Malkmus knew fellow Pavement songwriter Scott Kannberg (aka Spiral Stairs), of the Preston School of Industry, since childhood in Stockton, California. Malkmus attended the University of Virginia, where his father is also an alumnus. While at UVA, he also met Bob Nastanovich, another member of Pavement.
Malkmus currently resides in Portland, Oregon with his partner, artist Jessica Jackson Hutchins. In 2005, Hutchins gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Lottie.
In 2008 Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks released the album, Real Emotional Trash — the group’s first album with new drummer Janet Weiss from Sleater-Kinney. In 2020, Stephen released Traditional Techniques. Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the album as "an amiably trippy and decisively mellow psych-folk adventure."
Black Book
Stephen Malkmus Lyrics
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Who is not what he says
And you know when you're dry, what you're thinkin
Trout in the brook, you're about to get hooked
To a greedy false un-catholic knave
The black book you took
Was permanent-ally diversified
I took the locomotive to kreutzberg
Passed through the scenery
And passengers got on that train too
And they really surprised me when they said:
" the black book you took
Was permanent-ally diversified
Cousin why, cousin why, cousin why" (2x)
I've got some friends
But I got some enemies too
And yes I got some people in between
People just like you
The black book you took
Was permanent-ally diversified
Cousin why, cousin why, cousin why
The black book you took
Was permanent-ally diversified (2x)
The song "Black Book" by Stephen Malkmus, the former frontman of Pavement, is a tale of caution. It starts off with the advice of offering trust to friends but following it up with the danger of such an action. It's a warning to not trust anyone easily, mainly the people who are not what they seem, and may lead one down a dangerous path. The singer knows at his wit's end that he's about to get hooked to a greedy, false, un-Catholic knave, but he's powerless to stop it. Here, the trout in the brook is a metaphor for the singer himself, about to get hooked by the predator, the knave.
The second verse sees the singer taking a train ride to Kreuzberg, a hip neighbourhood in Berlin. He sees fellow passengers expressing similar fears and questions about the aforementioned black book. The black book is a reference to some form of record or secrets, which has been permanently diversified. Diversification of a record signifies that the secrets stored within the record have been concealed or mixed up beyond recognition. And so, the question "Cousin why?" signifies the sense of confusion and bewilderment that the singer experiences in the face of the record's inscrutable nature. The third and final verse concludes that the singer has friends and enemies, just like everyone else, and that there's an in-between group of people just like the listener. It's not clear if the singer is still hooked on the knave or if he's somehow moved on.
Line by Line Meaning
Offer your trust to a friend
Suggesting to trust a supposed friend.
Who is not what he says
Indicating the untrustworthiness of the friend.
And you know when you're dry, what you're thinkin
When experiencing need, human thoughts can become distorted.
Trout in the brook, you're about to get hooked
Metaphorically, when one is naive or unaware, they can fall into trouble.
To a greedy false un-catholic knave
Referring to the supposed friend as an untrustworthy, dishonest, cove-like individual.
The black book you took
A statement about the permanent acquisition of something significant, like knowledge.
Was permanent-ally diversified
The acquisition of knowledge would result in a diverse perspective that stays forever.
Cousin why, cousin why, cousin why (2x)
This is just a repeated meaningless catchphrase.
I took the locomotive to kreutzberg
An individual traveled by train to Kreutzberg for an unknown reason.
Passed through the scenery
Alludes to the act of travelling through a geographical area.
And passengers got on that train too
Other individuals also boarded the train.
And they really surprised me when they said:
The artist was caught off guard by the words spoken aloud by the other passengers.
" the black book you took
Was permanent-ally diversified
Cousin why, cousin why, cousin why" (2x)
Repetition of a previously-meaningless catchphrase.
I've got some friends
The singer has some friends.
But I got some enemies too
The singer also has enemies.
And yes I got some people in between
The artist also knows people who are neither their friends nor enemies.
People just like you
This statement is directed towards someone reading/hearing this song.
The black book you took
Refrigerating to the previously acquired knowledge from the book.
Was permanent-ally diversified
The knowledge gained is unlimited and would continue to impact the perspective and thought process of the individual.
Cousin why, cousin why, cousin why
Repetition of a previously-meaningless catchphrase.
The black book you took
Reiterating the significance of the knowledge obtained from the book.
Was permanent-ally diversified (2x)
The knowledge gained from the book would continue to impact the individual indefinitely.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: STEPHEN MALKMUS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind