Devendra Obi Banhart (born May 30, 1981) is a Venezuelan American singer-so… Read Full Bio ↴Devendra Obi Banhart (born May 30, 1981) is a Venezuelan American singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Houston, Texas and was raised by his mother in Venezuela, until he moved to California as a teenager. His first few records were released on the Young God Records label from New York City. His most recent CD was released by Nonesuch. He is one of the most popular artists to come out of the "New Weird America" movement, which includes performers such as Faun Fables, Viking Moses, Jack Rose, Jana Hunter, Arborea, The MV & EE Medicine Show, Currituck Co., Six Organs of Admittance, and The Royal We, among others. He also often joins the band known as Vetiver.

Banhart is considered to have an eclectic style, with many of his songs seemingly following a stream-of-consciousness vein, being hard to decipher and non-literal. His music tends to consist of fairly simple guitar melodies with minimal other instrumentation, and his lyrical themes are often surreal and naturalistic. His involvement in the Los Angeles artist community is reflected in Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, released in September 2007. He gained some underground notoriety in New York for performing several of his early shows with underwear on his head for the duration of the performance.

Banhart's most recent tour of the United States saw him perform with his full band, which is currently known as Power Mineral. Power Mineral included Andy Cabic (Vetiver), Greg Rogove (Priestbird), Noah Georgeson, Luckey Remington, Pete Newsom, Otto Hauser (Vetiver, Currituck Co., Espers, Nick Castro), Kevin Barker (Currituck Co.), and others. The band claims to rechristen itself when a name comes to them, and has previously been known as Fried Hummingbird, Vagina Burglars, Hairy Fairy Band, Las Putas Locas, Stoner Boner, Spiritual Boner, Bummer Hummer, Brain Taint, Love Fart, Bathhouse Of The Winds, and First Woman Millionaire among other names.

Banhart was discovered by Michael Gira of Swans, who released his Oh Me Oh My... The Way the Day Goes by the Sun Is Setting Dogs Are Dreaming… album on his own Young God Records label in 2002. In 2005, Banhart (along with Andy Cabic and Revolver USA) created the Gnomonsong record label. In 2006 he helped to curate an edition of the British All Tomorrow's Parties festival.

Banhart also was one of the younger musicians responsible for "rediscovering" the music of folksinger Vashti Bunyan. Bunyan is a guest vocalist on his album Rejoicing in the Hands.

Surgery I Stole
Devendra Banhart Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Surgery I stole from you
Surgery you stole from me
He believes in apathy
All a dream
Could be all a dream
All that I have seen of him
His money is such a lucky sin
Your eyes see sweet

But your mouth tastes tin
The toothbrush is black
That's the place where you're at
And snake holds a knife
And snake holds a knife
All I see brings you close to me
All I do brings me close to you
Summer snake, dance for dance's sake
Into far away

Into far away, far away
Into far away

Overall Meaning

The opening two lines of the song, "Surgery I stole from you, surgery you stole from me", creates a sense that something has been taken and a balance has to be restored. The lines could indicate the idea of the relationship between two entities or persons that is parasitic in nature. The singer in the song could have taken something from the other party, and they, in turn, could have also taken something from him. The lines could also represent an aspect of the artist's personal life, where he could have undergone medical surgery or had his ideas stolen by others.

The line, "He believes in apathy, all a dream, could be all a dream," seems to suggest the idea of nihilism, where the character in the song is indifferent about life, and everything around him is meaningless. He could be detached from reality and lost in thought, lost in his dreams. The line "all a dream" suggests that everything could be an illusion; what he perceives could be different from what is real.

The lyrics "All that I have seen of him, his money is such a lucky sin, your eyes see sweet, but your mouth tastes tin" could potentially be interpreted in different ways. It could refer to the corrupt nature of money, where people use it to achieve their agendas, and it is often acquired through immoral means. The contrast between the sweetness of the eyes and the bitterness of the mouth creates an image of deception, where things might seem pleasant at first, but they might not always be the case. The last few lines of the song, "Summer snake, dance for dance's sake, into far away, far away" could be a reference to the Chinese summer season and the various creatures that inhabit the region.

Line by Line Meaning

Surgery I stole from you
He has taken something that he shouldn't have from someone else.

Surgery you stole from me
Someone has taken something from him that they shouldn't have.

He believes in apathy
He thinks someone else doesn't care about anything.

All a dream
Everything may not be real.

Could be all a dream
He's uncertain whether any of this is real.

All that I have seen of him
He's only got a limited understanding of who someone is.

His money is such a lucky sin
He thinks someone's wealth has allowed them to commit immoral acts without facing consequences.

Your eyes see sweet
Someone has a kind or gentle appearance.

But your mouth tastes tin
Someone's words or actions are harsh or bitter.

The toothbrush is black
Something indicates that something isn't right or clean.

That's the place where you're at
This is someone's current state or status.