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.
Tennessee
Silver Jews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rushin' 'round the bend and skippin' stones
I saw the meadow wobble in the moonlight
I've come to get my girl and take her home
Her doorbell plays a bar of Stephen Foster
Her sister never left and look what it cost her
We're gonna live in Nashville and I'll make a career
Marry me and leave Kentucky, come to Tennessee
Cause you're the only ten I see
You're the only ten I see
I've looked through offices and honky tonks for a man man enough to be
Mr. and Mrs. Tennessee
Mr. and Mrs. Tennessee
Punk rock died when the first kid said
"Punk's not dead, punk's not dead"
You know Louisville is death
We've got to up and move
because the dead do not improve
Goodbye users & suckers & steady badluckers
We're off to the land of club soda unbridled
We're off to the land of hot middle-aged women
Off to the land whose blood runneth orange
Marry me and leave Kentucky, come to Tennessee
Cause you're the only ten I see
You're the only ten I see
I've looked through offices and honky tonks for a man man enough to be
Mr. and Mrs. Tennessee
Mr. and Mrs. Tennessee
In Silver Jews's "Tennessee," the singer expresses his plans to relocate to Nashville to be with his significant other. He paints a peaceful picture of the surrounding landscape, with the river "playing" in the valley and the meadow "wobbling" in the moonlight. His desire to leave Kentucky and move to Tennessee stems from his love for his girlfriend, whom he wants to marry. He even suggests that he'll actively make a career as a songwriter and play off the inherent melancholy of music to make a living.
The lyrics also reference both punk rock and Stephen Foster's music. The singer implies that punk rock is dead but some claim it isn't, and this debate only leads to stagnation. In comparison, Stephen Foster's music is played by the girl's doorbell, and he creates a nostalgic quality with the reference. The singer describes how her sister never left and suffered for it, which reinforces the idea of the singer's desire to leave Kentucky and move to Nashville.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw the river playing in the valley
I witnessed the river moving rapidly through the valley with stones scattered on its surface
Rushin' 'round the bend and skippin' stones
The river flowing fast and skipping stones making a sound in the process
I saw the meadow wobble in the moonlight
I saw the meadow shaking under the moon's light
I've come to get my girl and take her home
I've come to take my girl back to Nashville with me
Her doorbell plays a bar of Stephen Foster
Playing upon the doorbell produces one bar of Steven Foster's music
Her sister never left and look what it cost her
Her sister didn't leave and her life was affected because of it
We're gonna live in Nashville and I'll make a career
We'll live in Nashville and make a career writing sad songs and getting paid for them
out of writing sad songs and gettin' paid by the tear
Making a living writing and selling sad songs that people listen to when they're sad
Marry me and leave Kentucky, come to Tennessee
If you marry me, we'll leave Kentucky and move to Tennessee
Cause you're the only ten I see
You're the only perfect person I see
I've looked through offices and honky tonks for a man man enough to be
I searched everywhere, including offices and honky tonks for a man who is strong enough to be
Mr. and Mrs. Tennessee
To become Mr. and Mrs. Tennessee
Punk rock died when the first kid said
Punk rock ended when a kid claimed it was over
"Punk's not dead, punk's not dead"
Punks believe that punk rock has not ended
You know Louisville is death
Louisville is limiting, and hence, unproductive
We've got to up and move
We have to relocate to a better city
because the dead do not improve
Staying in a dead city like Louisville means one can't make progress
Goodbye users & suckers & steady badluckers
Farewell to people who don't add value or happiness to our lives
We're off to the land of club soda unbridled
We're going to a place with limitless club soda
We're off to the land of hot middle-aged women
We're going to a place with a high concentration of attractive middle-aged women
Off to the land whose blood runneth orange
Going to the land where the dominant university's school color is orange
Contributed by Evan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.