There's a smell here that stands my hairs on end
Dog hair in the heater, gas pumps and cedar
And jackknifes on the nine
And seabirds choked on fishing line

Clouds are a hush but the chainsaws mush on to Custer and Columbia
Salty tentacles drink in the sun but the red tide is over
The mollusks they have won

There's a smell here of gravel and cigarettes lit
When the match made them sweet
When the engine turned over and beat up our street
Oh, that was the day
To remember

I remember because of the fires that leapt
From the caves of the things that have not happened yet
When I think of it now they smell to me quite sinister

I want to go back and die at the drive in
Die before strangers can say
I hate the rain
I hate the rain


Lyrics submitted by JoyAndJubilee, edited by tiggertai

Red Tide Lyrics as written by Paul Andrew Rigby Neko Case

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Red Tide song meanings
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    My Interpretation

    It's a bit of a long shot, but I wonder if the "red tide" stands for communism and/or socialism. Snails (i.e. "mollusks") were a medieval symbol for moneylenders, so Neko could be alluding to the takeover of big banks/business and extreme capitalism in modern society.

    On the other hand, she refers to tentacles, which snails don't have... so this is probably wrong.

    xypotionon January 20, 2018   Link

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