The Jazz Butcher, also known as The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy and The Jazz Bu… Read Full Bio ↴The Jazz Butcher, also known as The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy and The Jazz Butcher And His Sikkorskis From Hell, is a blackly humorous and (until the early nineties) prolific British musical group founded by Pat Fish, a philosophy major from Oxford. Their oeuvre boasts such topics as Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49, an unrequited crush on Shirley Maclaine, and an ode to SF writer Harlan Ellison.

Current and Former Members include: Pat Fish aka The Butcher (founder), Max Eider (founder), Steve Valentine, Owen Jones, Curtis E. Johnson, Pat Beirne, Gabriel Turner, Dooj Wilkinson, Dave Henderson, Paul Mulreany, Richard Formby, Alex Green, Alex Lee, David J, Graham Fudger aka Felix Fudger, Julian Poole, Kevin Haskins, Kizzy O'Callaghan, Laurence O'Keefe, Nick Burson, Rolo McGinty, Colin, Sonic Boom, Alice Thompson, Peter Astor, Peter Crouch, Rodney Allen, and Joe Allen.

Official Website: http://www.jazzbutcher.com/htdb

Sweet Water
The Jazz Butcher Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Vielly got her miracle
And Church is looking suave beside his flowers.
( celebrated Downey Mildew guitarist Charlie. c.f. She's On Drugs )
And Pete could learn to love it here
The buffet doesn't close for hours.

I rode here in the front seat with the window down.
And I can't hear a single thing that anyone says

'Coz it's all in my face and it's all too beautiful.

Chorus:

Oh sweet water sometimes it feels like ancient Rome
Oh sweet water I can't believe we're home.

Staring at the cats behind the ironwork and looking for a dine
There are problems in this world I know
But right now none of them are mine.

And Hoagy Carmichael never came here, Dave.
Havana cigars on the back seat and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Chorus

At long last person or persons unknown
We don't have to be alone it doesn't have to be a circus.

Chorus

Overall Meaning

The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy's 'Sweet Water' is a song that speaks to the sense of contentment that comes from being in a place of comfort, a place that feels like home. The song starts off by talking about Vielly getting her miracle and Church looking suave beside his flowers. The reference to Downey Mildew guitarist Charlie is interesting because it shows that the song was a collaboration between two bands. The next line talks about how Pete could learn to love it here because the buffet doesn't close for hours. This is a reference to the fact that sometimes it takes time to appreciate the things that are right in front of us.

The first verse ends with the singer talking about how he rode here in the front seat with his window down and he can't hear a single thing anyone says because it's all in his face and it's all too beautiful. This is a metaphor for how sometimes we can be overwhelmed by the beauty around us that we can't see or hear anything else. The chorus talks about how sweet water sometimes feels like ancient Rome and how the singer can't believe that they're finally home. The second verse talks about the singer staring at the cats behind the ironwork and looking for a dine, but he knows that there are problems in the world that he can't fix. The verse ends with a reference to Hoagy Carmichael never coming here, but it doesn't seem to bother the singer.

The song ends with the chorus repeating, but with a new line added: 'At long last, person or persons unknown, we don't have to be alone, it doesn't have to be a circus.' This line is a call for unity and a reminder that we don't have to go through life alone. Overall, 'Sweet Water' is a song about finding joy in the simple things and recognizing that sometimes the things we're looking for are right in front of us.

Line by Line Meaning

Vielly got her miracle
A woman named Vielly received a miraculous event in her life.

And Church is looking suave beside his flowers.
A person named Church looks stylish while standing next to flowers.

And Pete could learn to love it here
A person named Pete could develop a liking towards the place.

The buffet doesn't close for hours.
The dining area where food is served will be open for a long time.

I rode here in the front seat with the window down.
I sat in a front seat of a car with the window open while traveling here.

And I can't hear a single thing that anyone says
I am unable to hear anything that anyone says to me.

'Coz it's all in my face and it's all too beautiful.
The sight of everything around me is too spectacular for me to focus on anything else.

Oh sweet water sometimes it feels like ancient Rome
The place where I am feels so historic that it reminds me of ancient Rome.

Oh sweet water I can't believe we're home.
I cannot believe that I have finally returned home to this place.

Staring at the cats behind the ironwork and looking for a dine
I gaze at the cats behind the metal bars and search for a place to eat.

There are problems in this world I know
I am aware of the existence of problems in this world.

But right now none of them are mine.
However, at the present moment, none of those problems concern me.

And Hoagy Carmichael never came here, Dave.
A person named Dave is told that the musician Hoagy Carmichael never visited this place.

Havana cigars on the back seat and I wouldn't have it any other way.
There are Havana cigars on the rear seat of the car, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

At long last person or persons unknown
Finally, an unknown person or people have arrived.

We don't have to be alone it doesn't have to be a circus.
We don't need to be alone here, and it doesn't have to be a chaotic experience.

Contributed by Emma L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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