Ranaldo was born in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, and graduated from Binghamton University. He has three sons, Cody Linn Ranaldo, Sage Ranaldo and Frey Ranaldo and is married to the experimental artist Leah Singer, with whom he has performed many live installation pieces with improvised music.
Among Ranaldo's solo records are Dirty Windows, a collection of spoken texts with music, Amarillo Ramp (for Robert Smithson), pieces for the guitar, and Scriptures of the Golden Eternity. His books include Bookstore, Road Movies, and Jrnls80s (published by Soft Skull Press). A full-length book of writings on Moroccan travels and music, as well as a book of new poems, Lengths & Breaths, are out now. Recent visual work has been included in exhibitions at the Hayward Gallery in London, the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art and Mercer Union in Toronto.
Ranaldo has produced albums for artists including Babes in Toyland, You Am I, Deity Guns, Magik Markersand Dutch art rock-ensemble KLEG. He has edited a volume of tour journals from the 1995 Lollapalooza Tour written by Thurston Moore, Beck, Stephen Malkmus, Courtney Love, and others. Ranaldo has also worked with jazz drummer William Hooker on improvised music, and reading and improvising poetry.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Ranaldo and Thurston Moore, of Sonic Youth, the 33rd and 34th best guitarists of all time. Their playing style is very innovative and they both use a large variety of extended techniques, such as their 3rd Bridge screwdriver technique.
Ranaldo usually uses Fender Jazzmaster and Telecaster Deluxe electric guitars, with radically altered tunings, and modifications.
Hammer Blows
Lee Ranaldo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I could see you weren’t home
Everything comes to a stop / here on Rocky Too
Maybe I’ll see you out on the road
Turn your face to the light / the wind whispers your name
Carry on into the night / it’s nice t have you back in the game
If it’s all the same, we can talk talk talk til the end
On the road your feet are light / they carry you into the night
And I’ll walk beside you like a true true friend
Like a good citizen I wait for it all to explode
Turn my face to the wind. I’m just a rabbit on the road
But I’m coming home
I’ll write at dawn
I’ll try t get you on the phone
[WAH]
My kingdom’s dirty and my hands unclean
Illusion comes w no remorse
Hammer blows get heavy and they’re oft unseen
But this pain is bound t run it’s course
It’s nice t have you back, I wasn’t ready for a change
Here’s a present for the road / I’ll give you back your name
It won’t do you harm
Shine up your nails
Feel the wind in your sails
The lyrics to Lee Ranaldo's song "Hammer Blows" are rich and poetic, evoking themes of uncertainty, change, and the search for connection. The song opens with an image of the singer visiting the home of someone they care about, only to find that they are not there. It's raining, and the stillness and emptiness of the environment is palpable. The singer feels a sense of the world coming to a stop, as if everything is in limbo. However, they express the hope that they will see the other person "out on the road," suggesting that there is still the possibility of connection and movement forward.
The second verse is more abstract, with lyrics about turning one's face to the light and receiving whispers in the wind. The singer praises the person's resiliency and expresses their own willingness to be a faithful friend. The third verse presents a more ominous tone, with references to a "dirty" kingdom and "unseen" hammer blows. However, this darkness is balanced out by the singer's desire to see their friend shine and embrace the wind in their sails.
Overall, "Hammer Blows" is a song that explores complex emotions like hope, uncertainty, and resilience. It paints vivid images of environments and relationships in flux, capturing the mixed feelings of joy and anxiety that come with navigating change.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I stopped by your house / in the rain
I visited your place last night, even though it was raining.
But I could see you weren’t home
I realized you were not there.
Everything comes to a stop / here on Rocky Too
Life seems stationary and unchanging at Rocky Too.
Maybe I’ll see you out on the road
Perhaps I'll meet you while traveling.
Turn your face to the light / the wind whispers your name
Face the sunlight and listen to the gentle wind, it calls your name.
Carry on into the night / it’s nice t have you back in the game
Keep moving forward in the night, it's good that you're back in the game.
We talked about your sanity / but not of your vanity
We discussed your mental health, not your egotism.
If it’s all the same, we can talk talk talk till the end
We can continue talking endlessly about anything.
On the road your feet are light / they carry you into the night
While traveling, you feel unburdened and free as your feet carry you forward.
And I’ll walk beside you like a true true friend
I'll be your loyal and caring companion.
Like a good citizen I wait for it all to explode
Like a responsible person, I wait for things to fall apart.
Turn my face to the wind. I’m just a rabbit on the road
I face the wind while I move ahead like a small, helpless animal.
But I’m coming home
I'm returning back to my place.
I’ll write at dawn
I'll write at the break of day.
I’ll try t get you on the phone
I'll attempt to call you.
[WAH]
Instrumental break
My kingdom’s dirty and my hands unclean
My domain is tarnished, and my hands are not clean.
Illusion comes w no remorse
Fantasies come without any pity or regard.
Hammer blows get heavy and they’re oft unseen
The impact of blows can be immense and unnoticed at times.
But this pain is bound t run it’s course
This ache will eventually come to an end.
It’s nice t have you back, I wasn’t ready for a change
It's great to have you back; I wasn't ready for something different.
Here’s a present for the road / I’ll give you back your name
I have a gift for you. I'll return to you what belongs to you- your name.
It won’t do you harm
It's not going to cause you any damage.
Shine up your nails
Polish and brighten up your nails.
Feel the wind in your sails
Allow the wind to guide you like a sailor.
Contributed by Savannah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-yj7hd6xl7u
"this pain is bound to run its course" I did not need to cry on a Saturday morning sir.
@alexanderclaylavin
i told Lee at The Stone once, "even when the drugs don't work, your music does."
@meezerpocalypse6651
love this one so much. favorite album from you Lee. keep on rockin!
@inphanta
Such a full sound from that guitar.
@jasoneddy9111
Beautiful... Thank you
@MrZimharry
Really, really good..........thanks for posting.....
@jessetaylorkoechling
so beautiful... and the perfect story to link to it
@IlyaMalyshev
Thanks
@bsaeg77
Last night I stopped by your house / in the rain
But I could see you weren’t home
Everything comes to a stop / here on Rocky Too
Maybe I’ll see you out on the road Turn your face to the light / the wind whispers your name
Carry on into the night / it’s nice t have you back in the game We talked about your sanity / but not of your vanity
If it’s all the same, we can talk talk talk til the end
On the road your feet are light / they carry you into the night
And I’ll walk beside you like a true true friend Like a good citizen I wait for it all to explode
Turn my face to the wind. I’m just a rabbit on the road
But I’m coming home
I’ll write at dawn
I’ll try t get you on the phone [WAH] My kingdom’s dirty and my hands unclean
Illusion comes w no remorse
Hammer blows get heavy and they’re oft unseen
But this pain is bound t run it’s course It’s nice t have you back, I wasn’t ready for a change
Here’s a present for the road / I’ll give you back your name
It won’t do you harm
Shine up your nails
Feel the wind in your sails