The music has been described as gothic country, avant-garde indie, psychedelic neo-folk, and a slew of other labels. Fundamentally, the music of Castanets is built on the clash between traditional music styles (folk, country) and modern intuition (avant-garde, psychedelia).
For several years, Raymond spent his time traveling the USA by bus and distributing CD-R copies of his music. Castanets has since released two albums, 2004's Cathedral and 2005's First Light's Freeze, both on Sufjan Stevens' Asthmatic Kitty label.
On July 29, 2022, Raymond Raposa died at the age of 41 of undisclosed causes.
Rose
Castanets Lyrics
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Wherever you're blooming
Alone or with someone I know
Well, it shakes and it splits me
To think that you could forget me
And I won't lie and say otherwise
But, Rose, I was just trying to
Was cracked and the colors untrue
And I only sang the bitterest tunes
O mother I have never felt so good
Having married the world
I lost my last love and I married the world
The bridges, the ravens, and the squirrels
To hide among the black trees
The black ships and red seas
The long nights of avarice and fear
Can be as sweet as the sunrise
The blue and the brown eyes
And the long skies from horizon to here
O brother I could never be so free
As the rain or the buckling breeze
But if I keep them near me
And deep here within me
Well, brother, ain't that as free as I could be
And now, Rose, when I think of you
The cold never comes
And, Rose, believe me, I think of you each day
But the world that I was shown
Will be the world in which I'm grown
Even if I am to be born to it alone
Even if I must go forth in it alone
Even if I'm left to worship on my own
Swinging drunk here on the porches without you
Singing for you in the distances alone
Singing for you in the distances alone
Singing for you in the distances alone
The lyrics of Castanets's song Rose paint a picture of longing and vulnerability. The singer, presumably a man, is deeply affected by the thought of Rose, whether she is alone or with someone else, and the possibility that she may forget him. He confesses that he was trying to paint a picture for her, but the canvas was cracked and the colors were untrue. He admits to singing only the bitterest tunes. This suggests that perhaps he has tried to express his feelings to Rose before, but his words were inadequate or even untrue.
Throughout the song, the singer addresses various people - his mother, his brother - and speaks of the world he has married. He has lost his last love and appears to have settled for the world instead. He hides among the black trees, black ships, and red seas, embracing the long nights of avarice and fear. But despite this, he declares that he thinks of Rose each day. He accepts that he may be born to this world alone, go forth in it alone, and worship on his own. But he continues to sing for Rose, even if it is alone in the distance.
The theme of unrequited love is evident throughout the song. Rose represents a love that either has never been reciprocated or has been lost. The singer's attempts to express his feelings are flawed and insufficient, but he cannot help but think of her every day. The power of memory, the significance of the past, and the inevitability of change are some of the themes that are explored in this song.
Line by Line Meaning
O Rose when I think of you
Whenever I think of you, Rose
Wherever you're blooming
No matter where I find your beauty and vitality
Alone or with someone I know
Even if you're blooming in my solitude or with someone else
Well, it shakes and it splits me
Your beauty and memory evoke such strong feelings in me
To think that you could forget me
The idea that you could ever forget me troubles me deeply
And I won't lie and say otherwise
I won't pretend that I don't feel this way
But, Rose, I was just trying to
However, Rose, I was merely attempting to
Paint a picture for you but the canvas
Create a visual representation for you, but the medium
Was cracked and the colors untrue
Was flawed and the colors weren't accurate
And I only sang the bitterest tunes
All I could sing were melancholy songs
O mother I have never felt so good
Mother, I have never felt better
Having married the world
I am fully immersed in the world
I lost my last love and I married the world
I have moved on from my last love and dedicated myself to the world
The bridges, the ravens, and the squirrels
The beautiful symbols of nature and life around me
To hide among the black trees
To seek solace and refuge within the darkened forests
The black ships and red seas
Amid the darkness with vessels and oceans symbolizing struggles and bloodshed
The long nights of avarice and fear
The seemingly lasting periods of greed and worries
Can be as sweet as the sunrise
Can be just as beautiful as the sunrise
The blue and the brown eyes
The variance of eye colors
And the long skies from horizon to here
As well as the expansive skies stretching out from horizon to myself
O brother I could never be so free
Brother, I could never be liberated as you seem to be
As the rain or the buckling breeze
As free as the relaxing elements of rain and wind
But if I keep them near me
But if I hold onto the moments of freedom and peace
And deep here within me
And embrace them inside of me
Well, brother, ain't that as free as I could be
Isn't that as liberated as I can get, brother?
And now, Rose, when I think of you
Nowadays, Rose, when you come to my thoughts
The cold never comes
I never feel the chilling emptiness
And, Rose, believe me, I think of you each day
And please believe me, Rose, I think about you every single day
But the world that I was shown
However, the world presented to me
Will be the world in which I'm grown
Is the world in which I must mature and thrive
Even if I am to be born to it alone
Even if I must face it alone
Even if I must go forth in it alone
Even if I must journey through it by myself
Even if I'm left to worship on my own
Even if I'm left to pray on my own
Swinging drunk here on the porches without you
Here, tipsy, swaying without you on the porches
Singing for you in the distances alone
Singing while consciously apart from you
Singing for you in the distances alone
Singing for you in the distances alone
Singing for you in the distances alone
Singing for you in the distances alone
Contributed by Jasmine R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nelson Wells at Team Clermont
on A Song Is Not the Song of the World
These myriad mythologies... what good, if it's not the world. We need to come together, people of the world. No time more telling than the present. - This was always a favorite client of ours at Team Clermont.