Ceschi was born with four fingers on his right hand, which served as partial inspiration for the name of his DIY record label, Fake Four, Inc. Those who have worked with him describe Ceschi as one of the most artist-friendly labelheads out there, a rare breed who values art over profit almost to a fault. Since 2008, he has curated a roster of wildly original and critically praised talent and put out albums from the likes of Open Mike Eagle, Buck 65, Sister Crayon and Dark Time Sunshine in addition to his solo records The One Man Band Broke Up and Broken Bone Ballads.
An engaging, theatrical live performer, Ceschi Ramos has treated entire venues like a stage, viewing the middle of the audience or an empty barstool as good a place as any to perform a soul-baring folk song or tongue-twisting rap track. Ceschi once described himself in song as “a martyr at most… a failure at least” and said that, “In the eyes of history I’ll be no more than a leaf on a tree.” He knows what it is to suffer for his art and is aware that music exploring the ugliness and sorrow of the human condition will always exist on the fringes of a game dominated by disposable escapism and expensive publicists. Yet he still pours everything he has into his craft, and on any given night you can find him tracking vocals at his cousin’s New Haven studio, warmly greeting fans and friends at a dive bar merch booth or rapping double-time in Japan or Europe for audiences that often don’t speak his language, but are able to see the giant heart at the core of it all.
Half Mast
Ceschi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was in a playground digging for bones
Underneath the wood chips
Under the stones
Searching for the dead and gone
Dinosaurs with their dead end songs
And then
I planted 20 peach pits in the backyard
One of them grew up to be a tree with 50 arms
It bore the sweetest fruit I've ever tasted
And the roots tore through the dirt
Tore through the pavement
All these animals
With their paws in traps
All the animals
In this bar make me laugh
It's the way that our faces sink at half mast
It's the way that our bodies stink (make noise)
I already know them by heart
I've memorized their reflections
And know the art
I've felt the rush of a big bet
And got the scars
Covering each bit of this chest
We'll play our parts
But every performance will end
So if this is really the start of the finish
I guess I gotta go ahead and settle for chipping away at the infinite...
Only felt alive for a minute's time...
All I ever wanted was to be significant - not losing in my prime
Sacrificing my body pocket and mind
For a taste of it
Spitting in the face of it
They love it when a man plummets
I'd pray but I can't stomach that rubbish
Where do they really want to go when they die?
In the clouds with the most high?
Underground or the sky with a clown-like "BIG GUY"?
In a wooden box
With a suit and tie
So the boll weevils can hide
With some maggots in between toenails
While arachnids swim inside bone marrow?
Or would they prefer to go sterile?
God Dammit
I'm locked inside this unforgiving planet
Where people chant of freedom and revolution
But have never had it
So I've been on a quest to find a way out of inevitable gravity and death
And I'm at a turning point
Wondering if I should quit now
But it's all in jest
I feel I'm dick deep
And the writer's block raping my brain
Is editing out all the ways I want to say "fuck you" in good taste
This is an album
About low living
Sucking up dust and discovering quickly
That the truth is unforgiving
All these animals
With their paws in traps
All the animals
In this bar make me laugh
It's the way that our faces sink at half mast
It's the way that our bodies stink
9 years old
Saw a man get shot in the road:
Robbed a bank
Never made it home
That's my fucking hero though
A gambler with no soul
Took a risk
Buried in a hole
When I was 12
I dreamt Abuelo never went to hell
I dreamt he never shot and killed himself
In that Puerto Rican motel
Where the cane rum sunk into the shelves
I painted him in heaven
17
I made believe my father kept clean
That addiction wasn't built inside of me
Or David
But the tree is still growing
And it seems
That the fruit it bore 10 years before just wasn't so sweet
Julius
I must say
I must say
I never thought you would fade
Julius
I must say
I must say
I never thought you would
Julius
I must say
I must say
I never thought you would fade
Julius
I must say
I must say
I must say
I must say...
All these animals
With their paws in traps
All the animals
In this bar make me laugh
It's the way we're all sinking at half mast
It's Half Mast
Ceschi’s ‘Half Mast’ is a thoughtful and reflective song that explores the different stages of life that the artist has been through. The first few stanzas look back at childhood memories of digging for bones in a playground and planting peach pits that grew into a tree with sweet fruit. The lyrics then shift towards the theme of mortality, wondering where people go after they die and what happens to their bodies. The second half of the song delves into more personal experiences, such as losing loved ones and struggling with addiction, before ending on a note of acceptance as we all sink down to half mast.
The song suggests that every step in life is important, and every little moment can shape our lives in ways we don't expect. The mention of the plant that grew into the tree with 50 arms is a nod towards how something as seemingly insignificant as planting a seed can have significant implications for the future. The lyrics “And got the scars covering each bit of this chest'' imply the artist has been through hardships in life, but they are embracing them instead of dwelling on them, representing a person moving forward and not looking back. The contrast between childhood innocence and adult hopelessness is powerful, as the song highlights how we all eventually become worn down by the struggles of life.
Overall, ‘Half Mast’ is an introspective song that encourages listeners to reflect on their own experiences and recognize the importance of the little things that shape life.
