The Hold Steady

Cattle and the Creeping Things

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Cattle and the Creeping Things Lyrics

They got to the part with the cattle and the creeping things
They said I'm pretty sure we've heard this one before
Don't it all end up in some revelation?
With four guys on horses, and violent red visions
Famine and death and pestilence and war
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I heard this one before.

You in the corner with a good looking drifter
Two cups of coffee and ten packs of sugar
I heard Gideon saw you in Denver
He said you were contagious
Silly rabbit, tripping is for teenagers
Murder is for murderers. and hard drugs are for bartenders
I think I might have mentioned that before

He's got the pages in his pockets that he ripped out of the Bible from his bedstand in the motel
He likes the part where the traders get chased out from the temple

I guess I heard about original sin
I heard the dude blamed the chick
I heard the chick blamed the snake
I heard they were naked when they got busted
And I heard things ain't been the same since
You on the streets with a tendency to preach to the choir
Wired for sound and down with whatever
I heard Gideon did you in Denver

She's got a cross around her neck that she ripped off from a schoolgirl in the subway in a Mississippi city
She likes how it looks on her chest with three open buttons
She likes the part where one brother kills the other
She has to wonder if the the world ever really recovered
Cause Cain and Abel seem to still be causing trouble

She said I was seeing double for three straight days after I got born again
It felt strange but it was nice and peaceful
It really pleased me to be around so many people
Of course half of them visions
Half of them were friends from going through the program with me
Later on we did some sexy things
Took a couple photographs and carved them into wood reliefs
Hey, but that's enough about me
Tell me how you got down here into Ybor City

He said I got to the part about the exodus
Up to then i only knew it was a movement of the people
But if small town cops are like swarms of flies
And if blackened foil is like boils and hail
Then I'm pretty sure I've been through this before

And it seemed like a simple place to score
And it seemed like a simple place to score

It seemed like a simple place to score.
Then some old lady came to the door
Said McKenzie Jones doesn't live here anymore

Submitted by

iagoadmirer On Jul 09, 2005

Stuck Between Stations

You Can Make Him Like You

First Night

Citrus

Chillout Tent

They got to the part with the cattle and the creeping things
They said I'm pretty sure we've heard this one before
Don't it all end up in some revelation? 
With four guys on horses, and violent red visions 
Famine and death and pestilence and war
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I heard this one before.

He's got the pages in his pockets that he ripped out of the Bible from his bedstand in the motel
He likes the part where the traders get chased out from the temple

She said I was seeing double for three straight days after I got born again 
It felt strange but it was nice and peaceful
It really pleased me to be around so many people
Of course half of them visions 
Half of them were friends from going through the program with me
Later on we did some sexy things
Took a couple photographs and carved them into wood reliefs
Hey, but that's enough about me
Tell me how you got down here into Ybor City

And it seemed like a simple place to score
And it seemed like a simple place to score

It seemed like a simple place to score. 
Then some old lady came to the door 
Said McKenzie Jones doesn't live here anymore

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rhysthuryn2003

2013-10-18 17:13:24

iagoAdmirer

Submitter

2005-07-09 09:03:29

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Cover art for Cattle and the Creeping Things lyrics by Hold Steady, The

by heysailor

19y ago

probably the greatest song ever written.

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by heysailor

19y ago

probably the greatest song ever written.

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by thomas doyle

19y ago

also brilliant. goddamn, this whole album make me feel so good. christian mysticism from the eyes of working-class kids.

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by thomas doyle

19y ago

blake-eyed brilliance.

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by thomas doyle

19y ago

blake-eyed brilliance.

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by thomas doyle

19y ago

blake-eyed brilliance.

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by JesusIsAfterYou

19y ago

Craig Finn's personal involvement with the two A. During childhood his involvement with music showed two vastly different aspects of life. I. Raised catholic in suburbs of Twin Cities, environment there a. Sheltered, living (as suburbs were intended to supply) b. Family raised children in strict catholic environment II. Went to punk shows at First Ave, environment there a. Nightlife crowd, addicts, drunks, urban decay b. Punk pseudo-doctrine of rebellion B. People he knew through his involvement with the music scene of the mid-nineties I. Further experience with punk crowd and people met a. Nightlife crowd and all that comes with it b. Now more firsthand involvement and interaction with the scene as opposed to spectator's point of view held previously II. Some people he knew later cleaned up through AA or NA and contrast of before and after a. AA and NA require acceptance of higher power as part of program b. Contrast of previous interactions with them as compared with clean living Christian versions.

