Cotton Jones (formerly The Cotton Jones Basket Ride), is an indie folk band… Read Full Bio ↴Cotton Jones (formerly The Cotton Jones Basket Ride), is an indie folk band, with elements of psychedelic folk, dream pop, baroque pop, and Americana, based in Cumberland, Maryland and currently signed to Suicide Squeeze Records.

Michael Nau (born October 31, 1984) is the lead singer-songwriter and plays guitar, Whitney McGraw (born July 20, 1986) is on keyboards, organ, and electronic autoharp, Todd Gowans is on lead electric guitar, and Greg Bender is on bass.

The signature sound of the band is Michael Nau and his wife Whitney McGraw's ethereal vocal harmonies.

On September 23, 2008, the band released their first LP, The River Strumming, through the indie label St. Ives. It was a hand-made package limited to only 300 copies and was described as a "delightful slab of fuzzed-out dream folk."

On January 27, 2009, the band released their second LP, their debut for Suicide Squeeze Records, Paranoid Cocoon. It was described as a "weepy, reverb-drenched blend of Pacific Northwest, 1960s folk-pop, and heartland rock" and an "intriguing mix of country and melancholy psychedelia". Comparisons were made with Johnny Cash, Mazzy Star, and Beach House.

On August 24, 2010, the band released their third LP, Tall Hours in the Glowstream. It was described as "classic country music filtered through a dream-pop haze." Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw recorded the majority of the album in their living room while they were staying in Winterville, Georgia and the sound of the record is equal parts gospel, Southern soul, and backwoods folk. The album is an evolution from the Southern Gothic nocturnal vibes of The River Strumming and the moody, misty psych-folk of Paranoid Cocoon into a brighter, shimmering baroque pop similar in spirit to their contemporaries Fleet Foxes.

On August 21, 2012, the band released About the Game, a 7" record limited to only 500 copies.

Chewing Gum
Cotton Jones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And I was liftin' through a sea of ice,
maybe chewing gum,
feelin' softer than the velvet sky
and longer than the sun.
People movin' on a cloudy train

'round the milky moon
a dog remembers some sweet summer day

on the trail of you.

Could you slow down baby? Could you slow down, baby? Come and find me in the dark
if the stars come rollin' and the sky starts foldin' could you tell me who you are?
it's a dream now, baby, what a scene now, baby, oh I don't know where to start.
do you know me, baby, do you know me, baby, did you learn me from the dark?

Who do you know now, lady?
Who do you know now?

There's a big sun comin'
We gotta go now.

Did you speak to the midnight?
what do you know now?
Did you see him crackin'

I gotta know now.
Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go

Overall Meaning

The Cotton Jones song "Chewing Gum" is a dream-like ode to love, wanderlust, and timelessness, sung in a crooning Southern drawl over a sparse, hypnotic instrumental backdrop. The lyrics depict a narrator who is floating through a hazy, snowy landscape, feeling weightless and surreal as he gazes upon the stars and the moon. He muses about memories, dogs, and a cloudy train, and wonders if his lover will join him in the darkness, in what seems to be a never-ending dreamworld where time and space have lost their normal dimensions. The repeated refrain of "Could you slow down, baby?" suggests a sense of excitement and urgency, as if the singer wishes to savor every moment and capture them before they slip away.

However, the song's meanings are elusive and ambiguous, leaving plenty of room for personal interpretation. The imagery of the sea of ice, chewing gum, and the milky moon all suggest a world that is slippery and elusive, where familiar objects take on new meanings and where nothing is quite what it seems. The lyrics are full of questions, prompting listeners to wonder what it all means and what the larger message might be. Ultimately, "Chewing Gum" is a song that is rich in details and textures, inviting listeners to get lost in its mesmeric qualities and to explore the depths of its allusive, dreamlike world.

Line by Line Meaning

And I was liftin' through a sea of ice,
The writer is experiencing a dream-like state of being lifted through a sea of ice.

maybe chewing gum,
The writer suggests that the dream is possibly taking place with a piece of gum being chewed in reality.

feelin' softer than the velvet sky
The writer describes the feeling of being submerged in the dream as being softer than the velvet sky.

and longer than the sun.
The writer suggests that the dream feels endless, and that time stretches on like the sun.

People movin' on a cloudy train
The writer observes people moving through the dream, traveling on a train of clouds.

'round the milky moon
The people in the dream are traveling around the milky moon.

a dog remembers some sweet summer day
In the dream, a dog is remembering a specific summer day.

on the trail of you.
The dog is following a path to find someone, perhaps the writer.

Could you slow down baby? Could you slow down, baby? Come and find me in the dark
The writer is asking their partner to slow down in the dream and to come find them.

if the stars come rollin' and the sky starts foldin' could you tell me who you are?
The writer is asking their partner to reassure them of their identity if the dream becomes overwhelming.

it's a dream now, baby, what a scene now, baby, oh I don't know where to start.
The writer acknowledges that the dream is surreal and overwhelming.

do you know me, baby, do you know me, baby, did you learn me from the dark?
The writer is wondering if their partner can recognize them from the dream.

Who do you know now, lady?
The writer is asking their partner who they know in the dream.

Who do you know now?
The writer reiterates the question.

There's a big sun comin'
The writer notes the presence of a large sun entering the dream.

We gotta go now.
The writer suggests that they need to leave the dream.

Did you speak to the midnight?
The writer is asking their partner if they've spoken to the midnight in the dream.

what do you know now?
The writer is asking their partner what they know in the dream.

Did you see him crackin'
The writer is asking their partner if they witnessed someone 'cracking' in the dream.

I gotta know now.
The writer expresses a need to know more about the dream.

Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go
The writer reiterates the need to leave the dream.

Writer(s): Michael Nau Jr

Contributed by Liam A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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TRACKS