Jeffrey Lewis is an American singer/songwriter and comic-book artist, part of the Anti-folk movement. Several of his musical influences have been acknowledged in his songs such as The Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song, concerning the song by Leonard Cohen, and The History of The Fall. Like Cohen, Lewis' lyrics are complex and literate, often combining a depressing world-view with a hopeful message and sharp wit. Born in New York City and growing up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan Island his songs are also highly informed by his home surroundings, with songs namechecking places such as Williamsburg, the FDR Drive and the East River.
Jeffrey Lewis was born in New York in November 1975. He attended State University of New York at Purchase College and graduated in 1997; his final thesis was on the Alan Moore graphic novel "Watchmen".
After being signed by the British record label Rough Trade in 2001, Lewis released his first official album The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane, and in 2003 he released the album It's the Ones Who've Cracked That the Light Shines Through. Lewis later released the album City & Eastern Songs, in the U.K. in November 2005. All three albums also include his brother, Jack Lewis, who wrote and sang a number of the songs. He has also performed and collaborated with fellow New York Anti-folk singers Kimya Dawson and Diane Cluck.
His latest album, 12 Crass Songs was released on Rough Trade in Europe in September of 2007. As the title suggests, it is 12 covers of the British anarchist punk band Crass. It features vocals, keyboard and recorder from Helen Shriner, bass by both John Kessel and brother Jack Lewis, drums by David Beachamp (live drummer/The Bloodugars) and Raphi Gottesman (who often plays with Jack Lewis). Shwervon's Nan Turner also contributes vocals to various tracks.
Jeffrey Lewis is a Welsh composer. After graduating from University College, Cardiff, he studied composition with Stockhausen, Ligeti, and Boguslaw Schaffer, and electronic composition with Don Banks. His early career was spent as a pianist with the Paris Chamber Ensemble; after his return to the U.K, in 1973 he joined the Department of Music at the University College of North Wales, Bangor.
GOLD
Jeffrey Lewis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Most of the gold was gone
By that time I had some questions
So I flagged down a race-car bum
He said "Sonny I don't know where it's going,
But I can show you where it all comes from"
And he mopped his red forehead and he pointed
Straight into the setting sun
That what I then did saw
It sent such a shock to my system
That I almost fell down dead on the floor
'cause the sun had a big chunk missing
About 24 carats wide
And I stared into that hole in the golden sun
And you want to know what I saw inside?
I saw a giant toothpick factory
And it made my very soul feel sick
'cause when I say I saw a toothpick factory
I mean I saw a factory made out of toothpicks
And that factory was a-hoppin' and a-jumpin'
And a-roaring and letting off steam
And you know that that ain't all now
Let me tell you what else I seen
Behind the factory was a giant mutant monster
With sixty-seven separate tails
And each one was a-wiggling and a-waving
And each one as long as twenty-three whales
And at the tip of each towering tendrils
Were a dozen tiny pencils of lead
And each word they wrote was in a different language
And when you put them all together they said
"You who have arms to wrestle
And you who have wars to fight
And you who have chips on your shoulders
Must now line up and stand to my right
But you who are meek and lawful
And you who are soft and kind
If you don't want to see something awful
Run and get yourself a rock to hide behind
'cause these colours are just a signal
And these colours are just about to fade"
And when I read those words I shivered
And I saw exactl what the factory made
Out of a little doorway
At the end of a conveyor belt
In the centre of a ring of fire
Half the size of a postage stamp
Were a million household items
Packed into a metal Dukes Of Hazzard lunchbox
And they were all shut and sealed and fastened
With a gold combination lock
And just about every minute
Another one came right out of the hole
And crashed to the earth beneath it
And landed in a lump of coal
And every poor coal miner
Who happened on a golden stone
Was made both richer and wiser
And had to murder someone to get it home
And then I had to close my eyelids
And I had to turn my face away
The race-car man was crying
And I heard him angrily say
"I suppose you want a glass of water
I suppose you want to eat something warm"
I said, "Yes but not with you sir"
And I ran off to be alone
And I sat under a bridge and I wondered
What exactly all of these things were
And I found I could not yet remember
What I thought they were before
I just want something even
Something that won't cause no fuss
The sun can go about its business
And leave the rest to us
And we'll call it even
And we'll call it gold
The lyrics of Jeffrey Lewis's song 'Gold' narrate the story of a person's journey to the 'golden city' where they were disappointed to find that most of the gold had already been taken. The singer then encounters a race-car bum who points toward the setting sun where the singer discovers a giant toothpick factory. Behind the factory was a giant mutant monster with sixty-seven tails, and each of them was as long as twenty-three whales. The tip of every tail had a dozen tiny pencils of lead, and each word they wrote was in a different language, which asked the people who have arms to wrestle, wars to fight, and chips on their shoulders, to line up on the monster's right side. Meanwhile, people who are meek and lawful, and those who are soft and kind are advised to run and hide since the colours are about to fade. Eventually, the singer discovers a million household items packed into a metal Dukes of Hazzard lunchbox, sealed and fastened with a gold lock that frequently drops out of the toothpick factory, landed in a lump of coal. The song ends with the singer's desire to call it even and wonder about what exactly all these strange things signify.
