The bands’ debut release is described as The Fall meets Neil Young- which all makes sense on the band’s debut release, “American Specialties”. The quartet wanders through the American and British underground, picking away their favorite parts with confidence. The lyrics, when intelligible, are bizarre and dramatic. “She looked at me like a fry pan reducing,” moans Savage, from the same lustful subconscious built by the darker moments of psychedelia. Then at times, such as on the 70’s folkish “Square States”, thoughts are more sentimental and transparent. The setting for “American Specialties” ranges from a crusty Brooklyn bodega, to an endless Texas desert. If these sorts of soundscapes appeal to your mind, then you're sure to stumble upon Parquet Courts sooner or later.
Uncast Shadow of a Southern Myth
Parquet Courts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The shotgun shack in Tupelo
But a brick circumference left hollow by Sherman
Crumbling before me how it moaned
His shape swallows my recollection
That phantom silhouette implied
Strange fruit rotting from an airborne and hotter than hell
I stood there beside my companion
Scratching a rumor he had heard
Do you have a gun?
What? He said, yeah, you mean this one?
Straight down the barrel was his word
And I smelt the fumes he inhaled swiftly
Each word was hinged upon his choke
Like kudzu creeping up a state tree discretely
Forever bending as it broke
And I heard the jangling keys of Graceland
Ring from his teeth stained brown from coke
Drunk and stumbling like a man of distinction
They clamored shaking as he spoke
Of droves of pilgrims at his doorway
Of Reagan, Carter, Clinton, Gore
Fortunes offered them, refused routinely
This ain't no damn auction house he swore
Black male standing around 6 foot something
Ebbs through the waves of small town blight
A minute coldly from southern affection
Collides secretly into night
Forgive those who trespass against us
Began as the dead intruders plea
Into the very muzzle I'd once peered into
He gives the last words he will speak
But that broken glass supports forced entry
Reminds his lawyer through the phone
What southern judge do you know, comforting gently
Who jails white men who defend their home
No souls were present for the moment
His bombed out brick walls finally fell
Lying face down in the throes of atonement
Checked out of the Heartbreak Hotel
He was the uncast shadow of a southern myth
Parquet Courts's song Uncast Shadow of a Southern Myth is a narrative that tells the story of a person who witnesses the downfall of the "southern myth." The song is written in the first person, and the singer recounts their experience of seeing the "bloodlands of Antietam" and the "shotgun shack in Tupelo." However, they are once again confronted with the reality of the south when they see a brick circumference that was left hollow by Sherman. The singer describes how the wall crumbles while moaning, indicating the agony of the defeat and the loss of the southern myth.
As the singer reflects on the crumbling wall, they see a phantom silhouette that swallows their recollection, seemingly implying the end of an era. The singer then describes the image of "strange fruit rotting from an airborne and hotter than hell," likely a reference to Billie Holiday's song Strange Fruit, which describes the lynching of black men in the south. The singer is then confronted by their companion, who has a gun aimed at them. The companion speaks of his connection to Graceland and how it's frequented by politicians who have offered fortunes to him, and others who have refused.
The singer then hears the silhouette mutter the words, "Forgive those who trespass against us," which is the intruder's plea to forgive those who have wronged him. However, as the singer later finds out through a phone call from the silhouette's lawyer, the southern judge is unlikely to convict a white man for defending his home. The silhouette represents the "uncast shadow of a southern myth," someone who embodies the remnants of a bygone era. The song is a thoughtful and introspective examination of the destruction of an idyllic past and a looming sense of imminent change.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd seen the bloodlands of Antietam
I have witnessed the bloodbath of Antietam
The shotgun shack in Tupelo
Tupelo's poverty-stricken and violent community, where houses and shops are completely shattered by bullets
But a brick circumference left hollow by Sherman
A circle of bricks, made hollow and destroyed by Sherman's fire in the Civil War
Crumbling before me how it moaned
The image of the brick circle, now in ruins, makes him feel the pain and suffering of the past, and mourns for those who lost their lives in the war
His shape swallows my recollection
His appearance dominates and obliterates his memory of the past
That phantom silhouette implied
His appearance gives a clue of his identity and a sense of mystery
Strange fruit rotting from an airborne and hotter than hell
A metaphor of the rotting and decaying social climate in the South, where everything is suffocating, violent, and lawless
Is this the king's last man I've spied?
He wonders if the man in front of him is the last remaining supporter of a fallen king, or a defeated way of life
I stood there beside my companion
He is standing next to his friend
Scratching a rumor he had heard
He is discussing a rumor his friend had heard
Do you have a gun?
He asks his friend if he has a weapon
What? He said, yeah, you mean this one?
His friend is confused, but then shows him his gun
Straight down the barrel was his word
His friend is serious, and points the gun at him
And I smelt the fumes he inhaled swiftly
He could smell the cigarette smoke his friend was inhaling
Each word was hinged upon his choke
His friend's speech was dependent on his inhaling and exhaling
Like kudzu creeping up a state tree discretely
A simile to describe how his friend's words were like kudzu that grows quickly, uncontrollably, and secretly
Forever bending as it broke
A metaphor for the fragile and fleeting southern way of life
And I heard the jangling keys of Graceland
He remembers hearing the sound of the metal keys of Graceland, referring to Elvis Presley's mansion in Memphis, Tennessee
Ring from his teeth stained brown from coke
His friend's teeth are stained brown from cocaine use
Drunk and stumbling like a man of distinction
A sarcastic comparison to describe his friend as one who looks and acts sophisticated, but in fact, is drunk and unstable
They clamored shaking as he spoke
The keys made a noise as his friend was shaking and speaking
Of droves of pilgrims at his doorway
His friend boasts about the many admirers who visit him
Of Reagan, Carter, Clinton, Gore
His friend brags about meeting and declining money from several famous politicians
Fortunes offered them, refused routinely
Despite the tempting offers of money and fame, he always declined them
This ain't no damn auction house he swore
He refuses to sell his integrity and dignity like he's in an auction
Black male standing around 6 foot something
He describes himself as a tall black male
Ebbs through the waves of small town blight
He tries to overcome the difficulties and negativity of living in a small town
A minute coldly from southern affection
A moment of coldness and hostility that he experienced while living in the South
Collides secretly into night
His suffering and pain happen in secret and hidden from public view
Forgive those who trespass against us
A biblical phrase, likely meant to show mercy or forgiveness
Began as the dead intruders plea
This phrase began as a request for the soul of a dead invader
Into the very muzzle I'd once peered into
His past experience of looking down into the barrel of a gun seems relevant to this moment
He gives the last words he will speak
This is the final message he will say before dying
But that broken glass supports forced entry
The shattered glass in his house proves there was a forced entry
Reminds his lawyer through the phone
He indirectly reminds his lawyer on the phone that he is innocent
What southern judge do you know, comforting gently
He sarcastically questions whether any southern judge would rule in his favor
Who jails white men who defend their home
He argues that no white man will be convicted for defending their home, but he was punished due to his skin color
No souls were present for the moment
There were no witnesses at the moment of his death
His bombed out brick walls finally fell
The walls of his destroyed house finally collapsed
Lying face down in the throes of atonement
In his last moments, he realizes he is paying for his sins and is facing death
Checked out of the Heartbreak Hotel
A reference to Elvis Presley's song Heartbreak Hotel, signifying his death
He was the uncast shadow of a southern myth
He was a part of the southern myth of resistance, rebellion, and legacy, yet was never fully acknowledged or understood
Contributed by Isabelle L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.