The band tour the U.S. frequently in a renovated vintage Green Tortoise bus, and their live performances have featured puppet shows, pseudo-scientific scholarly presentations, and performances by members of the Butoh group inkBoat. SGM's music has been categorized as anything from avant-prog to art rock to experimental metal to RIO (Rock In Opposition). Many reviewers have remarked that the group is altogether unclassifiable.
The band uses many homemade devices as instruments, such as the viking row-boat and the spring-nail guitar. Rathbun plays a stringed bass instrument of his own construction called The Log which uses piano strings and is perhaps 7 feet long; it is played with two sticks: one in the left hand generally used as a fret, another in the right hand striking the strings. Mellender's percussion instruments consist of restaurant kitchen equipment, trash can lids, and other "found" metal objects, in addition to traditional percussion instruments.
They've announced their imminent end, as their last concerts will be held early April around California. But 2011 will still see a new album, a movie and a live DVD.
The Salt Crown
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Today I wear your old black shirt
I have the things that I gave to you
But soon I'll be ready to give them back
Come and get them
Shale-skin, salt-crown, slate-feather, corpse-down
Stone-blood, flesh-bane, life-bone, death-vein, salt-crown
Face the sunrise with eyes made of light
Swallow the early song with eardrums made of the first sound
Break the soft young earth with limbs made of the oldest stone
Through our watery eyes, stone watches itself standing
Alone, forever, against the flickering sky
Through our watery mouths, stone calls itself by a new name
Bones of the earth. Stone
The bones call the stone by name,
Crying, "Come, old mother, and cover me."
The stone shows the bones the way of the silent, lifeless salt crown
The bones call the bones of the earth by name
Crying, "Come, old mother's father, and bury me."
The stone shows the bones the way of the
Ageless, deathless salt crown
Now you've gone back in
And I'll stay out with your bones, burned and ground to sand
Keep watch with the faces you made with your hands
But soon I'll be ready… no I'm not ready to give them back
Come, oh come and get them
These lyrics are rich with metaphor and they seem to be about the cycle of life and death, the cyclical nature of the earth and the passing of time. The beginning of the song talks about the singer having possessions of someone they loved, including their shoes and shirt. They talk about being ready to give them back soon; this could represent the idea of death and letting go of what was once important to us. This theme of death is further explored in the second part of the song, where the lyrics become more abstract and talk about the passage of time and the inevitability of death. The use of phrases such as "stone-blood, flesh-bane, life-bone, death-vein, salt-crown" create images of decay and the natural breaking down of flesh and bones.
The lyrics also discuss transformation and renewal. The line "Face the sunrise with eyes made of light" suggest a willingness to embrace new beginnings and live life to the fullest. The use of words such as "shale-skin" and "slate-feather" indicate a metamorphosis, a shedding of old skin and the taking on of new shapes and forms. The salt crown is a recurring idea throughout the song, representing timelessness and the immortal nature of the earth.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I have your shoes
I possess your footwear
Today I wear your old black shirt
I am currently wearing the black shirt that belonged to you in the past
I have the things that I gave to you
I possess the items that were gifted to you by me
But soon I'll be ready to give them back
However, I will be prepared to return them in the near future
Come and get them
Please reclaim them
Shale-skin, salt-crown, slate-feather, corpse-down
A list of phrases that describe minerals, skeletons, skin, and feathers
Stone-blood, flesh-bane, life-bone, death-vein, salt-crown
A series of words that evoke images of mineral and organic materials in association with life and death
Face the sunrise with eyes made of light
Stare into the rising sun with luminous eyes
Swallow the early song with eardrums made of the first sound
Listen to the initial melody of the day with auditory organs formed from the primordial sound
Break the soft young earth with limbs made of the oldest stone
Shatter the freshly formed soil using appendages composed of ancient rock
Through our watery eyes, stone watches itself standing
Water-like eyes observe the stone form maintaining its vertical position
Alone, forever, against the flickering sky
Existing in solitude for eternity, highlighting oneself against the constantly changing canopy above
Through our watery mouths, stone calls itself by a new name
Using fluid-like mouths, the rock materializes an alternative identity
Bones of the earth. Stone
Referring to the idea that stone and bone are both integral materials of the planet
The bones call the stone by name, Crying, "Come, old mother, and cover me."
Bones call out to the rock to protect and envelop them
The stone shows the bones the way of the silent, lifeless salt crown
The rock illustrates how to achieve a motionless, immortal salt crown
The bones call the bones of the earth by name, Crying, "Come, old mother's father, and bury me."
The bones summon the ancestral bones of the planet to bury them
The stone shows the bones the way of the Ageless, deathless salt crown
The rock exhibits the path to achieving an eternal, deathless salt crown
Now you've gone back in
You have returned to an interior space
And I'll stay out with your bones, burned and ground to sand
Meanwhile, I will remain outside with your bones, incinerated and pulverized to granules
Keep watch with the faces you made with your hands
Monitor the expressions that you created through your hands
But soon I'll be ready… no I'm not ready to give them back
Although I will be ready to surrender them eventually, I am not yet at that point
Come, oh come and get them
Please come and retrieve them
Contributed by Caleb R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Maldito🅱
Too... Awesome... Can't... Handle it...
SleepytimeZach
So so great wish I was there