Starting with 2001's brilliant day darkener, Here's Luck, the band charted a course of, as Paste magazine said, capturing "the Zeitgeist of this anxious era." The follow-up, 10,000 Years, was hailed as the bands' masterpiece—a concept album based on Levy's experiences in social work telling the story of a poor urban test tube kids’s rise and fall during a genocidal apocalypse in the not-so-distant future. In 2006 the band released Amygdala, a record thematically exploring fear in its varied forms—abandonment, losing children, war & death, aging, social decay.
In 2009 the band emerges with an offering considerably more hopeful in these desperate times. The tracks on Sunshine Committee reflect a complex, often nuanced intersection of art and humanity while marking a return to a more live, rocking sound.
Once featured guests, Matt Darling on trombone and Steven Kung on trumpet have now become integral core members of the band, adding a vintage Stax/Volt-Muscle Shoals unctuousness to the record. Bass player Trent Norton’s writhingly hooky parts almost singularly define the new improved sound. Levy and Brian Halverson have further perfected their guitar matrimony, playing off each other and swapping leads and obbligatos. Peter Sands, given extra real estate space, layers clavinets, harpsichords, pianos, Hammond organs, Chamberlains, and various odd keyboards from his museum of myriad electronic instruments. Drummer Peter Anderson directs traffic like an empathic inner city principal, alternately slamming and playing with great economy, sensitivity and restraint.
As always, the band refers to the traditional soul and rock touchstones while creating something interesting, unpredictable, insightful, and moving: shades of the Stones' Exile on Main Street, Fresh-era Sly Stone, twilight Hendrix and Revolver-esque Beatles, all with Levy's surreal, evocative and enigmatic lyrics winding sinuously through the savory mix.
Sunshine Committee is the band’s first truly self-produced effort, with the entire band involved in the conception, engineering and editing of the record. Granted permission to record this and his children’s record (Bunny Clogs) at the Institute of Production and Recording where Levy is a teacher, the EP's production provided top students with a “laboratory” environment in which to experiment with various mics and recording techniques, comment on arrangement and performance, and assist in the editing process.
Capping off the roster of contributing talent, friend and mainstay John Fields, freshly finished with recording the Jonas Brothers, offered up his mixing expertise to the band.
On the eve of this, the Honeydog's 10th release, with solo projects and new records percolating, the band emerges confident in their ability to reinvent their sound while keeping alive the best musical and thematic features that have been their trademarks for nearly 15 years.
Cherub
The Honeydogs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You wish they were silk
If you can't get cream
Settle for milk
Everything you touch
Seems to shatter
Egg shells and newsprint
There's a little boy with an arrow
You're so scared of
You shot the cherub
You shot the cherub
You finally got your [Incomprehensible]
On a sinking ship
Put your wild elephant to sleep
Eat your blue chip
There's a little boy with an arrow
You're so scared of
You shot the cherub
You shot the cherub
It's what it is and what it's not
Keep your guard up, get your shots
Take off your rose colored glasses
Your Sunday school classes are free
How we're screaming at you
Dangling on your knee
There's a little boy with an arrow
You're so scared of
You shot the cherub
You shot the cherub
You shot the cherub
You shot the cherub
You shot the cherub
You shot the cherub
Cherub, cherub
The lyrics to The Honeydogs' song Cherub are filled with metaphorical language and a sense of tattered beauty that reflects the emotions of the singer. The opening lines create an image of the singer lying on cotton sheets, wishing they were silk, illustrating a desire for luxury and perhaps unattainable beauty. The next line, "If you can't get cream, settle for milk," suggests a resignation to the idea of settling for less than what one truly wants.
As the song progresses, the singer continues to touch on themes of fragility and destruction, with the lines "Everything you touch seems to shatter/Eggshells and newsprint torn and tattered." This can be interpreted as a reflection of the singer's sense of powerlessness, with even the slightest touch leading to destruction.
The line "There's a little boy with an arrow/You're so scared of/You shot the cherub" is a central image in the song, and can be interpreted in various ways. The cherub, traditionally a symbol of innocence and purity, is brought down by the singer's metaphorical arrow. This can be seen as a representation of the singer's feelings of guilt and shame, as well as a commentary on the idea of innocence and its fleeting nature.
Overall, the song Cherub is a powerful reflection on themes of desire, beauty, destruction, and innocence. Through vivid and metaphorical language, The Honeydogs create an emotional landscape that is both haunting and beautiful.
Line by Line Meaning
Lying on cotton sheets
You are comfortable in your current position but still yearning for something more luxurious.
You wish they were silk
You have a desire for riches and high-end goods beyond your current means.
If you can't get cream
You are forced to settle for what you can get because your desired outcome is unattainable.
Settle for milk
You are willing to compromise and accept something less than ideal to meet your needs.
Everything you touch
You feel like you bring destruction to everything you come into contact with.
Seems to shatter
Your actions and decisions often cause damage and ruin to those around you.
Egg shells and newsprint
Your environment is fragile and easily broken, and you feel like you're walking on eggshells.
Torn and tattered
Your surroundings are in a state of disrepair, and you feel like everything is falling apart.
There's a little boy with an arrow
There is a force in your life that is causing you fear and anxiety.
You're so scared of
You are filled with trepidation and unease about this unknown power or situation.
You shot the cherub
You have lashed out and attacked this source of your fear and uncertainty.
You finally got your [Incomprehensible]
You have achieved a goal or desire, but it comes at a price and may not be sustainable.
On a sinking ship
You are in a dire situation where everything is falling apart or heading towards disaster.
Put your wild elephant to sleep
You are attempting to suppress or control something that is powerful and unpredictable.
Eat your blue chip
You are clinging to material wealth and success, even though it may not bring true happiness or fulfillment.
It's what it is and what it's not
You are facing a reality that may not meet your expectations or desires.
Keep your guard up, get your shots
You need to remain vigilant and protect yourself from potential harm.
Take off your rose colored glasses
You need to abandon any idealized or unrealistic views of the world around you.
Your Sunday school classes are free
You have been given the tools and resources to help improve your life, but it is up to you to use them.
How we're screaming at you
People around you are urging you to take action and make changes for the better.
Dangling on your knee
The weight of responsibility and expectation is resting heavily on you.
Cherub, cherub
The cherub represents something innocent and pure that has been destroyed, and its repeated mention emphasizes the gravity of this loss.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM L. LEVY, NOAH LEVY, THOMAS BORSCHEID, TRENT NORTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind