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.
Jim Wise
Sun Kil Moon Lyrics
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He's on house arrest and he sits around inside.
We brought him food from Panera Bread, the snoring sun rolled out of bed.
He talked about his ninety Corvette, his warehouse job, and his knee replacement.
Jim Wise mercy killed his wife in a hospital at her bedside.
And he put the gun to his head and it jammed and he didn't die.
He went to trial all summer long and his eyes welled up when he told us about how much she loved the backyard garden and the budding rosebush.
She loved the garden, and its budding rosebush.
Spent the day with my dad, and his friend Jim Wise.
Spent the day with my dad and his old friend, Jim Wise.
He's got a big thick ankle bracelet and he can't go outside.
He's got a long white Amish man's beard and a catheter.
And he'll be headed to Mansfield prison by the end of the year for sure.
His shelves are sticky old ratty boards.
His albums are The Doors and Stevie Nicks. His kitchen cabinets are full of baked beans. His TV is sound, words flash across the screen and he stares off into dead air.
Jim Wise killed his wife out of love for her at her bedside.
And then he put the gun to his head but he failed at suicide.
His trial's coming up in the fall and he sighed when we stepped out and we left.
And I pointed out the pretty cardinal perched on the empty birdbath.
The bright red cardinal, the empty birdbath.
Spent today with my dad and his friend Jim Wise.
The lyrics to Sun Kil Moon's song "Jim Wise" detail a day spent with the singer's father and his old friend, Jim Wise. Wise is under house arrest and cannot leave his home due to the ankle bracelet he is forced to wear. The trio spends time together and share stories about their lives, including Jim's warehouse job, his knee replacement, and his '90 Corvette. However, the conversation takes a dark turn when the topic of Jim's late wife comes up. The lyrics reveal that Jim Wise mercy-killed his wife at her bedside in a hospital and then attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself, but the gun jammed, resulting in his arrest and upcoming trial.
Despite the gravity of the subject matter, the lyrics are delivered in a matter-of-fact style that highlights the banality of the everyday activities occurring alongside the weighty discussions. The contrast emphasizes the inescapability of life's darkest moments and how, if anything, they only serve to underscore the quiet beauty and simplicity of the everyday, such as the aforementioned cardinal and birdbath. Ultimately, the lyrics paint a complex portrait of a man who was both capable of great love and compassion, as well as extreme violence and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Spent the day with my dad and his old friend, Jim Wise.
The singer spent the day with his dad and his dad's friend, Jim Wise.
He's on house arrest and he sits around inside.
Jim Wise is on house arrest and is confined to his home.
We brought him food from Panera Bread, the snoring sun rolled out of bed.
They brought Jim Wise food from Panera Bread in the morning.
He talked about his ninety Corvette, his warehouse job, and his knee replacement.
Jim Wise reminisced about his Corvette, his job, and his knee replacement.
Jim Wise mercy killed his wife in a hospital at her bedside.
Jim Wise killed his wife out of mercy while she was in the hospital.
And he put the gun to his head and it jammed and he didn't die.
Jim Wise attempted suicide after killing his wife, but the gun malfunctioned and he survived.
He went to trial all summer long and his eyes welled up when he told us about how much she loved the backyard garden and the budding rosebush.
Jim Wise went to trial for killing his wife, and became emotional when he talked about how much she loved their garden and rosebush.
She loved the garden, and its budding rosebush.
Jim Wise's wife loved their garden and rosebush.
He's got a big thick ankle bracelet and he can't go outside.
Jim Wise has an ankle bracelet for his house arrest and is unable to leave his home.
He's got a long white Amish man's beard and a catheter.
Jim Wise has a long white beard like a man from the Amish community, and wears a catheter.
And he'll be headed to Mansfield prison by the end of the year for sure.
Jim Wise will likely be sent to Mansfield prison before the year is over.
His shelves are sticky old ratty boards.
Jim Wise's shelves are old and in poor condition.
His albums are The Doors and Stevie Nicks.
Jim Wise's music collection includes albums from The Doors and Stevie Nicks.
His kitchen cabinets are full of baked beans.
Jim Wise's kitchen cabinets are stocked with baked beans.
His TV is sound, words flash across the screen and he stares off into dead air.
Jim Wise's TV works, but he seems detached and unfocused.
Jim Wise killed his wife out of love for her at her bedside.
Jim Wise killed his wife out of love and mercy while she was in the hospital.
And then he put the gun to his head but he failed at suicide.
Jim Wise attempted to take his own life after killing his wife, but was unsuccessful.
His trial's coming up in the fall and he sighed when we stepped out and we left.
Jim Wise's trial is approaching and he reacted with a sigh when his visitors left.
And I pointed out the pretty cardinal perched on the empty birdbath.
The singer noticed a pretty cardinal perched on an empty birdbath and pointed it out to Jim Wise.
The bright red cardinal, the empty birdbath.
The singer sees a bright red cardinal perched on an empty birdbath.
Spent today with my dad and his friend Jim Wise.
The singer spent the day with his dad and his dad's friend, Jim Wise.
Contributed by Riley T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.