The only album to date is A Friend of a Friend, released in November 2009. Rawlings recorded the album in Nashville, and produced it himself. Co-writers and musicians on the album include Welch, members of Old Crow Medicine Show, Bright Eyes, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
"It's hard to believe A Friend of a Friend is David Rawlings' first album under his own name."
- Paste Magazine
Method Acting / Cortez the Killer
Dave Rawlings Machine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's no beginning to the story
A bookshelf sinks into the sand
And a language learned, forgot in turn
Studied once again
It's a shocking bit of footage
Viewed on a shitty TV screen
You can squint at it
To make out what it means
And keep stretching that antenna
Hoping that it will come clear
I need some reception
A higher message
Please tell me what to feel
'Cause I don't know what tomorrow brings
It's alive with such possibilities
But I know that I feel better when I sing
Burdens are lifted from me
That's my voice rising
So T-Bone, please keep the tape rolling
We'll keep strumming that guitar
We need a record of our failures
We must document our love
I sat too long in my silence
Grown too old on my pain
To shed this skin, be born again
It starts with an ending
And I don't know what tomorrow brings
It's full of such possibilities
But I know that I feel better when I sing
Burdens are lifted from me
That's my voice rising
It's not a movie, no private screening
This method acting--I call it living
It's like a fountain, the door is open
We have a problem with no solution
But to love and to be loved
So thank you friends for the time we shared
Your love stays with me like sunlight and air
And I truly wish I could keep hanging around here
My joy is covering me, soon I will disappear
He came dancing across the water
With his galleons and guns
Looking for the new world
In the palace in the sun
On the shore lay Montezuma
With his coca leaves and pearls
In his halls, he often wondered
The secrets of the world
And his subjects gathered round him
Like the leaves around a tree
In their clothes of many colors
For the angry gods to see
And the women all looked beautiful
And the men stood straight and strong
They offered life in sacrifice
So that others could go on
Hate was just a legend
And war was never known
The people worked together
And they lifted many stones
Then they carried them to the flatlands
But they died along the way
And they built up with their bare hands
What we still can't do today
And I know she's living there
And she loves me to this day
I just can't remember when
Or how I lost my way
The Dave Rawlings Machine's song Method Acting / Cortez The Killer is a cover medley of two songs - Method Acting by Bright Eyes and Cortez The Killer by Neil Young. The lyrics of Method Acting depict a sense of confusion and uncertainty about the future. The song talks about the singer's desire for a higher message or a clear reception that would guide them to understand what to feel. The lyrics suggest that the singer seeks refuge in music and the act of singing as a means to lift their burdens and find clarity. The song's title, Method Acting, refers to the idea of fully embodying a character in a performance, which the singer likens to the experience of living.
The second half of the medley is Cortez The Killer, a song that tells the story of Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and his conquest of Mexico. The lyrics describe Cortés and his men arriving in Mexico on their galleons and guns, looking for the new world to conquer. The song touches on themes of imperialism, colonization, and sacrifice, as the native people of Mexico offer their lives as sacrifices just so that others could go on. The last lines of the song's lyrics shift to a more personal tone, with the singer expressing their love for someone they can no longer remember when or how they lost.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no beginning to the story
The story has no clear starting point
A bookshelf sinks into the sand
An image of destruction and decay is described
And a language learned, forgot in turn
The process of learning and forgetting a language is conveyed
Studied once again
The language is being relearned
It's a shocking bit of footage
A disturbing video is being referred to
Viewed on a shitty TV screen
The video is being watched on a poor quality television set
You can squint at it
The viewer needs to strain to see the details in the video
The snow and static
The poor signal causes distortion
To make out what it means
The viewer is trying to interpret the video's meaning
And keep stretching that antenna
The viewer is trying to improve the signal
Hoping that it will come clear
The viewer is anticipating a clear picture
I need some reception
The viewer wants to receive a signal
A higher message
The viewer wants to receive a message with deeper meaning
Please tell me what to feel
The viewer is asking for guidance on how to feel about the video
'Cause I don't know what tomorrow brings
The future is uncertain
It's alive with such possibilities
The future is full of potential
But I know that I feel better when I sing
Singing has a positive impact on the singer
Burdens are lifted from me
The weight of the singer's problems is reduced
That's my voice rising
The singer's voice is increasing in volume
So T-Bone, please keep the tape rolling
The recording is addressed to T-Bone, and a request is made to continue recording
We'll keep strumming that guitar
The musicians will continue playing their instruments
We need a record of our failures
The group wants to document their mistakes
We must document our love
Their love needs to be recorded, too
I sat too long in my silence
The singer has been quiet for too long
Grown too old on my pain
The singer has been holding on to their pain for too long
To shed this skin, be born again
The singer wants to start anew
It starts with an ending
A new beginning requires an end to something else
And I don't know what tomorrow brings
The future is unknown
It's full of such possibilities
The future offers countless opportunities
But I know that I feel better when I sing
Singing has a positive impact on the singer
Burdens are lifted from me
The weight of the singer's problems is reduced
That's my voice rising
The singer's voice is increasing in volume
It's not a movie, no private screening
This is not a production, there is no secrecy
This method acting--I call it living
Living itself is an act
It's like a fountain, the door is open
Freedom is described
We have a problem with no solution
A challenge is faced with no clear answer
But to love and to be loved
Love is the answer
So thank you friends for the time we shared
Gratitude is expressed for the time spent together
Your love stays with me like sunlight and air
The memory and feeling of love endures
And I truly wish I could keep hanging around here
The singer would like to stay longer
My joy is covering me, soon I will disappear
The singer is filled with joy before departing
He came dancing across the water
A new character is introduced
With his galleons and guns
The new character has boats and weapons
Looking for the new world
The new character is searching for something unknown
In the palace in the sun
A place of beauty and luxury is described
On the shore lay Montezuma
Montezuma is encountered
With his coca leaves and pearls
Montezuma is rich and powerful
In his halls, he often wondered
Montezuma was curious about the world
The secrets of the world
Montezuma wanted to uncover the mysteries of life
And his subjects gathered round him
Montezuma's followers grouped near him
Like the leaves around a tree
A simile is used to describe the gathering of the people
In their clothes of many colors
The people's attire is diverse and unique
For the angry gods to see
The people are making offerings to appease the gods
And the women all looked beautiful
The women were described as attractive
And the men stood straight and strong
The men were described as upright and powerful
They offered life in sacrifice
The people offered up their lives as sacrifices
So that others could go on
They made these sacrifices for the sake of others
Hate was just a legend
Hate was not a prominent feature of this society
And war was never known
War was not a common occurrence
The people worked together
The people collaborated with each other
And they lifted many stones
They worked hard and accomplished much
Then they carried them to the flatlands
They transported the stones to a specific location
But they died along the way
Many people perished while making the journey
And they built up with their bare hands
The people used their own two hands to build
What we still can't do today
Their achievements remain impressive and out of reach
And I know she's living there
The singer is aware someone is living in a particular location
And she loves me to this day
The singer is loved by this person still
I just can't remember when
The singer cannot recall when they last saw this person
Writer(s): neil young, conor oberst
Contributed by Brooklyn N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.