) finest chroniclers of fringe characters, a writer of heart-rending love songs and psychedelic odes to the natural world, a teller of tall-tales with a sense of humor dry as desert wood, and that rare folksinger who actually sings about the folk." His vocals range somewhere between the anxious drone of Lou Reed, the hollow croon of Elliott Smith, the lilting melody of Morrissey, and the driving earnestness and complexity of bards such as Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan. His lyrical style is alternately vivid and weary, laconic and yearning, or drifting into the high-spirited and whimsical.
After cutting his first EP, Not the Way in San Francisco in 2001, McCombs relocated to Baltimore, MD. There he released "Not the Way" in 2002 and recorded his first full-length, A, in 2003 on Monitor Records. He spent the next few years touring: playing All Tomorrow's Parties; and opening for bands such as Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, and Belle and Sebastian; before recording his second LP PREfection, which was released on 4AD in 2005.
McCombs' subsequent releases have been on the highly successful British independent label Domino Recording Co. 2007's Dropping the Writ was named one of Amazon's Best Albums of that year. Catacombs was voted one of the 50 greatest albums of 2009 by Pitchfork Media, and features Academy Award-nominated actress and singer Karen Black on the track Dreams-Come-True-Girl. During this period, McCombs toured with the likes of Arcade Fire, Andrew Bird, Band of Horses, José González, Beach House, and The Walkmen.
Catacombs also established McCombs' relationship with engineer/producer Ariel Rechtshaid, member of The Hippos and Foreign Born, who produced Grammy-winning hit Climax for Usher, the Plain White T's Grammy-nominated No.1 platinum-selling single Hey There Delilah, and albums for Vampire Weekend, Sky Ferreira, Snoop Lion, and Haim, among others.
In 2010 McCombs played Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, L.A.'s Culture Collide Festival and Invisible Children Benefit. 2011 offered an extensive headlining tour, an appearance at SXSW, and two albums released by McCombs and produced by Rechtshaid: Wit's End in April and Humor Risk in November. The two albums were made simultaneously. In an interview with Pitchfork, McCombs explains: "Wit's End was started years ago and it slowly made its way to the finish line. Humor Risk was just punched out. They're friends but they're different. Wit's End is like a stew; Humor Risk is the raw food diet."
Big Wheel and Others, McCombs' seventh full-length (and first double album) was released in October 2013. The album is rooted in the Americana mythos of the Wild West, from the San Francisco drug culture to the gunslingers and gold rush of the nineteenth century. The album once again features Karen Black on a version of the track Brighter!, her final recording before passing away due to ampullary cancer in August, 2013. Big Wheel is dedicated to her memory.
http://cassmccombs.com
Morning Star
Cass McCombs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said the Black Jack Gypsy Davy
Morningstar, tell no lie
While the goose is hanging high
Wring my neck under your thighs
All the world loves a surprise
Bright, terrifying and bizarre
Pull me up to see your face
What's it like to shit in space?
Morningstar, illuminate
Free us from this world of hate
I'm on a trip, but I don't slip
From out the fog comes a white ship
A lighthouse seen from afar
Saves the crew, O Morningstar
She shared some stories from her life
In slow Taboo like a prison knife
Morningstar, now I see
All your secrets are safe with me
Shitty songs, shitty art
Shitty poems, shitty hearts
To push away, I touch my scar
That reads your name, my Morningstar
The lyrics of Cass McCombs's song Morning Star are quite enigmatic yet quite engaging. At first, the song appears to be an invitation by a Black Jack Gypsy Davy to "Morningstar", to leave her husband and come with him. But who exactly is this "Morningstar"? A clue lies in the next lines, "While the goose is hanging high...Bright, terrifying and bizarre...Golden Lucifer, the Morningstar". This appears to be a reference to a time-honored tradition of hanging a goose by its neck as a superstitious form of divination - if the goose's neck breaks cleanly, it is considered a good omen. In this context, Morningstar is possibly a seer or a diviner, someone who can read the signs of the universe, and who may be able to help the singer escape from a world of hate and confusion.
The subsequent lines of the song are equally puzzling yet evocative. The singer describes a surreal moment where he is lifted up to see Morningstar's face and wonders what it must be like to "shit in space". The song then takes on a more mystical quality, with references to a lighthouse and stories shared by Morningstar that are "slow Taboo like a prison knife". The song ends with the singer acknowledging that he has been pushed away by Morningstar, but he touches a scar on his body that bears her name. Overall, the song appears to be a meditation on the human desire to escape from the mundanity and cruelty of everyday existence, and the yearning for transcendence and a connection to something greater.
Line by Line Meaning
Leave your husband and come with me
The Black Jack Gypsy Davy asks the woman to leave her husband and run away with him.
