Following the dissolution of Red House Painters after the tumultuous release of their last album Old Ramon, Kozelek released a handful of solo recordings before forming Sun Kil Moon in 2002. Their debut album, Ghosts of the Great Highway, was written entirely by Kozelek, and released by Jetset Records in 2003. It is an album centered around the theme of memory, connecting Kozelek's haunting memories with the true-life stories of deceased boxers, such as featherweight champion Salvador Sanchez and flyweight Pancho Villa. Kozelek's music with Sun Kil Moon spans genres such as the simple acoustic country-folk of "Glenn Tipton" to the heavy, Crazy Horse-esque rock of "Salvador Sanchez" and the light-hearted "Lily And Parrots," onto the fourteen minute psychedelic tour de force, "Duk Koo Kim" (another homage to a deceased boxer) and the beautiful and haunting "Gentle Moon" and "Carry Me Ohio." Kozelek's voice is now more flexible and less downcast than in his work with Red House Painters, resulting in a resonant and often beautiful album.
The band's follow-up Tiny Cities was released on November 1st 2005 on Kozelek's own Caldo Verde label. The album covers eleven songs by the indie/alternative group Modest Mouse and, in its sparse production and spare instrumentation, is more or less a solo work by Kozelek.
Kozelek is known for covering songs from bands not normally associated to his genre of slow, introspective music. They are more than traditional covers, as they are extensively re-worked and re-interpreted to the point that they are often not recognizable to the originals, and take on a different meaning despite the lyrics remaining intact word-for-word. Kozelek's 2000 solo debut Rock 'n' Roll Singer featured covers of songs by AC/DC and John Denver.
His solo 2001 follow-up, What's Next to the Moon was an entire album of AC/DC songs done in his typically languid, hypnotically melancholy acoustic style. Even further back, Songs For A Blue Guitar, the 1996 Red House Painters album, featured covers of Yes's Long Distance Runaround, Paul McCartney & Wings's Silly Love Songs and The Cars' "All Mixed Up". Tiny Cities is very much in this tradition, taking the often frenetic, noisy songs of Modest Mouse and transforming them into haunting, acoustic guitar-dominated midtempo ballads filled with a deep-seated, haunting melancholy.
Among the Leaves
Sun Kil Moon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A blanket by a broken vent
She's there a while
And then she's gone
I'm away for weeks
Arrive at night
She hears my steps
No mind at all, more space than I need
It's just me among the weeds
Among the ghosts
Among the leaves
We've never met but she's a girl
Romance paper books
The floor is covered
In long blonde curls
On afternoons I walk the graves
The rusted cars, the mine shaft caves
See a girl sadly unkempt
A child of neglect
Under moons I pass the tombs
Cross the highways, smell the fumes
See a girl frighteningly gaunt
Somebody didn't want
How do I tell her I don't care
If she sleeps downstairs?
I see her on my errand runs
Looking nervous like a young Mia Farrow
Walk along the gas stops
Window browsing pawn shops
Guns, bows and arrows
Up on past the Halfway house
Past the signs Eighty South
Buttercup and Carrows
Drinking Wild Irish Rose
At the dead end of the road
Sleeping with the sparrows
When evening comes I play guitar
For the planets and the stars
I leave the porch light on
Like I do when I'm gone
Winter, spring, summer, fall
Basement's yours, have a ball
There's always room for you there
Really baby I don't care
The lyrics to Sun Kil Moon's "Among the Leaves" paint a vivid picture of a complex relationship between the singer, the girl he may or may not know, and the world around them. The first two lines describe a bleak scene of a pillow and blanket abandoned in a cold place. The girl is there for a while, but then she's gone, leaving only these things behind. The singer, who is away for weeks, arrives home to find that the girl has been there and has fled at the sound of his footsteps, suggesting a tension or fear in their relationship.
The next two lines describe the singer's solitary existence, with "more space than I need" and only "me among the weeds / among the ghosts / among the leaves." This could suggest that he is comfortable with his own company, but also that he is haunted by something or feels a sense of loss or abandonment. The next section describes a girl the singer has never met, but who is familiar to him through "romance paper books" and her things left behind in his space. He also walks among graves and abandoned places, seeing girls who seem neglected and haunted in their own ways.
The final section of the song is the most tender and hopeful, with the singer describing how he leaves the porch light on for the girl, no matter what season it is, and how the basement is hers to use. He says that there's always room for her there, and that he doesn't care if she sleeps downstairs. This could suggest a desire for connection, despite the difficulties that may exist between them.
