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.
Like Like the the the Death
Silver Jews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Air crickets air crickets air crickets air crickets air
Mother and child with magazine
Into a story, into a dream
Why is there something instead of nothing
And how is the asking built into the hunting?
Everybody's coming back to Xmas for Texas
Folks who've watched their mother kill an animal know
That their home is surrounded by places to go
(and the west has made a deal with the sun).
My life at home very day:
Drinking Coke in a kitchen with a dog
Who doesn't even know his name.
Oh right it could've been anyone
Grass rabbits grass rabbits grass rabbits grass rabbits grass
Nobody cares about a dead hooker
Looking like one, standing for money
Life finds a limit at the edge of our bodies
A stranger begins wherever I see her.
Let's live where the indoors and outdoors meet
All the kids in the commonwealth are free.
Every morning you forgive me, every evening you relive me
And the pattern itself is what you give me
(the morning has cut a deal with the east).
Like like the the the death
Air crickets air crickets air crickets air crickets air
The lyrics of Silver Jews's song "Like Like the the the Death" are enigmatic and abstract, creating an atmosphere of contemplation and introspection. The repetition of "like like the the the death" and "air crickets" serves to create a mood of repetition and ennui.
The mother and child with a magazine entering into a story and a dream might represent how we, as humans, often use stories and dreams to make sense of our lives and give meaning to our existence. The line "Why is there something instead of nothing" poses a philosophical question that has long puzzled humans, asking about the ultimate purpose and meaning of life.
The mention of MGM endings and Christmas festivities in Texas might refer to the artificiality and superficiality of modern life, where we often seek to escape from the harsh realities of existence by seeking comfort and familiarity in commercialized celebrations and entertainment.
The line "Nobody cares about a dead hooker" is a jarring and dark one, pointing to the indifference and apathy that can exist in society towards those who are marginalized and vulnerable. The final stanza about living where the indoors and outdoors meet and the pattern itself being the gift further suggests a desire for unity and harmony between humans and nature.
Overall, the lyrics of this song are open to interpretation and can be read in various ways. They seem to be inviting us to question the nature of existence, our relationship with the natural world, and the role of stories and dreams in shaping our understanding of ourselves and the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Like like the the the death
Comparing something to the inevitability and finality of death
Air crickets air crickets air crickets air crickets air
Repetitive and monotonous, possibly representing a feeling of boredom or unease
Mother and child with magazine
Depicting a common household scene, but with an underlying sense of something deeper or more ominous
Into a story, into a dream
Seeking escapism or a way to detach from reality
Why is there something instead of nothing
Questioning the existence of life itself
And how is the asking built into the hunting?
Exploring the primal instinct to seek and understand, even in the act of hunting for survival
Do you believe in MGM endings
Asking about the existence of happy endings or idealized resolutions
Everybody's coming back to Xmas for Texas
Describing a sense of belonging or homecoming
Folks who've watched their mother kill an animal know
Drawing on personal experiences to make a larger point
That their home is surrounded by places to go
Feeling trapped or seeking freedom in spite of one's surroundings
(and the west has made a deal with the sun).
Alluding to the mythos of the American West and its association with freedom and possibility
My life at home very day:
Describing the everyday essence of life
Drinking Coke in a kitchen with a dog
Painting a quotidian picture of life with a pet
Who doesn't even know his name.
Emphasizing the gap between human and animal understanding
Oh right it could've been anyone
Reflecting on the arbitrary nature of life and how things could have been different
Grass rabbits grass rabbits grass rabbits grass rabbits grass
Another representation of monotony and sameness
Nobody cares about a dead hooker
Commenting on the perceived value of certain lives over others
Looking like one, standing for money
Further emphasizing the commodification or dehumanization of certain individuals
Life finds a limit at the edge of our bodies
Referring to the finite nature of human life and how one's body plays a role in that
A stranger begins wherever I see her.
Reflecting on the idea of the gaze and how it creates a sense of otherness or unfamiliarity
Let's live where the indoors and outdoors meet
Invoking the idea of transitional spaces or places where different worlds collide
All the kids in the commonwealth are free.
Referencing the larger societal context and how that influences one's sense of freedom or autonomy
Every morning you forgive me, every evening you relive me
Describing a relationship dynamic where one party is constantly in need of forgiveness and redemption
And the pattern itself is what you give me
Appreciating the consistency or predictability of a certain relationship or routine
(the morning has cut a deal with the east).
Another allusion to the West and its mythology, but also suggesting the cyclical and repetitive nature of time
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jesusmoisesmartinez150
Like like the the the death
Air crickets air crickets air crickets air crickets air
Mother and child with magazine
Into a story, into a dream
Why is there something instead of nothing
And how is the asking built into the hunting?
Do you believe in MGM endings
Everybody's coming back to Xmas for Texas
Folks who've watched their mother kill an animal know
That their home is surrounded by places to go
(and the west has made a deal with the sun).
My life at home very day:
Drinking Coke in a kitchen with a dog
Who doesn't even know his name.
Oh right it could've been anyone
Grass rabbits grass rabbits grass rabbits grass rabbits grass
Nobody cares about a dead hooker
Looking like one, standing for money
Life finds a limit at the edge of our bodies
A stranger begins wherever I see her.
Let's live where the indoors and outdoors meet
All the kids in the commonwealth are free.
Every morning you forgive me, every evening you relive me
And the pattern itself is what you give me
(the morning has cut a deal with the east).
Like like the the the death
Air crickets air crickets air crickets air crickets air
@ThePacemaker45
What a song man. Unbelievable lyricist.
@wetsuit101
Perfect mood, perfect lyrics, perfect song. This album truly lives up to its name. It's everything good about America.
@dianwilson4840
about smart, gentle, thoughtful americans
@vincentsellier8105
It was such a real pleasure to know I would see you live/alive soon. It is such a despair to learn you have taken your life for real. Sadness rules.
@FrankBishop
RIP David
@perspii2808
The lyrics on this song are fantastic
@thesleepybardalwayswaiting5260
I went so long without ever hearing this song.
@sloopjonboswell
To quote the most amazing dishwasher ever, "Berman ruined me for listening to other songwriters forever."
@josephreising9269
Wow, a machine told you that?
@marleyschweiger4334
I dishwashed at a restaurant for two years and I've played this in the dishpit a handful of times, dishwashers have the best music test👍