The Fiery Furnaces signed with the Rough Trade Records music label in 2002, and recorded their debut album in the same year.
Gallowsbird's Bark, released in the autumn of 2003, garnered critical praise for its clever wordplay and original songwriting.
Anybody who thought they had the band pinned at that point was quickly proven wrong with the 2004 release Blueberry Boat, a rock-operatic album whose track lengths were often six minutes long or longer.
While some critics adored the album for its vast complexity, others found it all a little too overwhelming.
After releasing EP in 2005 (considered a full-length album because of its 41 minute play time, but is "officially" an EP) the band then released two further albums - Rehearsing My Choir (2005), a radio-dramaesque concept album about the Friedbergers' Greek grandmother; and Bitter Tea (2006), which is a comparably more conventional album built on still-bent song structures, but with more pop-oriented stylings.
In October 2007 the band released their fifth full-length album, Widow City.
Trivia
- Their name is both a reference to the film "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)" and to the book of Daniel in the Bible.
- Matthew Friedberger has also released two solo albums simultaneously.
- Eleanor Friedberger is rumoured to be in a relationship with Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, because the song "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" from their second album is about her.
- Due to the garage blues elements of the band’s sound and the fact that the band members are siblings, The Fiery Furnaces was often compared by the press to The White Stripes (The White Stripes sometimes promote themselves as siblings, though they are not).
Official Website: www.thefieryfurnaces.com
Mason City
The Fiery Furnaces Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From my forwarder.
Shut the door, don't let my dad see;
Read aloud dear sir:
Understanding you account an upright gent-
lemen Aetna Life agreed and lent.
As agreed, my fee is 2.6 percent.
SASE.
I would guess they'll be turned out though
I'll still make my plea:
If the Dunlay heirs cannot be seen to care,
Then the Banker's Trust will surely think it fair
To not give extensions, as they musn't dare.
Write Des Moines on several matters
And I near anoint,
Ladle thick the pleasant flatters,
And then comes the point;
Mr. Nelson wouldn't like to hear it said
As he's too proud, so I do it in his stead:
He shall need an extensionâ??so it read.
--Take the Oregon Short Line to Salt Lake;
take the Pere Marquette, take the Michigan Central,
to West Madison for Christ's sake.
Forgemen, Molders, Blacksmiths, Boilermakers,
None on the make.
Up for shade on Crumb Hill
Get something to make my hands still.
But nowâ??Wait.
How are you my nabs?
Little tender footed crabs,
Meet my knuckle duster.
You geeched that gazoon's gow
Tried to break into the bow:
Go wipe your nose.
I'm just hanging out with some noler knockums,
Just passing time waiting till my stack comes.
Prussian who got jackered,
My snapper till your knockered,
Get on the snam.
The chivman wants your chip;
Better dummy up then go dip:
You're outta turn.
I learned that the lowest form of life is the buffer nabber,
Even worse than the dicer stabber.
The lyrics to The Fiery Furnaces’ song Mason City appear to be a collection of written correspondence, with the singer reading aloud from a card marked Mason City that they received from their forwarder. As they go through the letters, the singer highlights various financial and legal matters that need to be addressed, such as Aetna Life agreeing to lend to an upright gentleman and the Dunlay heirs potentially losing extensions from Banker’s Trust. The singer also mentions writing to Riceville Widow and Des Moines about matters of importance.
However, the tone of the song changes halfway through when the singer seems to shift their attention to a different situation entirely. They mention being on Crumb Hill and getting something to make their “hands still,” and then there is a sudden shift to threats of violence with the mention of a knuckle duster and confrontations with “noler knockums” and “buffer nabber[s].” The seemingly unrelated mentions of violence and crime contrast with the tone of the earlier correspondence, creating a disjointed and puzzling narrative.
Overall, the lyrics to Mason City seem to convey a sense of disconnectedness and confusion, with the singer reading through a collection of letters that may or may not be related to one another, before abruptly transitioning to a more violent and chaotic scenario. The meaning and message behind the song remain open to interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
Came a card marked Mason City
I have received a letter from a place called Mason City
From my forwarder.
It was delivered to me by my forwarding agent
Shut the door, don't let my dad see;
I don't want my dad to see this letter, so please close the door
Read aloud dear sir:
Please read this letter out loud for me
Understanding you account an upright gent-
lemen Aetna Life agreed and lent.
I understand that you are an honest man and that Aetna Life has approved a loan
As agreed, my fee is 2.6 percent.
I will charge a fee of 2.6 percent, as previously discussed
Write again the Riceville widow
SASE.
Please write to the Riceville widow and include a self-addressed stamped envelope
I would guess they'll be turned out though
I'll still make my plea:
Even though I think they will be rejected, I will still make my argument
If the Dunlay heirs cannot be seen to care,
Then the Banker's Trust will surely think it fair
To not give extensions, as they musn't dare.
If the Dunlay heirs do not appear to be interested, then Banker's Trust will probably refuse to give them more time, as they shouldn't
Write Des Moines on several matters
And I near anoint,
Please write to Des Moines about a number of issues that I consider to be important
Ladle thick the pleasant flatters,
And then comes the point;
Start with some compliments, but then get to the point
Mr. Nelson wouldn't like to hear it said
As he's too proud, so I do it in his stead:
He shall need an extensionâ??so it read.
Mr. Nelson doesn't want me to say it, so I will say it for him: he needs more time
--Take the Oregon Short Line to Salt Lake;
take the Pere Marquette, take the Michigan Central,
to West Madison for Christ's sake.
To get to West Madison, take the Oregon Short Line to Salt Lake, then take the Pere Marquette and the Michigan Central
Forgemen, Molders, Blacksmiths, Boilermakers,
None on the make.
I am surrounded by workers, but none of them are trying to make something
Up for shade on Crumb Hill
Get something to make my hands still.
I am going up to Crumb Hill to rest in the shade and find something to occupy my hands
But nowâ??Wait.
Hold on a moment
How are you my nabs?
How are you doing my friends?
Little tender footed crabs,
Meet my knuckle duster.
Hello weaklings, meet my brass knuckles
You geeched that gazoon's gow
Tried to break into the bow:
Go wipe your nose.
You messed with that guy's head and tried to steal from him: go clean up your act
I'm just hanging out with some noler knockums,
Just passing time waiting till my stack comes.
I'm just spending time with some loafers, waiting for my turn to come
Prussian who got jackered,
My snapper till your knockered,
Get on the snam.
The German who got drunk: my revolver is still good, so get on your way
The chivman wants your chip;
Better dummy up then go dip:
You're outta turn.
The thief wants your money, so shut up and leave: it's not your turn
I learned that the lowest form of life is the buffer nabber,
Even worse than the dicer stabber.
I discovered that the lowest form of life is someone who just watches and does nothing, even worse than someone who is violent
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: MATTHEW FRIEDBERGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind