This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Washed my face in the rivers of empire
Made my bed from a cardboard crate
Down in the city of quartz
No news, no new regrets
Tossed a Susan B. over my shoulder
And prayed it would rain and rain
Submerge the whole western states
Call it a last fair deal
With an American seal
And corporate hand shake
Take the story of carpenter mike
Dropped his tools and his keys and left
And headed out as far as he could
Past the cities and gated neighborhoods
He slept ‘neath the stars
Wrote down what he dreamt
And he built a machine
For no one to see
Then took flight, first light
Of new morning
Made my bed from a cardboard crate
Down in the city of quartz
No news, no new regrets
Tossed a Susan B. over my shoulder
And prayed it would rain and rain
Submerge the whole western states
Call it a last fair deal
With an American seal
And corporate hand shake
Take the story of carpenter mike
Dropped his tools and his keys and left
And headed out as far as he could
Past the cities and gated neighborhoods
He slept ‘neath the stars
Wrote down what he dreamt
And he built a machine
For no one to see
Then took flight, first light
Of new morning
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Midnight
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Midnight” is a song about finding a love that is so true that it provides a calming feeling through every storm. Ed Sheeran reflects on his good fortunes in landing someone with such peace and support and speaks of not fearing the dark days because he knows they’ll all end in the safety nets of her arms.
“Well, good morning there / What a way to start the day / With everything laid bare,” Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse, enthusiastic to be waking up beside his woman. He apologizes for missing her calls in the second verse and promises to return them because for him, speaking to her is the most important thing. “Well, I get lost inside my head / In this chaos, you’re my calm / And I will find my feet again / ‘Cause еven the worst days of my life will always еnd / At midnight in your arms,” sings Ed Sheeran in the chorus, revelling in his good luck.
walking away from the city life... transcention
This song was featured on NPR with Joey Burns talking about it. It's about the connection between finding a space in the sprawling urbanization of Tucson and finding a more metaphorical space in life. Carpenter Mike is an actual person Burns knew growing up who built and lived in a treehouse outside of the city.
Anyone know what a Susan B. is?
Its a dollar coin. She was on the first $1 coin the US minted.
this song is awesome. yeah, susan b. anthony.
OKOK: this is my interpretation of the song's three paragraphs.
1st: the nation that the Protagonist of the song lives in, the USA, is an empire (and he dislikes this). Although it is an empire of wonders and amazing wealth, the Protagonist does not share its benefits (and he dislikes this).
2nd stanza: the Protagonist is filled with regrets for the state of the Empire, and perhaps the world, and this not a new sentiment. The Protagonist then discards his worldly posessions. He wishes that the Empire would be destroyed, as if by God, because this is what his country deserves. He believes that, because the Empire no longer gives any "fair deals", the (fair) destruction of his nation would be the last fair thing that would ever happen to it. He believes that the strength and influence of corporations have caused the Empire to decline ethically.
3rd: This is the actual "story". The first and second stanzas only describe what it is about, and how to interpret its meaning. The story is about a working-class American who became disenchanted with the state of the USA, and left society to follow his ideals.
This is my personal favorite song by Calexico. It is my interpretation that it is about a journey of the soul and a capitalistically-fueled environment.<br /> <br /> Empire likely refers to the city in CA, which the Tuolumne River runs through. It's on the way to Quartz, AZ (assuming the protagonist left from LA, where the band members' roots are). <br /> <br /> I think the first 2 stanzas were real experiences the writer(s) had and the third is about a fellow traveler who shares a similar journey. In relation to the rest of the song- the latter contains a sense of a man disillusioned from resentment of forces beyond our control. I find Mike very inspiring for his freedom of movement.
I think 'City of Quartz' is probably a reference to Mike Davis' book about Los Angeles and what he beleives will become of it. This seems to tie in with what i think the song is ultimately about: a man who dislikes what he sees and chooses to reject a life in the city to find a meaningful one elsewhere