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."
Malediction
Stephen Malkmus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Good bye to the nervous apprehension
I certainly won't miss ya
My heart is unable to stay so unstable no more
Go now
Leave this place and if you do not know how
You'll learn along the way
If I see your negative shadow
I will lead it from the room
A media-sized headache is not enough to break it
If you've already assumed the malediction
Certain
Kinds of people that we like to know, yeah
And others gotta go
If you wait 'til you're ready, then you'll never make an amends
The song "Malediction" by Stephen Malkmus is a call to action to rid oneself of toxic people and situations that cause anxiety and instability. Malkmus bids farewell to nervous apprehension and declares that he will not miss it. He asserts that his heart can no longer remain in such an unstable state. The song then takes on a motivational tone as it encourages listeners to take charge of their lives and leave toxic situations behind. Malkmus suggests that even if one does not know how to leave, they will learn along the way. The road to rejection, he suggests, is better than having no road at all.
In the second verse, Malkmus draws attention to the negative impact certain people can have on one's life. He suggests that there are certain kinds of people we should like to know while others need to go. He warns that if we wait until we are ready to make amends, we may never do so. The song ends with Malkmus stating that if he ever sees their negative shadow, he will lead it out of the room. He implies that he will not tolerate negativity or allow it to affect his life.
Line by Line Meaning
So long
Farewell, goodbye
Good bye to the nervous apprehension
I am saying goodbye to my anxiety and unease
I certainly won't miss ya
I will not miss my nervousness and apprehension
My heart is unable to stay so unstable no more
I cannot keep living with such instability in my heart
Go now
Leave now
Leave this place and if you do not know how
If you do not know how to leave, you will figure it out on the way
You'll learn along the way
You will gain knowledge as you go
The road to rejection is better than no road at all
It is better to face rejection than to not try at all
If I see your negative shadow
If I see your negative presence
I will lead it from the room
I will remove you from my surroundings
A media-sized headache is not enough to break it
A minor issue is not enough to cause a serious problem
If you've already assumed the malediction
If you have already accepted the curse
Certain
There are certain
Kinds of people that we like to know, yeah
Types of people we want in our lives
And others gotta go
Other types of people we need to remove ourselves from
If you wait 'til you're ready, then you'll never make an amends
If you never take action until you are fully prepared, you will never make things right
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
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