Kozelek was born and raised in Massillon, Ohio. Upon relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, he met drummer Anthony Koutsos. After the pair moved once again to San Francisco, California, Red House Painters formed in 1989 with the addition of guitarist Gorden Mack and bassist Jerry Vessel. From 1992 to 1996, Red House Painters released a series of acclaimed albums, showcasing Kozelek's intense, highly autobiographical songs.
However, Kozelek's parting with the record label 4AD, followed by a major label merger which left Red House Painters' 1998 album Old Ramon on the shelf, proved highly frustrating and stifled the group's momentum. Kozelek opted to occupy himself with a series of idiosyncratic solo recordings as Red House Painters dissolved.
In 2000, he released the solo EP Rock 'n' Roll Singer, which featured three original songs as well as covers of John Denver's "Around and Around" and three AC/DC songs ("Rock 'n' Roll Singer," "Bad Boy Boogie," and "You Ain't Got a Hold on Me"). Two of the AC/DC cover versions on Rock 'n' Roll Singer were radical re-arrangements of the originals which removed the Bon Scott-penned lyrics from their hard rock context and placed them into gentle, acoustic "folk ballad" settings.
Kozelek expanded on this idea in 2001, releasing a full-length album comprised solely of AC/DC covers titled What's Next to the Moon.These new arrangements sounded so unlike the originals that a KCRW radio executive insisted that the title track was a Leonard Cohen song.
This was not the first time Kozelek had drastically re-arranged others' material to his own ends. With Red House Painters, he had previously done similar reconstructions with Simon & Garfunkel's "I Am a Rock," The Cars' "All Mixed Up," Yes's "Long Distance Runaround," Paul McCartney's "Silly Love Songs," and Francis Scott Key's "The Star-Spangled Banner."
In the years between his band projects, Kozelek's music made a number of appearances on compilations and tribute albums. He contributed the song "New Partner" to the Will Oldham (a.k.a. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) tribute album, I Am Cold Rock. I Am Dull Grass Around this time, Kozelek commandeered a tribute album to John Denver, entitled Take Me Home: A Tribute to John Denver, featuring Will Oldham, The Innocence Mission, and Low to name a few. The compilation also featured Kozelek covering "Around and Around" as a duet with Rachel Goswell.
A limited edition live recording, White Christmas Live, was released by the Sub Pop label in late 2001. In addition to his solo material, it featured several Red House Painters songs done in a stripped-down, acoustic guitar-and-vocals style, and one a cappella rendition. An early version of his current project Sun Kil Moon's "Lily and Parrots" is tacked on to the end as an uncredited bonus track. It also features one previously unreleased song, "Admiral Fell Promises."
Sun Kil Moon debuted with Ghosts of the Great Highway in 2003, and also features former RHP members Jerry Vessel and Anthony Koutsos as well as new collaborators Geoff Stanfield (formerly of Black Lab) and Tim Mooney of American Music Club. Their follow-up effort appeared in 2005 on Kozelek's newly formed label, Caldo Verde Records. Titled Tiny Cities, the album is made up entirely of covers of songs by Modest Mouse. Once again, Kozelek's cover versions varied greatly from the originals.
In 2006, Kozelek was invited by Toronto indie rock label Paper Bag Records to exclusively contribute to their See You on the Moon! Songs for Kids of All Ages compilation with his original song "Leo and Luna." Then in November 2006, Kozelek released a live album titled Little Drummer Boy Live. On the album's two discs, he plays songs from his solo career, covers, and material from the catalogs of both Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon.
Kozelek returned in 2008 with the release of Sun Kil Moon's third album April. The album features 11 brand new recordings, including guest vocal contributions by Ben Gibbard, Will Oldham, and Eric Pollard.
The release of the new album also brought the re-issue of Nights of Passed Over, a 256-page, hard-cover book of all the lyrics to Kozelek's solo songs, Red House Painters' songs, and Sun Kil Moon's songs. It also features setlists, handwritten lyrics, and a preface by Kozelek himself. The original edition of this book was released in 2002 in Portugal, and featured all the lyrics up to that point, printed in both English and Portuguese. The updated edition spans to his current Sun Kil Moon days, and the book also includes a 12-track bonus CD, titled Nights LP, featuring live and rare versions of songs dated 1996 to 2007. The edition is sold exclusively on his label's website link and is limited to 2,500 copies.
On December 9, 2008, Kozelek and Caldo Verde Records issued The Finally LP, a CD collection of 10 unreleased tracks, including covers of songs by Stephen Sondheim, Will Oldham, Hüsker Dü, and Low among others, as well as two previously unreleased instrumentals. Two newly-recorded live albums, Find Me, Ruben Olivares: Live in Spain and Lost Verses Live, followed in spring 2009.
On April 23, 2010, the release of Sun Kil Moon's fourth album, Admiral Fell Promises, was announced. The album was released on July 13, 2010.
