Left out in the rain too long
There was not no glory to relive
All 3 fingers, all your limbs
Pliable now as steam and soft light

Traded off when you were down
Took it on, took it on
The story bitches and the scene don't care
Unraveling now like steam and soft light

The cutter loses his nerve and turns away
The stepdaughter dissolves into the dark woods soundless

Mama take the pillow from under my head
Stepdaughter made my dying bed
Left out in the rain too long
To marinate in steam and soft light

The stepdaughter dissolves into the dark woods soundless
The cutter delivers an elk heart for false proof
Bury me shallow and scratch out my name
I'd make every mistake all over again


Lyrics submitted by BeatJunkie08

Stepdaughter Lyrics as written by Temistoclas Hugo Rutili

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Stepdaughter song meanings
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4 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    As with most of Califone's work the lyrics here are opaque and more poetic than literal. The title, 'Stepdaughter' is obviously a reference to Sleeping Beauty, as evidenced by the cutter (or wood cutter) delivering an Elk's heart instead of a human heart to the evil step mother as false proof of her murder. But this song evokes more than the images of a children's story it seems to deal with the emotions and motivations of the wood cutter himself. His mercy (or lack of nerve) allowed the step daughter to escape (dissolve into the dark woods), and despite the fact that he's signed his own death warrant (Step daughter made my dying bed), and the fact that his name is not even known in posterity (scratch out my name...) he would do it all over again, because - maybe - she was as beautiful and ephemeral to him as steam and soft light.

    Darkadianrhythmon March 21, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Listen to this song or I will kick your ass, I love this song and have recently become infatuated with Califone.

    BeatJunkie08on July 03, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    unraveling now like steam and soft light....

    wow. wow. ?

    slinkstersarson October 16, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    how do they manage to sound so dusty like they are the quilt laying on the foot of your great grandmothers bed? they sound like a wine cellar that hasnt been opened in 60 years.

    slimjim307on June 29, 2011   Link

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