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.
Not Much Rhymes With Everything's Awesome At All Times
Sun Kil Moon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Things were sublime up in the East Bay
Then you landed in England's grey London town
Again things were great
You say you're a writer but what can you say
When each night ends another perfect day?
When a week in a hostel was a fabulous stay
You're just too high to reach
It's hard to swallow your big bright pills
The one I want to ask, how do you really feel?
Can you dim the lights for just a few minutes?
Lose the phrases, the overused snippets?
You're living among the grime and the soot
A scene straight out of a Charles Dickens book
Ain't got no man to give you no love
A kiss on the cheek, a welcome home hug
You say you're a poet but I've not read a line
Just seen the notebook, the cover and spine
You say you're a poet but how much rhymes
With everything's perfect at all times?
You left for Rome and Paris, France
Came back home in a born again trance
You met me for lunch, so late one day
Out of breath with so much to say
We sat down together and I stared at your phone
I squinted hard but could not feel your tone
I looked on at endless two-inch frames
Thinking "Christ, they're all the fucking same"
What's beneath your glow and your gleam?
What's not in the picture baby?
Are there scars somewhere on your skin
And are there more deeper you're hiding?
Tell me about when you were a kid
Did someone you know drive off of a cliff?
Did you get picked on by your big brother?
What are you carrying? What are you smothering?
Is something crawling on you like bugs?
Is something eating away at your guts?
Is something slithering down in the drain?
Is something swimming around in your veins?
You say that you're happy here in this place
Staring off into internet space
Trying to hit a magic button
Wake up only next to no one
Next to your laptop and your slick phone
And your book of illogic poems
You're my friend and you know I love you
Open up, babe, no I won't judge you
I'm an artist, it's all that I've got
I know when I see one and baby, you're not
A poet knows that not much rhymes
With everything's perfect at all times
Say you're a poet but I've not read a line
Just seeing the notebook, the cover and spine
You say you're a poet but not much rhymes
With everything's perfect at all times
In the song "Not Much Rhymes With Everything's Awesome At All Times," Sun Kil Moon (Mark Kozelek) addresses a friend who claims to be a writer and a poet, but seems to be just going along with the flow of things without any deeper reflection or introspection. The song takes us through the different phases of the friend's life, from living in LA and East Bay where everything was "amazing" and "sublime," to her move to London where things are described as "grime and soot" - a scene straight out of a Charles Dickens book.
Kozelek raises the question of whether the friend is being honest about her emotions and experiences, or whether she is just putting on a facade. He wonders what's really going on beneath her seemingly perfect life - are there scars on her skin or something deeper that she is hiding? He urges her to open up and share her struggles, saying that as an artist, he won't judge her.
The song is introspective and reflective, creating a sense of melancholia that is characteristic of Kozelek's music. It touches on themes such as loneliness, the facade of happiness, and the complexity of human emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Things were amazing when you lived in LA
You experienced great things when you were living in Los Angeles.
Things were sublime up in the East Bay
When you moved to East Bay, you had an elevated experience there.
Then you landed in England's grey London town
You shifted to living in London which has a dull environment.
Again things were great
You seem to be enjoying your time in London.
You say you're a writer but what can you say
You claim to be a writer but you don't seem to have much to write about.
When each night ends another perfect day?
Your days seem ideal and without any problems.
When a week in a hostel was a fabulous stay
Even staying in a hostel for a week was great for you.
You're just too high to reach
It's difficult to approach or understand you.
It's hard to swallow your big bright pills
It's difficult to believe or accept what you're presenting to the world.
The one I want to ask, how do you really feel?
I'm curious about your true emotions.
Can you dim the lights for just a few minutes?
Can you be honest and vulnerable for a moment?
Lose the phrases, the overused snippets?
Stop using cliches and typical responses.
You're living among the grime and the soot
You're surrounded by dirt and pollution.
A scene straight out of a Charles Dickens book
Your environment reminds me of a setting from a Dickens novel.
Ain't got no man to give you no love
You're single and not getting much affection from anyone.
A kiss on the cheek, a welcome home hug
You long for human touch and affection.
You say you're a poet but I've not read a line
You claim to be a poet but I haven't seen any evidence of your writing.
Just seen the notebook, the cover and the spine
I've only seen the outer appearance of your notebook, not its contents.
You say you're a poet but how much rhymes
You claim to be a poet, but how many of your writings have a clear rhyme scheme?
With everything's perfect at all times?
Perfect things happen all the time in your life, according to you.
You left for Rome and Paris, France
You traveled to Rome and Paris.
Came back home in a born again trance
You returned feeling rejuvenated and invigorated.
You met me for lunch, so late one day
We had lunch together, but you were running late.
Out of breath with so much to say
You were out of breath from talking so much.
We sat down together and I stared at your phone
We sat together, but you were glued to your phone.
I squinted hard but could not feel your tone
I tried to discern your emotions based on your phone usage, but I couldn't tell how you were feeling.
I looked on at endless two-inch frames
I saw you scrolling through countless small pictures on your phone.
Thinking 'Christ, they're all the fucking same'
I thought to myself that all the pictures on your phone looked identical or uninspired.
What's beneath your glow and your gleam?
What's behind your outward confidence and shining appearance?
What's not in the picture baby?
What's missing from the images on your phone that you're hiding?
Are there scars somewhere on your skin
Have you experienced pain or trauma that is not visible on the surface?
And are there more deeper you're hiding?
Are there deeper emotional wounds that you're suppressing?
Tell me about when you were a kid
Share with me some of your childhood experiences.
Did someone you know drive off of a cliff?
Did someone you know die tragically?
Did you get picked on by your big brother?
Were you bullied or mistreated by your older sibling?
What are you carrying? What are you smothering?
What emotional burden are you carrying and suppressing?
Is something crawling on you like bugs?
Do you feel like there's something constantly bothering you or weighing you down?
Is something eating away at your guts?
Is there something that's causing you internal emotional distress?
Is something slithering down in the drain?
Is there something toxic or negative that's seeping into your life?
Is something swimming around in your veins?
Is there something that is affecting you deeply and negatively?
You say that you're happy here in this place
You claim to be content with where you are in life and where you live.
Staring off into internet space
You often spend time mindlessly browsing the internet.
Trying to hit a magic button
You're searching for a solution or an answer that doesn't exist.
Wake up only next to no one
You often wake up alone with nobody beside you.
Next to your laptop and your slick phone
The only things near you are your computer and your stylish phone.
And your book of illogic poems
You have a notebook filled with nonsensical or confusing poems.
You're my friend and you know I love you
I care about you, and you know that.
Open up, babe, no I won't judge you
Be honest with me, and I won't criticize or shame you.
I'm an artist, it's all that I've got
I'm a creative person, and that's what I'm passionate about.
I know when I see one and baby, you're not
I can recognize another artistic person, but I don't see that quality in you.
A poet knows that not much rhymes
As a poet, I understand that not everything can be perfect or fit together perfectly.
With everything's perfect at all times
It's impossible for everything to be ideal or perfect every moment of our lives.
Say you're a poet but I've not read a line
You say you're a poet, but I haven't seen any of your writing yet.
Contributed by Nicholas C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.