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."
Freeze the Saints
Stephen Malkmus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Riding our divisible bodies
Feel no shame
Luck is love is on
If you need the pain
Well you are, yes you are so much like me
Seasons change--nothing lasts for long
So learn to sing along and languish here
Help me languish here
It was long ago
That all of your willing dimensions
Lost the flow
And vanished in vaneer
But iI want to know
If you are, yes you are so much like me
Steel restraints
Zodiac ballet, everybody play
There's no more counting days, you languish here
Help me languish here
You said, "done is good,"
But done well is so much fucking better
Share the wealth
And cauterize the tears
If you want to know
Well you are, yes you are so much like me
Freeze the saints
Such a subtle read, exquisite pedigree
Just let yourself be and languish here
Help me languish here
"Freeze the Saints" is a song by Stephen Malkmus, and the first verse starts with meeting with someone again, and the two of them riding their enumerable bodies without any shame. They are lucky to be in love, and if one needs to go through some pain, they would, and the other person is the same. Seasons change, and nothing lasts forever except the earth and the mountains. So, they need to learn how to sing along and languish here. They are asking each other if they are so much alike in wanting to know about things. The steel restraints and the zodiac ballet are metaphors, and everyone plays it. Counting the days no longer holds good, and they need to languish here.
The second verse talks about the past, where all of one's willing dimensions have lost their flow and disappeared altogether. The singer wants to know if they are so much alike since they share these experiences. The steel restraints and the zodiac ballet are still the things that everyone does, and counting the days no longer applies. They talk about how finishing the work is good, and doing it well is much better. They need to share the wealth and cauterize the tears that come with it. They want to freeze the pain of others, and the song ends with the lyric "just let yourself be, and languish here."
Overall, the song talks about the shared experiences between two people, the changing of seasons and life, and the need to endure pain and pleasure. There is an underlying theme of letting go and enjoying the moment, even if everything around us seems fleeting and temporary.
Line by Line Meaning
We meet again
Encountering each other once more
Riding our divisible bodies
Existing in our divisible incarnations
Feel no shame
Do not experience shame
Luck is love is on
Fortune, romance, all present
If you need the pain
If you require the agony
Well you are, yes you are so much like me
You resemble me greatly
Seasons change--nothing lasts for long
Seasons transform--nothing persists for extended periods
Except the earth and the mountains
Only the earth and the mountains are everlasting
So learn to sing along and languish here
Therefore, learn to sing along and remain here idly
Help me languish here
Aid me in idling here
It was long ago
It occurred a long time back
That all of your willing dimensions
That all of your willful aspects
Lost the flow
Lost the rhythm
And vanished in vaneer
And disappeared in a superficial manner
But iI want to know
But I desire to discover
Steel restraints
Metallic constraints
Zodiac ballet, everybody play
Astrological performance, everyone participates
There's no more counting days, you languish here
There is no need to tally the days, stay here idly
Help me languish here
Aid me in idling here
You said, "done is good,"
You stated, "completion is satisfactory,"
But done well is so much fucking better
Yet, completing a task more effectively is far superior
Share the wealth
Spread the prosperity
And cauterize the tears
And seal off the sorrow
If you want to know
If you wish to discover
Well you are, yes you are so much like me
You greatly resemble me
Freeze the saints
Paralyze the virtuous
Such a subtle read, exquisite pedigree
A refined interpretation, incomparable lineage
Just let yourself be and languish here
Simply allow yourself to be and remain idle here
Help me languish here
Aid me in idling here
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Citizen Snid
this is a beautiful song, from Stephen Malkmus.
Laura Fuller
Ooh, nice lyrics, lovin' that 5th verse. and feelin' the Tom Petty vibes.
Michael O'Leary
I'll never forget when this song came out, I was falling in love for the first time and it was the perfect thing.
d brown
The best song on his best album.
Andreas Liotsakis
When soul meets mind meets heart...and becomes FLOW. Gorgeous vibe and delivery. Chords sing. Love it!
Jcushing5
Bully for you. It's a great album as always with Malkmus, save perhaps for Kindling they're all beautiful, finely wrought pieces.
J K
Great song, could almost be a Replacements song.
Joe Sampson
Aw it's better than that mate
Joseph Telegen
Just watched the jicks; the bass rig broke down and during the repair, Stephen sang this accompanied by just piano. Brought the (hopelessly quiet) house down.
Seattle...
Neilson
I saw them last night in NYC and they did the same arrangement of that song but intentionally. So good!