The Men are Called Horsemen There

Possibly one of the most intense songs on the album, I have attatched to it my own formulation of what i think Spencer Krug's getting at in with these, at times, "harsh" words about horses and angels. Firstly, I'd like to point out the contrast he's making between the european culture, exemplified in his visit to madrid where he could have been stripped down to a "horseman", a primal being devoid of western ideals. Westernites fled such a culture with "his cock in his hand." Although he seems to hold the european ideals of self expression to heart "if you ride over there they'll put bows in your hair". At the end of the piece, and by far one of the most exhillirating moments of the album, he screams, "if i was a horse I would throw up the reins," noting his inablity to be fixed in any particular cultural frame of thought, but rather buck off any stereotypes assosciated with a particular land. "you gotta ride me to a pasture" he closes, "on a ride to kiss all the wings."

Here's an interview with Sunset Rubdown members (except Spencer Krug wasn't in it for whatever reason) in regard to this song.

CMG: I would like to do a sort of “round table” on this, have it going as a group e-mail interview that any one of you can jump in on/contribute to at any time, and we’ll go song-by-song, snake-by-snake. The first thing I’d like everyone to do is mention your favourite animal as appears in a Sunset Rubdown lyric, which song it’s in, and why you like or are intrigued by that particular animal.

Michael: My favorite would be the horse references from “The Men are Called Horsemen There.” They seem to describe male sexuality as something to be restrained and tamed by a lover, but also something men may struggle with and feel guilty about. Seems kinda clear in the lyric “If I were a horse, I’d throw up the reins if I were you,” as if to say, “you misunderstand me, see... we understand each other.” Like that saying, “We’re the same you and me, we’re the same don’t you see?” But he’s also talking about men in Spain, and whatever cultural differences exist, and the only things I know about Spanish men come from Don Quixote, Picasso, and Gaudy, and they were all mad visionaries like Spencer. So he could be saying something like, “I ain’t no horseman [meaning oversexed]; you’ve never seen horsemen. I’ve been to Spain! In Spain they’re horsemen! And they thought I was one too, but I’m not, they got me wrong, I’m just this dumb kid from Penticton [or wherever Spencer is from in BC] and I was drunk and nervous and seduced, and maybe thought I could be a horse, but I’m hardly a pony!”

We don’t really ask Spencer to explain his lyrics. Maybe this song is just about genitalia and racial stereotyping, as if having sex with a man (who happens to be Spanish) who has a huge horse cock would be way too painful and they should get off that ride... maybe find a pony instead, or just a dirty little dog.

Jordan: Wow, that was a really graphic analysis Mike.

CMG: Michael totally turned this x-rated; all I wanted to know was whether the song was about cowboys or gay cowboys. Michael - where do you get the Spain bit from? I must have missed that.

Michael: In the beginning of the song Spencer sings, “So you need me to say that I’m sorry / That someone undressed me as professed to me / In Spain with their eyes.”

One other thing I like about the song is how it switches characters. The verse that starts “the Casanova ran...”; this is the voice of the camera, to use a film analogy. It describes the characters and the scene, and the song is elevated from a personal confession to something more literary.

CMG: “I am no horseman / and you are no angel.” Who is the non-angel?

Michael: The character being apologized to. I take this expression as a way of giving a human face to the (sometimes) divine expectations of love. The point being that honesty is better than trying to be perfect in an imperfect world.

Softdelicious are you refering to the firt unitartian in philly. That was me who asked him lol i thought it had to do with men in spain having big dicks before i asked him.

This song has epic tension.

I love that this is where the line from Idiot Heart came from.

It's a magnificent, chaotic sounding, beautiful, melodic in parts, wonderful piece of art, one of my favourite songs of SR x

I am thoroughly impressed, assessingaccess. That is an amazing, accurate, coherent, and correct interpritation. Thank you very much.

"You gotta ride me to a pasture on a ride to kiss all the wings."

There's no way that's what he says, but I can't afford to go CD shopping and it's really frustrating. It sounds something like "such withered wings" or something along those lines, but I don't know. Someone pleaseplease post the real lyrics if they own the CD.

i just saw them and someone asked him what this song meant he said it's about sluts in spain

lol well thats that, from the man himself.