Colour Revolt is an American indie rock band from Jackson, Mississippi.
… Read Full Bio ↴Colour Revolt is an American indie rock band from Jackson, Mississippi.

Colour Revolt's members first played together while they were high school students at Jackson Academy in Jackson, MS under the name Foxxe, then changing to Fletcher and releasing a full length entitled "Friends Don't Speak". They then moved on to become college students at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. They take their current name from Edwin Abbott's mathematical novel, Flatland.

The group had intended to record their first EP in Mississippi in August of 2005, but Hurricane Katrina interrupted the recording session, and so they recorded it in the house of local label Esperanza Plantation's owner. The self-titled EP came out in December of 2005; following this the group toured with Brand New and signed to Interscope Records, who re-released the EP on their subsidiary Tiny Evil in October 2006.

The group has also performed at SXSW and toured with Dinosaur Jr., Black Lips, Okkervil River, Menomena, Paper Rival, Explosions in the Sky, Malajube, Anathallo, and Manchester Orchestra.

They then signed with Fat Possum Records; their full-length debut, produced by Clay Jones, was released on April 1, 2008. In 2008, Boston newspaper The Phoenix named them the Best New Band from Mississippi.

Jesse Coppenbarger - vocals, guitar, keyboard
Sean Kirkpatrick. - vocals, guitar, keyboards

Former
Len Clark - drums, vocals
Drew Mellon - bass
Patrick Addison - bass
Jimmy Cajoleas - guitar

Naked & Red
Colour Revolt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

God is swinging from the liquor tree
Licking everything he finds
God knows all about you and me
Lucky I got something to hide

Well all along in the evergreens
Baby's got a soul to steal
I know you and you know me

Maybe we can make a deal

There goes Adam with The Devil's head
His body's all naked and red
Well we're all naked now in our heads
But i know who made my bed

Still I feel sorry for The Devil's head
His mother never taught him no good
I'm still swinging from the liquor tree
And Eden is a hell of a place

Eden is a hell of a place

Talk, talk, talk, talk your devils down
Sun, sun, sun, sun is coming out

And burn, burn, burn all your witches out
And work, work, work till the day is out

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Colour Revolt's song Naked & Red can be interpreted in a number of ways but most likely represents a kind of parable about humanity's fall from grace that references the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The first verse paints the image of God, usually seen as a figure of authority and morality, in a state of indulgent drunkenness. The second verse introduces the character of Baby who lives among the evergreens, a possible representation of youthful and untainted humanity that is still pure enough to "steal" a soul. The chorus repeats the line "there goes Adam with The Devil's head" which conjures an image of humanity being led astray by a corrupted Adam, who is usually seen as the father of all humanity. The singer of the song then expresses empathy for the Devil, possibly indicating a rejection of the idea of an omnipotent and all-knowing deity who sets up tests for humanity just to punish them for failing.

The next verse sees the singer admitting to indulging in liquor as well, indicating a sense of shared guilt or sinfulness. The final verse repeats the chorus but adds some resolution to the story, offering the idea of talking down one's demons and working to make things better. It is a possible message of repentance and atonement that could somewhat redeem humanity and make up for its fall from grace.

Overall, the lyrics of Naked & Red convey the idea of a sinful humanity that is doomed to suffer from its own mistakes but can still work to make things better if it tries.

Line by Line Meaning

God is swinging from the liquor tree
The singer metaphorically depicts himself as God, with his drunkenness being the 'liquor tree' he swings from.

Licking everything he finds
As God/lush drinks excessively, he is personified as tongue lashing at everything he comes across.

God knows all about you and me
The singer suggests that in their inebriated stupor, God/lush is all-knowing, and knows everything about the singer and those around him.

Lucky I got something to hide
The singer is lucky to have secrets that he can keep hidden from God in his drunken state.

Well all along in the evergreens
The mention of the evergreens suggests a peaceful and natural setting, where the singer discovers that someone ('baby') has a soul that he wants to steal.

Baby's got a soul to steal
The reference to 'baby' alludes to a person who has a good soul that the singer wants to take over for himself.

I know you and you know me
The singer knows somebody, and hints that they have knowledge of the singer too. There could be a potential mutually-beneficial arrangement between them.

Maybe we can make a deal
There is a suggestion from the singer that something could be negotiated between him and the other person he knows.

There goes Adam with The Devil's head
The singer sees an image of Adam carrying The Devil's head. This could be interpreted as a reference to the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible.

His body's all naked and red
The line suggests that Adam is now experiencing shame (nakedness) and bloodshed (redness) after eating the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden.

Well we're all naked now in our heads
The singer thinks that every person is vulnerable and exposed when it comes to their thoughts and secrets. In this way, they are all 'naked' in their heads.

But I know who made my bed
The singer implies that even though they too are vulnerable, they feel that they are still in control of their circumstances and environment.

Still I feel sorry for The Devil's head
The singer now shows sympathy for The Devil's (Adam's) head, indicating that they do not regard him with as much blame or contempt as they used to.

His mother never taught him no good
The implication is that The Devil learned his wicked ways from his mother, suggesting that bad behavior can be passed down through generations of a family.

I'm still swinging from the liquor tree
The singer goes back to the metaphor of being God, and returns to their drunkenness to escape from the world around them.

And Eden is a hell of a place
The singer again refers to the story of Adam and Eve, suggesting that the concept of paradise is always open to interpretation and that even a 'perfect' place can be seen as a terrible one.

Talk, talk, talk, talk your devils down
The singer urges others to confront their personal demons by verbally working through their problems.

Sun, sun, sun, sun is coming out
The line suggests that the situation will improve and the dark issues and demons in the singer will be pushed out by the arrival of light and positivity.

And burn, burn, burn all your witches out
The singer furthers the idea that people should confront their personal demons and rid themselves of negative influences that plague their lives.

And work, work, work till the day is out
The overall message is that people should keep working hard to improve themselves, even if the path to success seems dark and overwhelming.

Contributed by Lillian K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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