Season 1 of his television show, Sex, God, Rock 'n Roll, was filmed in Boulder, CO in the fall of 2008. It aired on HDNet in the US and Canada in late spring 2009 and has since been released on DVD.
Surfaces
Stuart Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where skin lets light through
Over miles of muscle
Through the woven puzzle
Onto ribs that rise and fall
There's an ear against the wall
Chorus:
Play with light
Catch the eye
Lines and curves
Everyone is perfect
Surfaces
A world adorned
Beauty comes in infinite forms
Perfect surfaces
Out the hollow of your heel
Up the ladder in your spine
To the cliffs around your eyes
I dive into the brine
Chorus
Shadow on a human figure
Makes a bone look bigger
Chorus
Shadow on a human figure
Makes a bone look bigger
The lyrics of Stuart Davis's song "Surfaces" describe the beauty of the human body and the ways in which light plays across its various curves and contours. Through the use of vivid imagery, Davis paints a picture of a body that is both complex and intriguing, inviting the listener to look beyond surface appearances and appreciate the intricacy of the human form.
The first verse of the song describes the body in detail, tracing "lines of blue" where light shines through the skin and revealing the "woven puzzle" of muscles and ribs beneath. The second verse takes us on a journey through the body, from the hollow of the heel up to the cliffs around the eyes. Throughout these descriptions, Davis emphasizes the perfection of the body's surfaces and the infinite forms of beauty they can take on.
In the chorus, Davis celebrates the variety found in human bodies and declares that everyone is perfect in their own way. He continues to describe the beauty of surfaces and the interplay between light and shadow, noting how shadows can even make bones look bigger. The song as a whole encourages the listener to appreciate the complexity and beauty of their own body and the bodies of others, celebrating the unique forms and surfaces that make us all different.
Line by Line Meaning
Tracing lines of blue
Observing the blue veins beneath the surface of the skin
Where skin lets light through
Noticing how skin reflects light and how it affects what's underneath
Over miles of muscle
Tracing these lines of blue over the muscles that lie beneath the skin
Through the woven puzzle
Recognizing how these lines weave over and through the body in a complex pattern
Onto ribs that rise and fall
Watching how the blue lines move as they cross over the ribs, which expand and contract with breath
There's an ear against the wall
Listening intently, as if trying to uncover a hidden secret through these observations
Chorus:
Emphasizing the central concept of the song
Surfaces
The physical body and its exterior appearance
Play with light
How light interacts with the different shapes and textures on the surface of the body
Catch the eye
How these visual observations draw and hold our attention
Lines and curves
The shapes and contours of the body that we perceive visually
Everyone is perfect
There is beauty in every individual, regardless of perceived flaws or imperfections
A world adorned
The world around us is filled with beauty and decoration, just like the human form
Beauty comes in infinite forms
There is no one definition of beauty - it can be found in countless different forms and varieties
Perfect surfaces
Acknowledging the beauty and perfection of the human body, in all its different shapes and forms
Out the hollow of your heel
Observing an unusual and overlooked part of the body - the indent on the bottom of the foot
Up the ladder in your spine
Following the blue lines as they trace the curve of the spine, moving upward
To the cliffs around your eyes
Noticing the folds of skin and shadows around the eyes, like the cliffs of a coastline
I dive into the brine
Imagining diving into these folds and creases, exploring their shapes and textures
Shadow on a human figure
Noting the way shadows cast on the body can create different visual effects
Makes a bone look bigger
Illustrating how shadows can accentuate certain parts of the body and make them seem larger or more pronounced
Contributed by Benjamin I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.