Curt lives in Austin, Texas.
In 2006, his band Meat Puppets reformed with Cris and new drummer Tim Alexander (of Primus) as the replacement of Derrick Bostrom. The band has already planned to write and record their eleventh studio album, due for release sometime in 2007.
Ted Marcus now sits on the drums for the Meat Puppets. "CURT KIRKWOOD: Well, you know, it's basically the same lineup -- because it's my brother and I ... then Ted, the drummer, he's a Meat Puppets fan."
Golden Lies
Curt Kirkwood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time stood still, and the name's the same
Nowhere onion rolling slow
Towering smokestack covered with snow
A lie lights my heart
The truth would fall apart
Golden swans on the desert
Moonlight glows on the oily sand
The echoing know, and the slapping hand
Sometimes slip; all times hide
The giant spiders are heavenly spies
A lie lights my heart
Truth would fall apart
Golden swans on the desert
Recite golden lies
Here I've found, there's a hare in this town
Natural big top; man made clowns
Nowhere onion rolling slow
Towering smokestack covered with snow
A lie lights my heart
Truth would fall apart
Golden swans on the desert
Recite golden lies
Golden swans on the desert
Recite golden lies
The song "Golden Lies" by Curt Kirkwood is a poetic description of the contradictions and illusions that exist in our world. The opening lines, "Thick as blood in the pouring rain, time stood still, and the name's the same," suggest a feeling of stagnation and confusion. The image of an onion rolling slow and a towering smokestack covered with snow hint at the industrial wasteland which has become part of modern life. The lie that lights the singer's heart could be a belief in something that is not true, or it could be a metaphor for the way society perpetuates falsehoods in order to maintain power.
The desert and the moonlight evoke a sense of vastness and mystery, but even here the singer finds only more lies. The "golden swans" that recite "golden lies" suggest that even beauty and grace can be used to obscure the truth. The final verse introduces a note of absurdity and irony. The singer finds a "hare in this town" and encounters "man made clowns." The image of a natural big top suggests the circus-like atmosphere of contemporary society. The repetition of the refrain, "A lie lights my heart, truth would fall apart," reinforces the idea that we are all living in a world of illusions.
Line by Line Meaning
Thick as blood in the pouring rain
The bond between two people is so strong that even the rain cannot wash it away
Time stood still, and the name's the same
Although time has passed, nothing has changed and everything seems to be the same
Nowhere onion rolling slow
There is nothing much happening in this place, and life is moving at a slow pace
Towering smokestack covered with snow
The industrial area can be seen from afar, and it is currently covered with snow
A lie lights my heart
Telling a lie brings happiness to me as the truth may cause more harm than good
The truth would fall apart
The truth is not always pleasant, and there may be negative consequences if it comes to light
Golden swans on the desert
Beautiful things can exist even in the harshest of environments
Recite golden lies
Memories are not always truthful and become distorted over time
Moonlight glows on the oily sand
A contrasting scenario where the moon's reflection on the sand is vivid, but the presence of oil makes it corrupt
The echoing know, and the slapping hand
Whispers are often heard, and sometimes people take action to silence them
Sometimes slip; all times hide
Mistakes happen, but it is important to cover it up to avoid the repercussions
The giant spiders are heavenly spies
A metaphorical representation of how sometimes, the good can turn into bad, and the innocent can become malicious
Here I've found, there's a hare in this town
A surprise discovery is made in an unexpected place
Natural big top; man made clowns
There are natural wonders around, but people often create unnatural distractions
Golden swans on the desert
Beautiful things can exist even in the harshest of environments
Recite golden lies
Memories are not always truthful and become distorted over time
Golden swans on the desert
Beautiful things can exist even in the harshest of environments
Recite golden lies
Memories are not always truthful and become distorted over time
Contributed by Elijah P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Léon
@Lastname First Yeah I guess, well I'm more of a 2000's kid to be fair, since I was just a toddler in the 90's. But I was always attracted to the music of the 60's 70's and 80's, even though I listen to all kinds of stuff nowadays
Yeah it was about 9AM here when you sent this comment and it is indeed Wednesday ^^
Oh you visited France ? Where did you go ? Yeah there are nice places here ! I've never visited the US but I sure hope I will someday, I'd like to see the deserts, we obviously don't have this kind of environment here in France, and it seems so quiet and peaceful !
Did you have the chance to see them during their Punk/Hardcore era as well ?Wow I actually had no idea they had played in France ! I thought they'd have too small an audience to fill a venue
But I checked and they seem to be scheduled for October of this year in Bordeaux ! It might be a little optimistic to assume the pandemic will be over by then but I thought I might buy a ticket, worst case scenario I'll get a refund I guess :)
Wow that's a funny coincidence, I had had Eyes Adrift in my Watch Later playlist for a few days now and decided to give it a listen this very morning ! It's pretty damn good, even though nothing can beat MPII for me 😄
Yeah I've heard about the book Too High to Die, I might buy it later ! It's kinda difficult to find MP related stuff here in France but I'm sure I could find it on internet
Yes, do let me know what you thought of it !
