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.
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Lee Ranaldo Lyrics
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Traveling with a friend
As xtina came of age
I hung with xtina's friends
They would all come 'round the house
And slowly go insane
Every night up around the bend
I'm in xtina's house again
She was just a lonely soldier
Running with the times and the tides
Maybe just a little older
Quite a ways into the night
Quite a ways into the night
I can see you coming
Creeping slowly up the lane
I can see her falling
In and out of love again
I can still see that tree
With that boat off by the shore
Drifting in and out of time
We're in xtina's house once more
Slip behind the valley curtain
Looking for a place to hide
Shaky and those times uncertain
Everyone drunk on red wine
Drunk on red wine
Turn on a flashlight in the dark
At 3 am in the morning
Drunk on red red wine
Tommy smashing bottles against the wall
Xtina waiting at the wall
It's what you know and you know it
It's every place you go, so don't blow it
Confusion takes away, makes it all turn wrong
It only takes a day or two before I'm gone
Long gone
Well step right up
To the house of pain
Step right up on the porch
You bet on the wrong horse
Walking through the door at 10
Right about a quarter to 10
Being very very certain
We're in xtina's house again
She was just a lonely soldier
Running up and down the ride
She was pure and wide and open
She was somehow out of time
Now she's frozen in time
The song "Xtina As I Knew Her" by Lee Ranaldo and the Dust is a nostalgic reflection on the singer's past experiences with a group of friends at Xtina's house. The lyrics convey a sense of wistfulness and longing for a time gone by. The singer remembers hanging out with Xtina's friends and watching them slowly go insane, and visiting Xtina's house every night. The song's chorus repeats the phrase "we're in Xtina's house again," emphasizing the songwriter's connection to that time and place.
The lyrics mention Xtina as a "lonely soldier," suggesting that she was a fighter, struggling through life's challenges. The song describes her as "pure and wide and open," suggesting that she was a generous and loving person who was out of place in the world. The line "Now she's frozen in time" conveys a sense of loss and finality, as if the singer can't go back to that time and place again.
Overall, "Xtina As I Knew Her" is a deeply emotional and introspective song that reflects on the passage of time and the fleeting nature of human connections. It is a reminder to embrace life's fleeting moments and cherish the memories that make us who we are.
Line by Line Meaning
I was traveling light
I was traveling with very little baggage
Traveling with a friend
I was traveling with a companion
As xtina came of age
During the time when xtina was growing up
I hung with xtina's friends
I spent time with the friends of xtina
They would all come 'round the house
They would all visit the house
And slowly go insane
And gradually become mentally unstable
Every night up around the bend
Every night around the corner
I'm in xtina's house again
I'm back in xtina's house
She was just a lonely soldier
Xtina was simply a solitary fighter
Running with the times and the tides
Going with the current of the era
Maybe just a little older
Perhaps a bit more experienced than her age suggests
Quite a ways into the night
Late into the evening
I can see you coming
I can perceive your arrival
Creeping slowly up the lane
Moving gradually up the street
I can see her falling
I can envision her falling
In and out of love again
Going back and forth between loving someone
I can still see that tree
That tree is still vivid in my mind
With that boat off by the shore
With that boat near the shoreline
Drifting in and out of time
Moving in and out of different periods of life
We're in xtina's house once more
We're back in xtina's house again
Slip behind the valley curtain
Go behind the curtain in the valley
Looking for a place to hide
Searching for a spot to conceal oneself
Shaky and those times uncertain
Unsteady and unsure of the times
Everyone drunk on red wine
Everyone inebriated on red wine
Turn on a flashlight in the dark
Illuminate the darkness with a flashlight
At 3 am in the morning
At the hour of 3 in the morning
Drunk on red red wine
Heavily intoxicated on red wine
Tommy smashing bottles against the wall
Tommy is breaking bottles against the wall
Xtina waiting at the wall
Xtina is waiting at the wall
It's what you know and you know it
It's what you're familiar with and you understand it
It's every place you go, so don't blow it
It's in every location you visit, so don't ruin it
Confusion takes away, makes it all turn wrong
Uncertainty causes it to all go awry
It only takes a day or two before I'm gone
It only takes one or two days before I depart
Long gone
Departed for a lengthy period of time
Well step right up
Come closer
To the house of pain
To the dwelling of misery
Step right up on the porch
Come onto the porch
You bet on the wrong horse
You made the wrong choice
Walking through the door at 10
Entering through the door at 10 o'clock
Right about a quarter to 10
Around fifteen minutes before 10 o'clock
Being very very certain
Having a high level of confidence
We're in xtina's house again
We're back in xtina's house again
She was pure and wide and open
Xtina was pure and expansive and unguarded
She was somehow out of time
Somehow, she was suspended from the constraints of time
Now she's frozen in time
Now she is preserved in time
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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