Significance of name "Holly" (short for Halleluiah) and how this illustrates message A. Significance of the name I. As a cry of exaltation a. Joyous word in praise of god as opposed to more somber phrases with the same meaning b. Literally translated from Hebrew as "Praise Yah!" "Yah" being short for Yahweh (pronounced Jehovah) B. Holly's actions and contrasts to classical significance of word. I. Significance of passage "She's got the cross around her neck that she ripped off from a school girl in the subway on a visit to the city" a. Much like Gideon, she too mixes the piety of wearing a cross around ones neck, and the sin of theft
b. Also, use for accenting her cleavage lies in contrast to typical sentiments II. Significance of Holly's being born again a. Entire passage reference to line in the song "Banging Camp"- "He said take a hit; hold your breath and I'll dunk your head. Then when you wake up again, you'll be high as hell and born again. b. Use of the word "program" possibly AA or NA reference, making her finding of god and being born again fit nicely c. Fits into concept of living in sin with the guise of purity, or failing in your search for salvation

1. Craig Finn's personal involvement with the two
		A. During childhood his involvement with music showed two vastly different aspects of life.
I. Raised catholic in suburbs of Twin Cities, environment there
	a. Sheltered, living (as suburbs were intended to supply)
	b. Family raised children in strict catholic environment
II. Went to punk shows at First Ave, environment there
	a. Nightlife crowd, addicts, drunks, urban decay
	b. Punk pseudo-doctrine of rebellion
B. People he knew through his involvement with the music scene of the mid-nineties
I. Further experience with punk crowd and people met 
	a. Nightlife crowd and all that comes with it
	b. Now more firsthand involvement and interaction with the scene as opposed to spectator's point of view held previously
II. Some people he knew later cleaned up through AA or NA and contrast of before and after
	a. AA and NA require acceptance of higher power as part of program
	b. Contrast of previous interactions with them as compared with clean living Christian versions.

i am smiley pope (10:12:32 PM): 2. Significance of name "Gideon" and how this illustrates message
	A. Background on significance of name
		I. Gideon the prophet.
			a. Similar to most new testament prophets
			b. In the book of Judges, he refocuses Israelites who were worshipping idols
		II. Modern day Christian sect of Gideons International
			a. Evangelical Christian group 
			b. distribute bibles, most famously leaving bibles in motels
	B. Gideon's contrasts and connections to significance of name
		I. ties to Gideon the prophet in his actions. "He likes the part where the traders get chased out of the temple." 
			a. An action that occurs in every book of the New Testament (Jesus chasing merchants and non worshipers 	from temples)
			b. Idea of Jesus refocusing worshipers mirrors actions of Gideon the prophet.
			c. Shows that something about those passages reverberate for Gideon
		II. Contrast with sect of Gideon's, "He's got the pages in his pocket that he ripped out of the bible in the bed stand in the motel."
			a. Irony of Gideon ripping pages from bible left by Gideon's.
			b. At the same time he is taking pages of a bible for personal use, showing internal conflict shown
3. Significance of name "Holly" (short for Halleluiah) and how this illustrates message
	A. Significance of the name
		I. As a cry of exaltation
			a. Joyous word in praise of god as opposed to more somber 	phrases with the same meaning
			b. Literally translated from Hebrew as "Praise Yah!"
			"Yah" being short for Yahweh (pronounced Jehovah)
	B. Holly's actions and contrasts to classical significance of word.
		I. Significance of passage "She's got the cross around her neck that she ripped off from a school girl in the subway on a visit to the city"
			a. Much like Gideon, she too mixes the piety of wearing a 	cross around ones neck, and the sin of theft						
b. Also, use for accenting her cleavage lies in contrast to typical sentiments
		II. Significance of Holly's being born again
			a. Entire passage reference to line in the song "Banging Camp"- "He said take a hit; hold your breath and I'll dunk your head. Then when you wake up again, you'll be high as hell and born again.
			b. Use of the word "program" possibly AA or NA reference, making her finding of god and being born again fit nicely
			c. Fits into concept of living in sin with the guise of purity, or failing in your search for salvation

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by jagstang

19y ago

she said: i was seeing double for 3 straight days after i got born again

Craig Finn's all-time greatest lyric

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by bitta2sweet

18y ago

I love when Craig changes the line to "I heard Gideon FUCKED you in Denver" more venom!

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by mechpope13

17y ago

this song as many references to over hold steady/lifter puller song. "hard drugs are for bartenders. i think i might have mentioned that before" is a reference to certian songs on Almost killed me. "with 4 guys on horses, and violent red visions famine and death and pestilence and war. i'm pretty sure i heard this one before." is from the lifter puller song 4dix.

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