Good day to you too 😊
Léon
@Lastname First Hey you're welcome ! :)
Wow you're soooo lucky you got to see them live back then, that must have been so cool ! I live in France so I have very little hope I'll ever get to see them, but that's a dream of mine
Personally I didn't grow up listening to this kind of music (I was born in the late 90's), but I found out about the Meat Puppets back in highschool, thanks to one of my best friend who used to be a big Nirvana fan. As soon as I heard them I knew it really was something unique and Meat Puppets II has been my all-time favorite record ever since
Yeah it's a shame this kind of music gets forgotten these days. In France virtually nobody knows about the Meat Puppets, if it wasn't for my friend I probably would have never heard of them
Yeah I agree it's definitely not the same thing, I also like having the actual records in my collection
Thanks, hope you're having a great day too !
wakened26
It reminds me of a magical time when a beautiful bird visited me often. He carried tiny flowers and raindrops and specks of sunlight in his beak. We swam in Lake Forgiveness and there, he dropped the keys to my heart. One day, he arrived with a small pebble in his beak. He told me couldn't remember my name and rode away on a flying bicycle.
Waken U
Slavcia Loves the lyrics, He's a surrealist" I told her. "Really Beautiful " She said . Produced by Pete Anderson.
Pulcinella Hornsby
It's sad for me because of all the good times we've had together.
Pulcinella Hornsby
I Love this brilliant wonderful song, It reminds me of Slavcia, she's a gal from Linden NJ.
Lastname First
Idk Snow had been out so long. Im sorry I missed it til now
Pulcinella Hornsby
This gal Slavcia , she feeds and invites birds , she feeds the squirrels in her universe, she grows plants from her minds heart. This song is dedicated to her and all her efforts. Personally I think she invites negativity into her life that need not be there.
Lastname First
Great song. Who is playing keys and slide? Wish I knew. Perhaps Ill buy the album and find out
Léon
@Lastname First Yeah I guess, well I'm more of a 2000's kid to be fair, since I was just a toddler in the 90's. But I was always attracted to the music of the 60's 70's and 80's, even though I listen to all kinds of stuff nowadays
Yeah it was about 9AM here when you sent this comment and it is indeed Wednesday ^^
Oh you visited France ? Where did you go ? Yeah there are nice places here ! I've never visited the US but I sure hope I will someday, I'd like to see the deserts, we obviously don't have this kind of environment here in France, and it seems so quiet and peaceful !
Did you have the chance to see them during their Punk/Hardcore era as well ?Wow I actually had no idea they had played in France ! I thought they'd have too small an audience to fill a venue
But I checked and they seem to be scheduled for October of this year in Bordeaux ! It might be a little optimistic to assume the pandemic will be over by then but I thought I might buy a ticket, worst case scenario I'll get a refund I guess :)
Wow that's a funny coincidence, I had had Eyes Adrift in my Watch Later playlist for a few days now and decided to give it a listen this very morning ! It's pretty damn good, even though nothing can beat MPII for me 😄
Yeah I've heard about the book Too High to Die, I might buy it later ! It's kinda difficult to find MP related stuff here in France but I'm sure I could find it on internet
Yes, do let me know what you thought of it !
Good day to you too 😊
Lastname First
@Léon 90s good time to grow up. France hmm, probably your day time there while its 1am where Iam. I lived in Germany for a couple of yrs and drove to France a few times. Pretty nice there. Yes Im glad Ive seen the MPs several times. They were great in concert. Im thinking that they have played in France a few times and also I bet after this pandemic they may play there again. I hope you get to see them live someday. They are getting old but still rock. Also Curt Kirkwood was in another band, Eyes Adrift w bass player from Nirvana. You can find them on utube. Im reading their book, "Too high to die" Ill let you know what I think when Im through with it. You might find it there? Hope you have a great Wednesday (or is it thursday there?) Sue ☺
Léon
@Lastname First Hey you're welcome ! :)
Wow you're soooo lucky you got to see them live back then, that must have been so cool ! I live in France so I have very little hope I'll ever get to see them, but that's a dream of mine
Personally I didn't grow up listening to this kind of music (I was born in the late 90's), but I found out about the Meat Puppets back in highschool, thanks to one of my best friend who used to be a big Nirvana fan. As soon as I heard them I knew it really was something unique and Meat Puppets II has been my all-time favorite record ever since
Yeah it's a shame this kind of music gets forgotten these days. In France virtually nobody knows about the Meat Puppets, if it wasn't for my friend I probably would have never heard of them
Yeah I agree it's definitely not the same thing, I also like having the actual records in my collection
Thanks, hope you're having a great day too !