A documentary film entitled Mark Kozelek: On Tour was released via Caldo Verde Records on August 16, 2011. The movie was filmed during portions Mark Kozelek's European/North American tours of 2010 and early 2011.
In 2012, an article at Queensberry-Rules.com by staff writer Mark Ortega detailed Kozelek's fascination with the sport of boxing, which inspired the name of his Sun Kil Moon project as well as a few songs on a Desertshore album.
“Their backgrounds are extremely harsh and they work very hard to move up in their careers. I was in attendance at the Manny Pacquiao-Agapito Sanchez fight in San Francisco in 2001. When I heard Sanchez was murdered shortly after, it had a profound effect on me. It hurts when anyone dies young, but when you see the backgrounds of these guys and the path they've taken to try to find some light in their lives, it hurts to see them die young.”
River
Mark Kozelek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There by the wooden table
Won't you come on over to my side?
And you know I'll treat you right
There at the water
There is the water you drink
Won't you come on over to my side?
Down through the dirt you lead us
Across the sand you'll disappear
Will you come back?
I feel you won't need us
I feel you won't miss us
Will you come back?
Back in the summer
I fell into your space
With an understanding
When I just looked in your face
There at the water
You wash your skin
Sleep on the violets
Until you're covered in dust again
I know you're hungry and tired
All alone by the fire
Won't you come, come on over to my side?
And you know...
Down through the dirt you lead us
One kiss before you leave
Will you come back?
And sleep tonight beside me?
The morning comes I feel alive
Will you come back?
And two yellow eyes remember
Souls of ancient lies
And she sees them dance and hears them moan and cry
And two yellow eyes reveal
Warmth and love inside
And she wears her mask
Pulls on her gloves
And two yellow eyes remember
Souls of ancient lies
And she sees them dance and hears them moan and cry
And two yellow eyes reveal her
Warmth and love inside
And she wears her mask
Pulls on her glove
The lyrics to Mark Kozelek's song "River" tell a story of a longing for companionship and a connection with someone, even if only briefly. The song paints a picture of a place by the river, where the singer invites someone to join them. The river serves as a metaphor for the passage of time and the transience of life. The singer tries to entice the other person with promises of being treated right, and being able to drink from their side of the river. The repetition of the question "will you come back?" suggests that the singer and the other person may have had a connection before, but it is unclear whether they will reunite.
The second half of the song introduces a new character with "two yellow eyes" that remembers "souls of ancient lies." There is an air of mystery and darkness surrounding this figure, whose true nature and motivations are left open to interpretation. The singer switches from addressing the other person to talking about the "she" with the two yellow eyes, creating a sense of unspoken danger and tension. The last two lines, "And she wears her mask, pulls on her glove," leave the listener with a lingering sense of unease and the possibility that the singer and the other person may not be safe by the river after all.
Overall, "River" is a haunting and poetic exploration of human relationships and the fleeting nature of existence. Through the repeated image of the river and the mysterious presence of the figure with two yellow eyes, the song creates a dreamlike atmosphere that is both beautiful and unsettling.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you're willing and able
I am aware that you have the eagerness and capability to act on something
There by the wooden table
You are located next to the wooden table
Won't you come on over to my side?
Can you please come to my side?
And you know I'll treat you right
You have the knowledge that I will treat you well
There at the water
You are at the water
There is the water you drink
The water that you drink is at that location
Won't you come on over to my side?
Can you please come to my side?
And you can drink from my...
You can drink from what I provide
Down through the dirt you lead us
You lead us through the dirt
Across the sand you'll disappear
You will disappear while crossing the sand
Will you come back?
Are you going to return?
I feel you won't need us
I believe that you won't require us
I feel you won't miss us
I have the intuition that you won't long for us
Will you come back?
Are you going to come back?
Back in the summer
In the past summer
I fell into your space
I got involved in your activities or realm
With an understanding
With a comprehension or mutual agreement
When I just looked in your face
Merely by looking at your face
There at the water
You are at the water
You wash your skin
You cleanse your skin
Sleep on the violets
You rest on the violet flowers
Until you're covered in dust again
Until you are once again covered in dirt
I know you're hungry and tired
I am conscious that you are both starving and exhausted
All alone by the fire
You are isolated by the fire
Won't you come, come on over to my side?
Can you please come over to my side?
And you know...
And you are aware...
Down through the dirt you lead us
You lead us through the dirt
One kiss before you leave
A single kiss before your departure
Will you come back?
Are you going to return?
And sleep tonight beside me?
And sleep next to me tonight?
The morning comes I feel alive
When morning arrives, I feel alive
Will you come back?
Are you coming back?
And two yellow eyes remember
Two yellow eyes recall
Souls of ancient lies
Souls of old deceitful stories
And she sees them dance and hears them moan and cry
And she witnesses them dance, moan, and cry
And two yellow eyes reveal
Two yellow eyes show
Warmth and love inside
Warmth and love that reside within
And she wears her mask
And she wears her disguise
Pulls on her gloves
Puts on her gloves
Contributed by Thomas T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.