Additional Info:
Under the name Arm of Roger, Grandaddy recorded a joke album entitled The Ham and its Lily in 2002.
A.M. 180, which was released as a single, is featured prominently in the British film 28 Days Later.
On the 27th January 2006, Jason Lytle confirmed that the band would split following the release of their final album, Just Like The Fambly Cat.
Jason Lytle has since toured the US as a solo artist, playing Grandaddy songs from the last album and others. He is said to plan a solo career of new material.
On March 2, 2012, Grandaddy announced their reunion with news of a headline slot at the End of the Road Festival in Dorset, England on 2 September. Further dates are expected.
Crystal Lake
Grandaddy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For parties full of folks who flake,
Italian leather winter games
Retired by the duraflames.
The crystal lake it only laughs,
It knows you're just a modern man,
It's shining like a chandelier,
Shining somewhere far away from here.
I've gotta get out of here...
And find my way again.
I've lost my way again.
Should never have left the crystal lake,
For areas where trees are fake,
And dogs are dead with broken
Hearts, collapsing by the coffee carts.
The crystal lake it only laughs,
It knows you're just a modern man,
It's shining like a chandelier,
Shining somewhere far away from here.
I've gotta get out of here...
And find my way again.
I've lost my way again.
The Crystal Lake by Grandaddy is a song about feeling out of place and longing to return to a simpler time. The singer laments leaving the crystal lake, a place where people were genuine and real, for the fake and superficial world of the modern man. The parties are full of folks who flake, and the winter games are played with Italian leather, retired by duraflames. The crystal lake is personified as if it knows the modern man is not content and is shining like a chandelier far away from here.
The singer continues to express a desire to get out of their current situation and find their way again. The areas they have explored are filled with fake trees, dead dogs with broken hearts, and collapsing coffee carts. The crystal lake seemingly knows the singer better than they know themselves and their struggles, and the imagery of the shining chandelier highlights how the lake is out of reach, a distant memory or paradise that needs to be regained. The repetition of 'I've lost my way again' underlines the sense of being lost and needing to find a path forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Should never have left the crystal lake.
The singer regrets leaving a place where things were simple and genuine.
For parties full of folks who flake,
The singer left the crystal lake for social gatherings filled with unreliable people.
Italian leather winter games
Possibly a reference to expensive, meaningless material possessions obtained in the city.
Retired by the duraflames.
The artist's material possessions have become irrelevant and forgotten, much like the brand Duraflame.
The crystal lake it only laughs,
The place the artist left behind is unaffected by his departure and continues to exist in its simplicity and sincerity.
It knows you're just a modern man,
The singer recognizes himself as a typical, detached and materialistic modern individual.
It's shining like a chandelier,
The crystal lake is a beautiful, unpretentious and natural thing that remains unchanged by the singer's relocation.
Shining somewhere far away from here.
The crystal lake is distant, both physically and spiritually, from the artist's current urban environment.
I've gotta get out of here...
The artist realizes he must leave his current situation and find his way back to simpler values.
And find my way again.
The artist seeks to rediscover his authenticity and values, which he has lost in his urban environment.
I've lost my way again.
The singer acknowledges that he has lost his path and needs to find his way back to a more meaningful existence.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: JASON LYTLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alexander Mendoza
Nunca debería haber dejado el lago de cristal.
Should never have left the crystal lake.
Para fiestas llenas de gente que se desmorona,
For parties full of folks who flake,
juegos de invierno de cuero italiano
Italian leather winter games
Retirado por los duraflames.
Retired by the duraflames.
El lago de cristal solo ríe,
The crystal lake it only laughs,
Sabe que eres solo un hombre moderno,
It knows you're just a modern man,
Brilla como un candelabro,
It's shining like a chandelier,
Brillando en algún lugar lejos de aquí.
Shining somewhere far away from here.
Tengo que salir de aquí...
I've gotta get out of here...
Y encontrar mi camino de nuevo.
And find my way again.
He perdido mi camino otra vez.
I've lost my way again.
Nunca debería haber dejado el lago de cristal,
Should never have left the crystal lake,
Para áreas donde los árboles son falsos,
For areas where trees are fake,
Y los perros están muertos con roto
And dogs are dead with broken
Corazones, derrumbándose por los carritos de café.
Hearts, collapsing by the coffee carts.
El lago de cristal solo ríe,
The crystal lake it only laughs,
Sabe que eres solo un hombre moderno,
It knows you're just a modern man,
Brilla como un candelabro,
It's shining like a chandelier,
Brillando en algún lugar lejos de aquí.
Shining somewhere far away from here.
Tengo que salir de aquí...
I've gotta get out of here...
Y encontrar mi camino de nuevo.
And find my way again.
He perdido mi camino otra vez.
I've lost my way again
magGie Puput
Should never have left the crystal lake.
For parties full of folks who flake,
Italian leather winter games
Retired by the duraflames.
The crystal lake it only laughs,
It knows you're just a modern man,
It's shining like a chandelier,
Shining somewhere far away from here.
I've gotta get out of here...
And find my way again.
I've lost my way again.
Should never have left the crystal lake,
For areas where trees are fake,
And dogs are dead with broken
Hearts, collapsing by the coffee carts.
The crystal lake it only laughs,
It knows you're just a modern man,
It's shining like a chandelier,
Shining somewhere far away from here.
I've gotta get out of here...
And find my way again.
I've lost my way again.
Natashaboris
Probably one of the most remarkable albums in my collection....
Erik Moens
Try the Dutch band "Spinvis"
The Spelled Milk
Clap your Hands & Say Yeah / Only Run
Hum / Youd Prefer an Astronaut
My Morning Jacket / Tennessee Fire.
3 I've listened to this AM. In my own little world & Loving It.
Juaquin
Probably
BIG CITY
I wore my CD into oblivion of this....and I was a kid in Crystal Lake ,Ill. This album either speaks to you, or not. I think its brilliant. Bordering on genius.
David Cummings
Being 35 in 2000 when this came out, at the end of that year on listening to this track ... I thought to my self that lyrics are so metaphoric in the context of my life ... What a great piece of music.
Daniel Gustafsson
Yes
Cabaret Ray
Indeed
Jack
This is one of the best music I have found since ages. I need to find my way again.
illusoryme
One of the most underrated albums of all time.