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.
I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love
Sun Kil Moon Lyrics
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I can live with your scorn, your sourness, your smug
I can live with growing alone if push comes to shove
But I can't live without my mother's love
I can live flying around at an impossible pace
I can live with the bad etiquette that's fallen on this place
I can live with anything you got to throw in my face
My mother is 75
She's the closest friend I have in my life
Take her from me, I'll break down and ball
And wither away like old leaves in the fall
You can be cruel all you want, talk about all my brothers
Shoot me full of holes and I won't be bothered
Judge me for my ways and my slew of ex-lovers
But don't ever dare say a bad word about my mother
When she's gone, I'll miss our slow easy walks
Playing Scrabble with the chimes of the grandfather clock
I'll even miss the times that we fought
But mostly I'll miss being able to call her and talk
I can live without watching the classical fights
I can live without a lover beside me at night
I can live without what you might call a charmed life
But I can't live without my mother providing her life
My mother is 75
One day she won't be here to hear me cry
When the day comes for her to let go
I'll die off like a lemon tree in the snow
When the day comes for her to leave
I won't have the courage to sort through her things
With my sisters and all our memories
I cannot bear all the pain or the weight
These lyrics by Sun Kil Moon in the song "I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love" express the immense value of a mother's love and the devastating impact that losing a mother would have on an individual. The artist acknowledges that he can withstand a lot of the challenges life throws at him, including strife with others, growing old alone, and even physical harm. However, he cannot live without the unconditional love of his mother.
The artist speaks to the importance of his relationship with his mother, who is his closest friend despite being 75 years old. He shares that losing her would be profoundly painful, leading him to wither away like old leaves in the fall. The artist highlights that no matter what happens in his life, there should never be anything said against his mother. She has provided for him, listened to him, and loved him in ways that cannot be replaced or replicated.
Line by Line Meaning
I can live with the sky falling out from above
Even if the world is ending, I can tolerate it.
I can live with your scorn, your sourness, your smug
I can handle your negative emotions and condescending attitude.
I can live with growing alone if push comes to shove
I can manage the isolation and loneliness if it's necessary.
But I can't live without my mother's love
However, I cannot bear to live without my mother's affection and care.
I can live flying around at an impossible pace
I can keep up with a hectic lifestyle with no problem.
I can live with the bad etiquette that's fallen on this place
I can tolerate the rudeness that prevails in society.
I can live with anything you got to throw in my face
I can handle any criticisms and insults directed towards me.
But I can't live without my mother's embrace
But I cannot bear to live without the love and comfort only my mother can provide.
My mother is 75
My mother's age is 75 years old.
She's the closest friend I have in my life
My mother is my best friend and confidant.
Take her from me, I'll break down and ball
If my mother were to die, I would be extremely upset and cry uncontrollably.
And wither away like old leaves in the fall
I would feel like my life is deteriorating and coming to an end, much like the leaves on trees in the autumn.
You can be cruel all you want, talk about all my brothers
You can say whatever you want about me or my siblings, be as mean as you want.
Shoot me full of holes and I won't be bothered
I can withstand physical harm without much trouble.
Judge me for my ways and my slew of ex-lovers
You can criticize my actions and my past romantic relationships.
But don't ever dare say a bad word about my mother
But do not dare disparage or insult my mother in any way.
When she's gone, I'll miss our slow easy walks
If my mother passed away, I would regret not spending time with her doing simple activities like walking.
Playing Scrabble with the chimes of the grandfather clock
I would miss playing board games like Scrabble with her while hearing the pleasant sound of the grandfather clock in the background.
I'll even miss the times that we fought
I would even miss the moments when we would argue or disagree with each other.
But mostly I'll miss being able to call her and talk
However, I would especially miss being able to call her and have a conversation with her.
I can live without watching the classical fights
Watching classical boxing matches is not crucial to my survival or well-being.
I can live without a lover beside me at night
Being single and not having someone to sleep next to at night is something I can deal with.
I can live without what you might call a charmed life
Living a supposedly lucky or fortunate life is not essential for my happiness or contentment.
But I can't live without my mother providing her life
However, my mother's presence and support are crucial to my existence and well-being.
One day she won't be here to hear me cry
At some point in the future, my mother will not be around to comfort me when I am upset and crying.
When the day comes for her to let go
When my mother reaches the end of her life and passes away.
I'll die off like a lemon tree in the snow
I will feel like I am withering away and unable to function, much like a citrus tree dying in a harsh winter environment.
I won't have the courage to sort through her things
I would not have the emotional strength to go through my mother's belongings after her death.
With my sisters and all our memories
With my siblings and the memories we shared with our mother.
I cannot bear all the pain or the weight
I would be unable to handle the emotional pain and heaviness of losing my mother.
Contributed by Annabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.