Morningstar, tell no lie
Morningstar, known for his ability to bring light and truth to darkness, is being called on to speak no lies.
While the goose is hanging high
Act quickly, before it's too late to seize an opportunity.
Wring my neck under your thighs
This line could have sexual connotations or it could mean 'put your foot down' or 'squeeze the life out of me.'
All the world loves a surprise
People love a good surprise, a new experience. It keeps life exciting.
Bright, terrifying and bizarre
Some things can be both beautiful and scary, like the light of the Morningstar.
Golden Lucifer, the Morningstar
Lucifer is another name for the Morningstar, representing light, or knowledge.
Pull me up to see your face
It's like the artist is pulled out of a dark place to see the light, represented in the face of another.
What's it like to shit in space?
An honest and humorous question about something that few will ever experience, pushing against the reality of a boring and serious world.
Morningstar, illuminate
Morningstar, bring light to the darkness, literally and metaphorically, and show us the way.
Free us from this world of hate
We are asking the Morningstar to grant us freedom from a world that is full of anger, prejudice, and cruelty.
I'm on a trip, but I don't slip
The journey we are on is not easy, but we don't give up or give in to temptations.
From out the fog comes a white ship
A metaphor for clarity emerging after struggling through uncertainty or discomfort.
A lighthouse seen from afar
The lighthouse is a symbol of guidance and hope, even when it seems like we are lost at sea.
Saves the crew, O Morningstar
The Morningstar saves us from dangers we cannot see or overcome on our own.
She shared some stories from her life
Someone is sharing experiences of their journey with vulnerability and openness.
In slow Taboo like a prison knife
Taboo is a word association game; the slow pace with which the stories are shared creates an intense and uncomfortable dynamic, as if a sharp and severe tool is being wielded slowly.
Morningstar, now I see
After being lost in the dark, now we can see by the light of the Morningstar.
All your secrets are safe with me
The Morningstar is a keeper and generator of secrets, and this person is honoring that role in their own way.
Shitty songs, shitty art
The artist is acknowledging that some things in life can be bad or not meet expectations.
Shitty poems, shitty hearts
Everything can be imperfect, including people.
To push away, I touch my scar
A physical sensation used to ease the emotional pain caused by separating from someone important – self-inflicted pain to mask the self-induced pain of loss.
That reads your name, my Morningstar
Even though the singer is pulling away from this person, the Morningstar is something that they know will continue to bring light and knowledge into their life.
Writer(s): CASS MCCOMBS
Contributed by Eva T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mistysky184
“Leave your husband and come with me”
Said the Black Jack Gypsy Davy
Morningstar, tell no lie
While the goose is hanging high
Wring my neck under your thighs
All the world loves a surprise
Bright, terrifying and bizarre
Golden Lucifer, the Morningstar
Pull me up to see your face
What’s it like to shit in space?
Morningstar, illuminate
Free us from this world of hate
I’m on a trip, but I don’t slip
From out the fog comes a white ship
A lighthouse seen from afar
Saves the crew, O Morningstar
She shared some stories from her life
In slow Taboo like a prison knife
Morningstar, now I see
All your secrets are safe with me
Shitty songs, shitty art
Shitty poems, shitty hearts
To push away, I touch my scar
That reads your name, my Morningstar
@JaredBrennannashville
Nearly a decade later and still nothing but wow. This may well be my fav song of all time ever
@Friendsforgood270
I use too skate this little cruise board everyday in junior high. This video and song took me back.
thank you.
@joejones8146
Listen to this every morning, it is wrong to not do so.
@randomdude189
JJJoe Jones my morning song is happy pills by younger brother. I get insane visualizations.
@mistysky184
“Leave your husband and come with me”
Said the Black Jack Gypsy Davy
Morningstar, tell no lie
While the goose is hanging high
Wring my neck under your thighs
All the world loves a surprise
Bright, terrifying and bizarre
Golden Lucifer, the Morningstar
Pull me up to see your face
What’s it like to shit in space?
Morningstar, illuminate
Free us from this world of hate
I’m on a trip, but I don’t slip
From out the fog comes a white ship
A lighthouse seen from afar
Saves the crew, O Morningstar
She shared some stories from her life
In slow Taboo like a prison knife
Morningstar, now I see
All your secrets are safe with me
Shitty songs, shitty art
Shitty poems, shitty hearts
To push away, I touch my scar
That reads your name, my Morningstar
@jboner11
idk whats better how gnarly those dudes were ripping at that time or the song, woah
@happinesshotel5375
Good times jamming to this song when I was younger
@andykeri8370
Well done .
I can see the Morning Star rising ,in His Rainbow Glory.
I wanna see the rainbow after the Rain....
@tmjdbr
love that cass put skating in his video great track
@aFoxyFox.
Well this song is really beautiful.