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.
Time Will Break the World
Silver Jews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The butler hesitates at the top of the stairs.
A kitten from Great Britain sleeps behind the drapes.
An old silver bowl filled with apples and grapes.
It's so very cold in the mansion after sunset
Snow is blowing through the baseboard outlets.
And I have no idea what drives you mister.
All my poor hungry children x3
Time will break the world x3
The snow falls down so beautiful and stupid
Fore the black silhouette of Abraham Lincoln trees
The sky is low like a Japanese table.
And the horse's legs look like four brown shotguns
The icicles are dripping like the whole house is weeping
On an evil little car with gull-wing doors.
And I have no idea what drives you mister
But I've killed you in my mind so many times before.
All my poor hungry children x3
Time will break the world x3
The lyrics of Silver Jews' "Time Will Break the World" create a vivid and surrealistic scene of a cold mansion at sunset. The sun and the shutters are shattered, creating a fragmented and distorted image. The butler hesitates, perhaps unsure of what to do next or paralyzed by the eerie atmosphere. The imagery is further heightened with the mention of a kitten from Great Britain sleeping behind the drapes and an old silver bowl filled with apples and grapes, creating a sense of opulence and decay.
As the song progresses, the sense of unease intensifies with the descriptions of snow blowing through the baseboard outlets and tanning beds exploding with rich women inside. The lyrics also mention "poor hungry children" and the repeated phrase "time will break the world," suggesting a sense of impending doom or complexity of life.
Overall, the lyrics of "Time Will Break the World" are cryptic and open to interpretation, but they convey a deeply haunting and surrealistic atmosphere.
Line by Line Meaning
The sun and the shutters and the sun shattered hair.
The rays of sun shine through the shutters, illuminating the sun-color hair displaced by the wind.
The butler hesitates at the top of the stairs.
The butler pauses at the peak, uncertain of what he might find.
A kitten from Great Britain sleeps behind the drapes.
A small, delicate kitten naps inconspicuously secluded from observation.
An old silver bowl filled with apples and grapes.
A tarnished antique bowl holds a selection of fresh produce.
It's so very cold in the mansion after sunset
The temperature steeply drops in the grand estate after dark.
Snow is blowing through the baseboard outlets.
Powdery snowflakes enter the mansion through the vents at floor level.
And I have no idea what drives you mister.
I am confused and unaware of your motivations, sir.
Tanning beds explode with rich women inside.
Explosions ensue within the beds used for cosmetic purposes by wealthy females.
All my poor hungry children x3
Repetitive expression of concern and empathy for my destitute offspring.
Time will break the world x3
The passage of time will inevitably cause great changes and deterioration to our surroundings.
The snow falls down so beautiful and stupid
The snowflakes descend gracefully, but without thought or intellect.
Fore the black silhouette of Abraham Lincoln trees
In front of the backdrop of stark, Lincoln-like trees.
The sky is low like a Japanese table.
The sky hangs low, resembling a traditional Japanese table in its height above the ground.
And the horse's legs look like four brown shotguns
The horse's limbs resemble four barrel firearms made of wood and leather.
The icicles are dripping like the whole house is weeping
Frozen droplets melt and fall with the appearance of the entire dwelling crying in sadness.
On an evil little car with gull-wing doors.
A sinister, petite automobile bears upward-opening doors towards the sky.
But I've killed you in my mind so many times before.
Although not physically harmed, I have repeatedly envisioned taking your life in my thoughts.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind