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.
The Man With the Golden Arm
Jeffrey Lewis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm talkin' 'bout the man with the golden arm
I'm talkin' 'bout the man with the golden arm
I'm talkin' 'bout the man with the golden arm
He told me his arm was golden
He told me it was made out of gold
He told me he had a beautiful wife
He told me he had a dog named Lassie
That was true
He told me I had a beautiful wife
That was true
I'm talkin' 'bout the man with the golden arm
I'm talkin' 'bout the man with the golden arm
They warned me
They said he had a golden arm
They lied to me
I said I was not worried
I knew it was just made of silver
I lied to me
He said I had a beautiful wife
He said he really liked my wife
He said they had a real good time together
She told me nothing even happened
I'm talkin' 'bout the man with the golden arm
I'm talkin' 'bout the man with the golden arm
He told me I had a beautiful wife
He told me they had a real good time together
She told me nothing even happened
She lied to me
She couldn't even see me
She couldn't even talk to me
She lied to me
She lied
She said I was nothing
She said I could not compare
She said my arm was made out of shit
She said I was nothing compared with
I'm talkin' 'bout the man with the golden arm
I'm talkin' 'bout the man with the golden arm
He lied to me
She lied to me
I lied to me
Jeffrey Lewis's song The Man With the Golden Arm is a poignant narrative reflecting upon the art of deception in human relationships. The song is about a man with a golden arm who lies about his arm's composition and also about his life. He tells the singer about his beautiful wife and his dog named Lassie. While the dog's existence is true, the man's wife is just a figment of his imagination. The singer's wife has not cheated on him with the man with the golden arm, as the man had suggested, but they did indeed spend some time together. During this time, it is revealed that the singer's wife had lied to him about the interactions. The song ends on the note of the manipulative nature of human relationships, where all three characters in the story are lying to each other.
The song's theme is about the vague lines between truth and deception in human relationships. The golden arm metaphorically represents the self-deceptions and lies told in relationships. The man with the golden arm's lies and manipulations appeared to have caused significant harm to the singer's psyche. Jeffrey Lewis conveys the story with an eerily calm tone, which only reinforces the sense of disillusionment in the singer's mind. The song is full of catchy and memorable lines that stick in the listener's mind long after the song is over.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm talkin' 'bout the man with the golden arm
The singer is referring to the man who claims to have a golden arm
He told me his arm was golden
The man claimed that his arm was made of gold
He told me it was made out of gold
The man claimed that his arm was made of gold
He told me he had a beautiful wife
The man claimed that he had a beautiful wife
He lied to me
The man was not truthful with the artist
He told me he had a dog named Lassie
The man claimed to have a dog named Lassie
That was true
This statement is true
He told me I had a beautiful wife
The man claimed that the artist's wife is beautiful
That was true
This statement is true
They warned me
Those around the artist gave him a warning
They said he had a golden arm
Others claimed that the man's arm was made of gold
They lied to me
Those around the artist were not truthful
I said I was not worried
The singer claimed that he was not concerned
I knew it was just made of silver
The singer believed that the man's arm was made of silver
I lied to me
The singer was not truthful with himself
He said I had a beautiful wife
The man claimed that the artist's wife is beautiful
He said he really liked my wife
The man claimed to like the artist's wife
He said they had a real good time together
The man claimed to have had a good time with the singer's wife
She told me nothing even happened
The singer's wife claimed that nothing happened between her and the man
She lied to me
The artist's wife was not truthful with him
She couldn't even see me
The artist's wife was not willing to communicate with him
She couldn't even talk to me
The artist's wife was not willing to communicate with him
She said I was nothing
The singer's wife claimed that he was insignificant
She said I could not compare
The artist's wife claimed that he was not comparable to the man
She said my arm was made out of shit
The singer's wife claimed that his arm was worthless
She said I was nothing compared with
The singer's wife claimed that he was inferior to the man
He lied to me
The man was not truthful with the singer
She lied to me
The artist's wife was not truthful with him
I lied to me
The artist was not truthful with himself
Contributed by Owen R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.