Segall began his recording career as a part-time musician in various underground bands in Orange County and the San Francisco Bay Area, before beginning a solo career in 2008. Segall's first solo release was the cassette Horn The Unicorn released on the Wizard Mountain label (later re-released by HBSP-2X on vinyl record). Around the same time, Wizard Mountain also released a split cassette featuring Segall and the band Superstitions entitled Halfnonagon.
In 2012, Segall released three LPs: His solo album, Twins; a collaboration with White Fence titled Hair and Slaughterhouse, an album with the Ty Segall Band.
Rusted Dust
Ty Segall Lyrics
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A thinning rusted dust, confused, I must, must, must
Go away, go away, go away, go away
But I still talk, I still talk, I still talk
When I talk too loud my mind becomes a cloud
A thinning rusted dust, confused, I must, must, must
Go away, go away, go away, go away
The lyrics in Ty Segall’s song ‘Rusted Dust’ evoke feelings of confusion, anxiety, and a sense of being lost. The first line ‘When I talk too loud my mind becomes a cloud’ suggests that the singer is overwhelmed by their own thoughts and feelings, which they cannot seem to articulate clearly. This notion is further emphasized by the line ‘A thinning rusted dust, confused, I must, must, must’, which highlights the singer’s desperation to make sense of their inner turmoil. The repetition of ‘go away’ indicates that the singer wishes to escape from their own mind, but they are unable to do so. Instead, they continue to ‘still talk’, perhaps as a way to distract themselves from their own thoughts.
The song’s repetitive lyrics and its heavy use of distortion and reverb create an intense and unsettling atmosphere. The repetition of the same lines is a reflection of the singer’s inability to escape from their own mind. The song’s overall sound can be seen as a representation of the singer’s confused and chaotic state of mind.
Line by Line Meaning
When I talk too loud my mind becomes a cloud
My thoughts get disorganized and hazy when I speak too loudly
A thinning rusted dust, confused, I must, must, must
This cloudiness is like a thin layer of rusty dust, making me feel lost and scattered. I feel a strong need to escape this feeling
Go away, go away, go away, go away
This repeated phrase emphasizes my desire to escape the cloudiness and confusion in my mind
But I still talk, I still talk, I still talk
Despite the mental turmoil, I continue to speak out, perhaps because it is easier than facing the silence and uncertainty that comes with not speaking at all
Contributed by Grace O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.