Pulley is a Southern California punk rock formed in 1994. The band is known… Read Full Bio ↴Pulley is a Southern California punk rock formed in 1994. The band is known for straight-forward, hard-edged melodic punk. Pulley was formed upon vocalist Scott Radinsky's departure from Ten Foot Pole, brought about by that band's desire for a singer with a full-time focus on music (Radinsky is also a famous major-league relief pitcher and has played for the Los Angeles Dodgers among others). Pulley's initial lineup included drummer Jordan Burns, guitarist Jim Cherry, guitarist Mike Harder, and former Face to Face bassist Matt Riddle.

Pulley's debut, Esteem Driven Engine, was released in 1996 by Epitaph. Riddle joined No Use for a Name full-time soon afterwards and was replaced by Tyler Rebbe. Follow-ups included 60 Cycle Hum in 1997 and their eponymous third album in 1999.

They also released Together Again for the First Time (after the death of Jim Cherry) and Matters, both showing their disillusionment with the aging out of the 'old' scene.

Silver Tongue Devil
Pulley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

He was a silver tongue devil,
Standing there waiting for a ride,
Looking for a one way out of this town
And you know I couldn't let him down.

So I asked him 'how far?' he said 'as far as you'll go,'
I just couldn't say no.
It was a Thursday in December or was it September,

The last thing I remember was the cloudless sky above.

He said he saw a good friend die,
I never thought to ask him why.
I could have sworn I heard him say he knew who did it.
We headed off into the dead air of the desert

To a place I've never known.
He looked into the sun that shone above us
Then he smiled and spoke how good it was.
Yet things change and they stay the same.

Home sweet home,
There was a stillness as the light set behind us
The last thing I remember was the laughter in my ears,
Fearless yet fearful I stared into his eyes

And he grabbed my hand, I started to fly.

Ageless, timeless, as I gave him control,
He said 'that's it my friend, I own your soul.'

Overall Meaning

The song “Silver Tongue Devil” by Pulley is a poignant narrative about a mysterious and enigmatic character who is looking for a way out of town. The singer is addressed as a “silver tongue devil”, suggesting a certain level of charm and charisma about him. The singer seeks assistance to leave town and the singer, out of sympathy, agrees to help.

As they hit the road, there is a sense of melancholy and despair that surrounds the actions, as if the singer’s decision was not a well-thought-out one. The singer finds, as the story unfolds, that this person has a lot of pain, trauma, and emotional burdens. The singer discovers that the man who needed a ride and was escaping, had seen a friend die, but never found out who killed him. The singer begins to uncover more details about this character, but is left with unanswered questions.

The song has a cryptic ending, suggesting that the singer's fate is uncertain as the singer is powerless and has handed over control to the mysterious man who stated, “That’s it my friend, I own your soul”.

Line by Line Meaning

He was a silver tongue devil,
He was a smooth-talking and manipulative person.

Standing there waiting for a ride,
He was waiting for someone to give him a ride out of town.

Looking for a one way out of this town
He wanted to leave town and never come back.

And you know I couldn't let him down.
The artist couldn't refuse to give him a ride.

So I asked him 'how far?' he said 'as far as you'll go,'
The artist asked how far he wanted to go, and the silver tongue devil replied that he would go as far as the artist would go.

I just couldn't say no.
The singer felt compelled to give him a ride.

It was a Thursday in December or was it September,
The singer is unsure about the date.

The last thing I remember was the cloudless sky above.
The sky was clear and without clouds.

He said he saw a good friend die,
The silver tongue devil claimed to have seen a good friend die.

I never thought to ask him why.
The artist didn't question him about it.

I could have sworn I heard him say he knew who did it.
The singer thought he heard the silver tongue devil say he knew who was responsible for the death.

We headed off into the dead air of the desert
They went into the lifeless and empty desert.

To a place I've never known.
The singer was going to an unfamiliar place.

He looked into the sun that shone above us
The silver tongue devil looked up at the shining sun.

Then he smiled and spoke how good it was.
He expressed how much he was enjoying the experience.

Yet things change and they stay the same.
Although things can change, sometimes they remain the same.

Home sweet home,
They returned to the artist's home.

There was a stillness as the light set behind us
The atmosphere was quiet as the sun went down.

The last thing I remember was the laughter in my ears,
The sound of laughter was the singer's final memory.

Fearless yet fearful I stared into his eyes
The artist looked into the silver tongue devil's eyes with both confidence and fear.

And he grabbed my hand, I started to fly.
The silver tongue devil took control, and they began to move quickly.

Ageless, timeless, as I gave him control,
The experience was beyond time and age, and the artist gave the silver tongue devil control.

He said 'that's it my friend, I own your soul.'
The silver tongue devil claimed to have complete control over the singer's life.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES PAUL III CHERRY, JORDAN LIEBERMAN, MATT B. RIDDLE, MIKE HARDER, SCOTT RADINSKY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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