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."
Kindling for the Master
Stephen Malkmus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too light for light
More like heaven
Angel food rot
Came from the earth
Inside the earth
Jag of hurt time
Kindling for the master
I was shot for meat
Left alone with a crow
Got into watercolors and you never saw me again
But I plan to return
And with verbs I'll attack
I'll trip, I'll maim, I'll leave you with no skin on your back
Kindling for the master
Everybody's got a heart to sink
I'm the leech who can preach
They call me sinister joe
I got the sweltering heat
Of summer Ohio
If I'm little erratic,
You must give me some space
To let me spin it and out and
Up and through your face
You must learn, or you will burn
The lyrics of Stephen Malkmus's song "Kindling for the Master" are quite cryptic and open to interpretation. The first two lines, "In shocking white, too light for light" suggest the color white, which is considered to symbolize purity and innocence, but also emptiness and sterility. The following lines "More like heaven, angel food rot" are more ambiguous; heaven could refer to a desirable state of being or a place of divine justice while angel food rot implies the opposite, decay and corruption. The next two lines are even more puzzling, "Came from the earth, inside the earth", but they could mean that everything on earth comes from within it and that everything is connected. The last two lines of the first verse are "Jag of hurt time, head revolving", they could suggest the pain or trauma of a past event that still lingers and affects the present.
The title refrain "Kindling for the master" could imply being used by someone or something more powerful, perhaps fuel for some greater purpose, or being consumed or destroyed by an overpowering force. The second verse is harder to make sense of, but it suggests the singer has been through some kind of violent experience, "I was shot for meat, left alone with a crow". He then retreated into painting (watercolors) and became lost to the world. However, he plans to return, and when he does he will be forceful with words, "And with verbs I'll attack, I'll trip, I'll maim, I'll leave you with no skin on your back". The third verse is more playful, with the singer introducing himself as "sinister Joe" and boasting about his abilities as a performer. The last line, "You must learn or you will burn", might be a warning or a piece of advice to the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
In shocking white
A startlingly bright shade that catches the eye.
Too light for light
Even brighter than the light itself.
More like heaven
Resembling a spiritual realm of the afterlife.
Angel food rot
A corrupted and decaying version of pure, untouched nourishment.
Came from the earth
Originating in the ground, from nature or the natural world.
Inside the earth
Buried within the layers beneath our feet.
Jag of hurt time
A sharp, intense moment of emotional anguish.
Head revolving
A spinning sensation due to dizziness or confusion.
Kindling for the master
Fuel or material to ignite for a powerful, influential force.
I was shot for meat
Being hunted or targeted for physical sustenance or profit.
Left alone with a crow
Isolated and abandoned with a solitary, intelligent bird known for its trickery and cunning behavior.
Got into watercolors and you never saw me again
Dedicated oneself to a creative hobby or outlet and disappeared from the public eye.
But I plan to return
Intends to come back to the forefront or the limelight.
And with verbs I'll attack
Using powerful action words to confront or fight against something or someone.
I'll trip, I'll maim, I'll leave you with no skin on your back
Causing harm, injury, or pain to the point of being defenseless or powerless.
Everybody's got a heart to sink
Everyone has something or someone that can cause them to feel heavy or burdened emotionally.
I'm the leech who can preach
A person who can talk persuasively but also is parasitic or drains resources from others.
They call me sinister joe
The singer has developed a negative reputation or is seen as malicious by others.
I got the sweltering heat of summer Ohio
Indicating a place or situation that is uncomfortably hot.
If I'm little erratic, you must give me some space
If the artist is acting unpredictably or impulsively, others must respect their need for distance or privacy.
To let me spin it and out and up and through your face
Giving the artist the freedom to express themselves and their emotions in a powerful, impactful way.
You must learn, or you will burn
Either gain insight and understand the real message or face the painful consequences of ignorance or inaction.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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