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By: Charbarred | in: Music |

Fun with the lyrics of Silver Jews’ “Random Rules”

SIlver Jews

I have to confess that I’m not much into song lyrics. My moto is usually – If I wanted to listen to what someone has to say, I’d read a book or watch the news. I guess that when it comes to music, I’m too immersed by the melodies and harmonies to be able to make sense of the words.

The exceptions to the rule are as follows:

  1. There’s nothing going on musically, or the whole album is the same three chords (see Bob Dylan)
  2. The singer actually has an interesting story to tell (see Nick Cave)
  3. I spent a lot of money on the CD and am trying to make the most of it by reading the lyrics.

It’s that last exception that brought me to notice David Berman as the lyrical genius he is. So I figured a quick mention of some of those words is in place… 

‘Random Rules’ opens the Silver Jews’ 1998 album ‘American Water’, and encompasses everything writer David Berman has to offer. “I know that a lot of what I say has been lifted off of men’s room walls“, claims Berman. And indeed, it seems that the song squeezes in many funny catch phrases like “they make it so you can’t shake hands when they make your hands shake“.

More meaning is found with “I asked the painter why the roads are colored black. He said, ‘Steve, it’s because people leave and no highway will bring them back.’” Which also begs the question why ‘Steve’ (Stephen Malkmus, a member of the band, didn’t write this song – or did he?).

If you want to dig deeper, you can listen to some of David Berman’s poetry reading.

Or just visit the Silver Jews on MySpace.


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Posted on October 18, 2006

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