Line by Line Meaning
A pillow lays on cold cement
A description of the environment where a girl has been staying, on cold cement with just a pillow.
A blanket by a broken vent
Another detail of the place she's staying, with a broken vent and a blanket to keep warm.
She's there a while
Implying that this girl has been staying in this unfortunate place for a while.
And then she's gone
She's gone without any traces when the opportunity arises.
I'm away for weeks
The artist is away from home for weeks.
Arrive at night
The singer arrived back home at night.
She hears my steps
The girl hears footsteps and becomes aware of the singer's presence.
Turns off the light and runs
She turns off the lights and flees the place, perhaps to avoid being seen or confronted.
No mind at all, more space than I need
The artist doesn't mind having more space than he needs, perhaps an allusion to the fact that he prefers solitude.
It's just me among the weeds
The artist is alone and somewhat forgotten among the weeds, reflecting his sense of separation.
Among the ghosts
He is surrounded by ghosts, perhaps those who came before him seeking refuge in the same place.
Among the leaves
The leaves may signify something lost or forgotten, as if the artist has been left behind by the passage of time.
We've never met but she's a girl
The singer has never met this girl before.
Romance paper books
The girl likes reading romance novels or books.
The floor is covered
The floor is covered in long blonde curls, perhaps indicating that she hasn't been taking care of herself.
On afternoons I walk the graves
The artist spends his afternoons walking among graves, which may be a metaphor for his own loneliness and detachment.
The rusted cars, the mine shaft caves
The artist deliberately goes to a desolate place in order to be alone with his own thoughts.
See a girl sadly unkempt
He notices a girl who looks neglected and unhappy.
A child of neglect
The girl is a victim of neglect, perhaps revealing the singer's empathy for her.
Under moons I pass the tombs
The artist walks past tombs at night, when the moon is out.
Cross the highways, smell the fumes
He crosses the highways and smells the exhaust fumes, emphasizing the modern world's inherent problems.
See a girl frighteningly gaunt
He sees another girl, this time looking sickly and skinny.
Somebody didn't want
The implication is that the girl wasn't wanted or loved by anyone.
How do I tell her I don't care
The artist may genuinely care for these girls and wants to comfort them.
If she sleeps downstairs?
He wonders what he could say to her if she was in his house, sleeping downstairs.
I see her on my errand runs
The singer sees the second girl when he's running errands, suggesting that he may be looking for her.
Looking nervous like a young Mia Farrow
The girl reminds him of a young Mia Farrow, who may symbolize innocence, beauty, and tragedy all at once.
Walk along the gas stops
He's walking along gas stations, which can be a quite depressing environment.
Window browsing pawn shops
He sees the girl window-shopping at a pawn shop, indicating that she may be in need.
Guns, bows and arrows
Pawn shops sell weapons, which the singer lists as examples.
Up on past the Halfway house
He goes past the halfway house on his travels.
Past the signs Eighty South
He drives past a sign for a freeway going south.
Buttercup and Carrows
These may be names of places along his journey, serving as incidental details for the narrative.
Drinking Wild Irish Rose
The artist drinks Wild Irish Rose, which is a cheap wine that is often associated with homelessness.
At the dead end of the road
He arrives at a dead end, which can signify a final destination or a sense of being stuck.
Sleeping with the sparrows
He sleeps among the sparrows, which may represent a desire to get lost in nature.
When evening comes I play guitar
The singer plays guitar when the evening comes, which can be interpreted as his way of coping with life's difficulties.
For the planets and the stars
He plays for the cosmos, perhaps symbolizing how small he feels compared to the universe.
I leave the porch light on
He leaves the porch light on, creating a welcoming atmosphere for anyone who may need it.
Like I do when I'm gone
He's suggesting that he leaves the light on for himself when he's away, to feel less lonely when he comes back home.
Winter, spring, summer, fall
The porch light is always on for all seasons.
Basement's yours, have a ball
The singer is offering whoever may need a place to sleep in his basement, free of charge.
There's always room for you there
He's emphasizing that he's willing to help, with no judgment or strings attached.
Really baby I don't care
The song ends with the artist repeating his willingness to help, and reassuring anyone who may need it that he doesn't care about their background or situation.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Mark Edward Kozelek
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind