Pavement, a band started by Malkmus post-Ectoslavia, pre-New York, at this point began to gain attention. This attention resulted in a record deal and a constant inferiority plague placed upon the 'Joos with Berman totally at the forefront of the group. Misinformed music fans now saw the band as a side-project and, even worse, Berman as being not good enough to play with Pavement, many band members being shared between the two bands.
The connection to Malkmus and the now blossoming Pavement was not all negative, however. Drag City, then not the bastion of American folk music it is today, agreed to release the band's debut EPs which has led to a fruitful relationship (the label continues to release the band's records, right up to album number 7 in 2008, (Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea).
The Silver Jews in their later days primarily consisted of David and Cassie Berman who contributed most of the lyrics, and a changing cast of characters. They had numerous indie stars in a rotating line up, including Willie T. of Lambchop, and Brian Kotzer of Tim Chad and Sherry.
David Berman is also a poet and has been published in numerous poetry magazines and journals. He also has a book of poetry and rants entitled "Actual Air," which was released in 1999 and received favorable reviews from The New Yorker and GQ.
On the 22nd of January, 2009, David Berman announced on the Drag City messageboard that their show on the 31st of January in Tennessee would be their last. "Can't be like all the careerists doncha know. I'm forty two and I know what to do. I'm a writer, see? I always said we would stop before we got bad." After 10 years off, Berman reappeared in 2019 as Purple Mountains.
David Berman died from suicide on August 22, 2019 after a long battle with depression.
Blue Arrangements
Silver Jews Lyrics
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in the Greenwood southside society pool.
I love your amethyst eyes and your protestant thighs
you're a shimmering socialite jewel.
From the Carbon Dioxide Riding Academy
to the children's crusade marching through the downtown.
Well I think I'd die see, if you just said hi to me.
Sometimes I feel like I'm watching the world
and the world isn't watching me back.
But when I see you, I know I'm in it too.
The waves come in and the waves go back.
The kids in the corner all covered in dirt.
Caught trespassing under the moon.
My father came in from wherever he'd been
and kicked my shit all over the room.
The room is dark and heavy with what I want to say.
I see murals in the radio static and on your blue jeans.
What would you say if I asked you to run away?
It's been done so many times I hardly know what it means.
I took these blue arrangements and threw them in the sea
when older waves from older caves brought them back to me.
I took these blue arrangements and stored them on a shelf.
With change on the mantle and time in a candle,
in the end a boy raises himself.
In Silver Jews' song "Blue Arrangements," the singer is observing someone they are infatuated with, who is swimming with the country club women at the Greenwood southside society pool. The object of the singer's affection is described with vivid imagery, from their amethyst eyes to their "protestant thighs," which are deemed a "shimmering socialite jewel." The singer mentions their various experiences, from the Carbon Dioxide Riding Academy to the children's crusade marching downtown. Despite these experiences, the singer admits feeling disconnected from the world at times, but they find solace in seeing the person they are infatuated with, which makes them feel more alive. The song ends with the singer reflecting on the "blue arrangements" which they once threw into the sea, but later retrieved, and kept stored on a shelf, alongside change on the mantle and time in a candle. The final lyric states that "in the end a boy raises himself," which could be interpreted as the singer coming to terms with themselves and their own growth, independent of their attraction to the person they've been admiring.
Overall, "Blue Arrangements" explores themes of longing and detachment in a way that is both vivid and introspective, with the singer using their observations of society and others to better understand their own emotions and desires.
Line by Line Meaning
I see you gracefully swimming with the country club women
in the Greenwood southside society pool.
I observe you moving graciously with the elite women at the prestigious Greenwood southside society pool.
I love your amethyst eyes and your protestant thighs
you're a shimmering socialite jewel.
I adore your violet-colored eyes and your slender legs, you are a brilliant illuminant high-class gem.
From the Carbon Dioxide Riding Academy
to the children's crusade marching through the downtown.
From the school for horseback riding to the protest by adolescents making their way through the centre of the city.
Well I think I'd die see, if you just said hi to me.
When something breaks it makes a beautiful sound.
I would be thrilled to the point of death if you greeted me, as something smashed could make a delightful sound.
Sometimes I feel like I'm watching the world
and the world isn't watching me back.
But when I see you, I know I'm in it too.
The waves come in and the waves go back.
Occasionally, I get the impression that I'm observing the world without it making eye contact, but with you, I know I'm also part of it. This is like the ebb and flow of the waves.
The kids in the corner all covered in dirt.
Caught trespassing under the moon.
My father came in from wherever he'd been
and kicked my shit all over the room.
Childs messing about and with dirt all over them, apprehend for encroaching at night. My father returned from an unknown place and threw my items all over the room angrily.
The room is dark and heavy with what I want to say.
I see murals in the radio static and on your blue jeans.
What would you say if I asked you to run away?
It's been done so many times I hardly know what it means.
There's an intense atmosphere in the room, with me holding strong opinions. Vivid images appear on the white noise of the radio, and on your jeans. If I inquired whether you would like to flee with me, how would you respond? This has been done frequently, and I'm not certain what it means.
I took these blue arrangements and threw them in the sea
when older waves from older caves brought them back to me.
I took these blue arrangements and stored them on a shelf.
With change on the mantle and time in a candle,
in the end a boy raises himself.
I disposed of the blue flowers in the sea, but they returned with the old waves from the ancient caverns. I then placed them on a high surface; surrounded by coins on the mantelpiece and a candle for telling the time. Ultimately, a young man takes control of his life.
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