Line by Line Meaning
4 years old
At the age of four, I was digging for imaginary bones at the playground
I was in a playground digging for bones
I was playing at the playground
Underneath the wood chips
I was digging below the wood chips
Under the stones
I was trying to find bones beneath the stones
Searching for the dead and gone
I was looking for imaginary dinosaur bones
Dinosaurs with their dead end songs
I was pretending to dig up dinosaur bones and sing along to their 'dead' songs
And then
After that moment of play
When I was 7
At the age of seven
I planted 20 peach pits in the backyard
I dug holes in my backyard to plant peach pits
One of them grew up to be a tree with 50 arms
One of the peach pits grew into a large tree
It bore the sweetest fruit I've ever tasted
The tree produced the sweetest peaches I have ever eaten
And the roots tore through the dirt
The tree's strong roots dug deep into the ground
Tore through the pavement
The tree's roots destroyed the pavement above it
All these animals
All of us humans
With their paws in traps
Facing difficult situations that make us feel trapped
All the animals
All of us humans
In this bar make me laugh
The people in this bar make me feel amused
It's the way that our faces sink at half mast
We look sad with our heads down
It's the way that our bodies stink (make noise)
We smell bad or make unpleasant noises
I already know them by heart
I know people really well
I've memorized their reflections
I know how they act and what they are feeling
And know the art
And I understand the complexities of human interactions
I've felt the rush of a big bet
I've taken a big risk and felt the excitement
And got the scars
And I have been hurt before
Covering each bit of this chest
Scars that cover my chest and remind me of my past experiences
We'll play our parts
We all play different roles in society
But every performance will end
But eventually, everything will come to an end
So if this is really the start of the finish
If this is the beginning of the end
I guess I gotta go ahead and settle for chipping away at the infinite...
I'll just try to keep working on my goals even though it might seem overwhelming
Only felt alive for a minute's time...
Life is short and we only feel truly alive for brief moments
All I ever wanted was to be significant - not losing in my prime
I wanted to have a meaningful impact on the world and not waste my potential
Sacrificing my body pocket and mind
I gave up everything I had to achieve my goals
For a taste of it
Even if it's just a small taste of what I wanted to achieve
Spitting in the face of it
I am defying authority or expectations of me
They love it when a man plummets
People enjoy seeing others fail
I'd pray but I can't stomach that rubbish
I don't believe in prayer or relying on a higher power
Where do they really want to go when they die?
Where do people hope to end up after death?
In the clouds with the most high?
In heaven with a god or deity
Underground or the sky with a clown-like "BIG GUY"?
In the ground or up in the sky with a jester-like figure
In a wooden box
In a casket
With a suit and tie
Dressed up in formalwear for a funeral
So the boll weevils can hide
So pests can hide in the casket
With some maggots in between toenails
With maggots crawling between the toes
While arachnids swim inside bone marrow?
While spiders swim inside the bones
Or would they prefer to go sterile?
Or would they want to die without leaving behind any offspring
God Dammit
An expression of frustration or anger
I'm locked inside this unforgiving planet
I feel trapped on this harsh, unyielding world
Where people chant of freedom and revolution
Where people talk about fighting for change and freedom
But have never had it
But they have never experienced it themselves
So I've been on a quest to find a way out of inevitable gravity and death
So I've been trying to find a way to escape death and the pull of gravity
And I'm at a turning point
But now I'm not sure which path to take
Wondering if I should quit now
Considering giving up
But it's all in jest
But it's not a serious thought
I feel I'm dick deep
I feel like I am in a bad situation
And the writer's block raping my brain
And I am struggling to come up with new ideas or break through an obstacle
Is editing out all the ways I want to say "fuck you" in good taste
Is preventing me from expressing myself in a way that is both clever and appropriate
This is an album
This collection of songs
About low living
About life in difficult circumstances
Sucking up dust and discovering quickly
Struggling and realizing how hard life can be
That the truth is unforgiving
That reality is harsh and unchangeable
9 years old
At the age of nine
Saw a man get shot in the road:
Witnessed a violent crime
Robbed a bank
Committed a crime
Never made it home
Did not return safely
That's my fucking hero though
Despite the bad things he did, I still idolized him
A gambler with no soul
A person who took risks without regard for consequences
Took a risk
Engaged in an act of daring
Buried in a hole
Now dead and buried
When I was 12
At the age of twelve
I dreamt Abuelo never went to hell
I had a dream where my grandfather did not go to hell after he died
I dreamt he never shot and killed himself
In the dream, my grandfather did not commit suicide
In that Puerto Rican motel
At the motel in Puerto Rico
Where the cane rum sunk into the shelves
Where the rum was stored on the shelves
I painted him in heaven
I imagined him in a better place after death
17
At the age of seventeen
I made believe my father kept clean
I pretended that my father did not have a drug addiction
That addiction wasn't built inside of me
That I did not inherit his addiction
Or David
Or his friend David did not also have an addiction
But the tree is still growing
But I am still growing and changing
And it seems
But it appears
That the fruit it bore 10 years before just wasn't so sweet
That the good things from the past are not as good as I remember them
Julius
Unknown significance
I must say
I have to acknowledge
I never thought you would fade
You are gone now and I didn't expect it
It's the way we're all sinking at half mast
We are all struggling and feeling sad
It's Half Mast
Unknown significance
Contributed by Taylor D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.