2010: Magnet Magazine online posts a new illustration by David Lester every Saturday with a free Mecca Normal mp3. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events in his band's 26 year history, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
2010: Mecca Normal releases two new songs in the fall of 2010 on a K Records 7" -- available now as a K Singles Zip Pak with Special Apps: Malachi -- Inspired Agitators poster by David Lester -- suitable for printing -- video: Recording at Dub Narcotic Studio with Calvin Johnson, Intro to Malachi video.
This Machine
Mecca Normal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So it isn't nothing now
I am touching at the future
With a tin edge
Hollow stamp
I wove the spin of endurance
Knots hanging in black twine
Jarred up on a plank shelf Oiled to a shine
I am wanting, I am wishing
For wind
To know this stillness out
Making it anything
So it isn't nothing now
Screaming on track
Pounding up loud
Dreaming down pipe
On the sigh
Sifting on freight tight
This machine rides
The lyrics of Mecca Normal's song "This Machine" are quite abstract, but essentially describe the process of turning something that was once nothing into something more substantial, with implications of art and creativity. The singer hints at being a creator or artist, creating something enduring with "knots hanging in black twine," "jarred up on a plank shelf, oiled to a shine." Throughout the song, the singer expresses a yearning for something more, perhaps something that can only be achieved through creating or building up, as they cry out for "wind" to "know this stillness out."
The second half of the song becomes more frenzied, with the singer describing themselves as "screaming on track," "pounding up loud," and "dreaming down pipe," suggesting a kind of desperation or fervor in their creative pursuit. The song ends with the repeated line "This machine rides," which could be interpreted in a number of ways - as a metaphor for the singer's own creativity and drive, or perhaps as a wider commentary on the power of technology and machinery to propel us forward.
Overall, the song is an intriguing exploration of what it means to create and strive for something more than what currently exists.
Line by Line Meaning
Making it anything
Transforming something into something else
So it isn't nothing now
So that it has meaning and value
I am touching at the future
I am trying to reach what has yet to happen
With a tin edge
With a sharp and rough quality
Hollow stamp
A mark that is empty and meaningless
I wove the spin of endurance
I created the idea of lasting through difficulty
Knots hanging in black twine
Twisted and tied ropes being suspended
Jarred up on a plank shelf
Put away and stored on a flat board
Oiled to a shine
Polished and made to look attractive
I am wanting, I am wishing
I am desiring and hoping
For wind
For movement and change
To know this stillness out
To eliminate the current lack of activity and excitement
Screaming on track
Moving forward with great intensity and force
Pounding up loud
Making a booming and powerful noise
Dreaming down pipe
Having aspirations through various channels
On the sigh
With a heavy exhalation or emotional expression
Sifting on freight tight
Sorting through and dealing with baggage and cargo
This machine rides
This system or process is in motion
Contributed by Landon K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.