She buys a green guitar and learns "Leaving On A Jet Plane". Someone at the laundromat says, "Anyway, try writing songs." So, she and friend Lutwidge Sedgwick write songs. For example, "The Anyway Song".
Before long Lullaby Baxter is putting on shows around town. Bewitched studio owner Howard Bilerman runs backstage and offers to record a demo free of charge. Baxter's jazz-singer sister Anna-Lisa meets with Atlantic Records staff producer Yves Beauvais (Madeline Peyroux, Olu Dara) and hands over said demo. Beauvais flies to Montreal, catches Baxter's show, and offers her a recording contract on the spot.
Baxter flies to San Francisco and records her debut with Tom Waits's session players Oranj Symphonette. Atlantic Records releases Baxter's debut album, Capable Egg, in 2000. Critics are effervescent.
There is a far-flung tour, all manner of interviews, and money for plush new towels. When the clamour winds down, Baxter scratches her head and says, "J'ai vu tomber tant de choses que j'avais crues éternelles" (I have seen the fall of so many things that I had thought eternal).
Time to disappear. Time to meet a painter (Jean-Pierre Morin) and bear a son (Lorenzo Wolfgang). Time to mother. Time to take the towels out of the dryer. Time to hum. Time to think about a new album. Time to write a 111-page manifesto entitled Sing Songs for People. Time to work on new material with Lutwidge Sedgwick. Time to hire obscure pop duo Hercules to produce this new material into something splendiferous.
Time to fire Hercules.
Time to shamefacedly re-hire Hercules. Time to fold time fondly forward. Time to thoroughly re-work every track. Time to line up various guest musicians, including drummer Jeffrey Clemens (G. Love & Special Sauce) and vocalist Susan Cowsill (of legendary troupe The Cowsills).
Time for unorthodox -- why not say it? -- Herculean recording techniques. Time for a flute quartet, a flügelhorn, a Wurlitzer, a Mellotron. Time for theorems, mirrors and domes. Time for Vienna, Tokyo and Rome. Time to open up the archives (Satie, McCartney, Morricone).
Time for the hum and ping of fate...the clang and bang of wait.
Time to sew you into the lining of my coat. Time to break your cardboard heart. Time to squirrel the day away, okay?
Time to hatch that Capable Egg.
Time now, for Garden Cities of To-morrow.
Antarctica
Lullaby Baxter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got all caught up
Antarctica
Antarctica
Trouble found you, made you its friend
A lovesick satellite led you back again
Antarctica
They got to you, they always do
It's enough to kill Buffalo Bill
Antarctica
Antarctica
Can you tell I'm your pal?
Lullaby Baxter's song Antarctica is a poignant and evocative narrative about a person who feels lost and disorientated in life. The central theme of the song revolves around the idea that Antarctica is a symbol for an emotional wilderness, an inhospitable place where people get lost and sometimes never return. The lyrics are profound and relatable, as they describe the feeling of being caught up in something that is beyond your control. The opening lines of the song, "Lie down, rest yourself / You got all caught up" suggest that the singer is overwhelmed and in need of a break from the chaos that surrounds them.
The chorus of the song, "Antarctica / Antarctica" is haunting and repetitive, emphasizing the sense of isolation and loneliness that the singer is experiencing. In the second verse, Baxter uses satellite imagery to explain how the singer got lost in the first place. "A lovesick satellite led you back again" suggests that the satellite, which is usually a beacon of light and hope, has led the singer astray. The verse also highlights the idea that trouble often finds us when we least expect it.
The final verse of the song, "They got to you, they always do / It's enough to kill Buffalo Bill / Antarctica / Antarctica" is particularly powerful. The line "they got to you, they always do" implies that the singer's struggles are universal and that we all experience moments of darkness and despair. The reference to Buffalo Bill, a famous American frontiersman, adds weight and historical context to the lyrics. Overall, Antarctica is a deeply personal and introspective song that resonates with anyone who has ever felt lost or adrift in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Lie down, rest yourself
Take a break and relax
You got all caught up
You got completely entangled
Antarctica
A symbolic representation of the isolation and loneliness felt by the singer
Antarctica
The same symbolic representation
Trouble found you, made you its friend
You embraced your problems and became friendly with them
A lovesick satellite led you back again
You were pulled back by old habits or desires
Antarctica
The isolation and loneliness felt by the singer, represented through Antarctica
Antarctica
The same symbolic representation
They got to you, they always do
People or situations influenced and affected you, as they always do
It's enough to kill Buffalo Bill
The situation was so overwhelming it could have killed even the strongest person, like Buffalo Bill
Antarctica
The isolation and loneliness felt by the singer, represented through Antarctica
Antarctica
The same symbolic representation
Can you tell I'm your pal?
The singer is asking the listener if they can tell she is their friend or ally
Contributed by Bentley P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.