Line by Line Meaning
When I got to the golden city
The singer arrived at a place known for gold.
Most of the gold was gone
The gold at the city was already depleted.
By that time I had some questions
The singer had inquiries related to the gold stuff.
So I flagged down a race-car bum
The artist approached someone who drives race-cars for help.
He said "Sonny I don't know where it's going,
But I can show you where it all comes from"
The race-car bum was clueless about where the gold went but could identify the source of the store.
And he mopped his red forehead and he pointed
Straight into the setting sun
The man directed him to the sunset for the solution to his problem.
And people let me tell you
The singer wanted to share his experience with the world.
That what I then did saw
What the artist saw next.
It sent such a shock to my system
The artist was astonished with what he saw.
That I almost fell down dead on the floor
The sight was so shocking that it almost killed him.
'cause the sun had a big chunk missing
About 24 carats wide
The singer observed that the sun had a big piece missing like a 24 carat.
And I stared into that hole in the golden sun
And you want to know what I saw inside?
The artist looked inside the opening and asked if the listeners want to know what he saw.
I saw a giant toothpick factory
And it made my very soul feel sick
The singer saw a massive manufacturing plant made of toothpicks that made him nauseous.
'cause when I say I saw a toothpick factory
I mean I saw a factory made out of toothpicks
The singer emphasized that the plant was constructed entirely of toothpicks.
And that factory was a-hoppin' and a-jumpin'
And a-roaring and letting off steam
The plant was vibrating with production and was loud and steamy.
And you know that that ain't all now
Let me tell you what else I seen
The artist promised there's more to the story.
Behind the factory was a giant mutant monster
With sixty-seven separate tails
A huge deformed creature with sixty-seven tails was at the plant's rear.
And each one was a-wiggling and a-waving
And each one as long as twenty-three whales
Each strand of its tail, which was as huge as twenty-three whales, was moving.
And at the tip of each towering tendrils
Were a dozen tiny pencils of lead
At the peak of each of the creature's lengthy tendrils were a few tiny lead pencils.
And each word they wrote was in a different language
And when you put them all together they said
The creature's strands wrote scripts in separate dialects that said a specific thing when combined.
"You who have arms to wrestle
And you who have wars to fight
And you who have chips on your shoulders
Must now line up and stand to my right
The texts urged fighters and individuals with grudges to gather to the monster's right side.
But you who are meek and lawful
And you who are soft and kind
If you don't want to see something awful
Run and get yourself a rock to hide behind
The creature directed people who were gentle and law-abiding to run and hide behind a rock to avoid a terrible fate.
'cause these colours are just a signal
And these colours are just about to fade"
The text explained that the colours of a signal were about to disappear.
And when I read those words I shivered
And I saw exactl what the factory made
Upon reading the statement, the artist's body shook, and he knew what the plant was producing.
Out of a little doorway
At the end of a conveyor belt
In the centre of a ring of fire
Half the size of a postage stamp
A tiny door at the end of a production line in the middle of a circle of flames made objects half as broad as a postage stamp.
Were a million household items
Packed into a metal Dukes Of Hazzard lunchbox
In the container were millions of daily usage products stored in a Dukes Of Hazzard lunchbox.
And they were all shut and sealed and fastened
With a gold combination lock
The items were locked and sealed with a golden combination lock.
And just about every minute
Another one came right out of the hole
And crashed to the earth beneath it
And landed in a lump of coal
Another product came out of the plant's doorway almost every minute and plummeted into the ground and crashed to a coal mine.
And every poor coal miner
Who happened on a golden stone
Was made both richer and wiser
And had to murder someone to get it home
Every coal miner who discovered a golden rock became rich and wiser but had to kill someone to carry it back home.
And then I had to close my eyelids
And I had to turn my face away
The singer had to shut his eyes and avert his head due to unpleasant scenarios.
The race-car man was crying
And I heard him angrily say
The race-car driver was weeping, and the singer heard him say in frustration.
"I suppose you want a glass of water
I suppose you want to eat something warm"
The race-car bum offered water and hot food to the artist.
I said, "Yes but not with you sir"
And I ran off to be alone
The artist refused the good Samaritan's offer and decided to be alone.
And I sat under a bridge and I wondered
What exactly all of these things were
The artist pondered what was all the madness about while sitting below a bridge.
And I found I could not yet remember
What I thought they were before
The singer couldn't recall what he knew before he discovered the toothpick factory.
I just want something even
Something that won't cause no fuss
The artist desired an equilibrium in life without upheavals.
The sun can go about its business
And leave the rest to us
The singer wished to hit a balance in life where there is no fuss between humans and nature.
And we'll call it even
And we'll call it gold
Having established that balance, we'll call it equitable, which is the equivalent of gold.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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