Guided By Voices were a sublime, drunken mess of greatness. I flew to Chicago New Years Eve of 2005 to see their last show ever and it was worth every penny and hour in the air.
Ringleader Robert Pollard has consistently held court as one of rock's last consistently fascinating lyricists, best listened to over a long period to get into the rhythms of his obtuse language. "My Valuable Hunting Knife" has always been a favorite of mine; I interpret it as a tale of an older man who has retreated away from people to the safety, comfort and predictability of a life surrounded by objects and crafts but ultimately finding dissatisfaction and loneliness inescapable. Pollard's a tough nut to crack, and I could be way off. Lyrics after the jump.
What songs have your favorite lyrics?
I want to start a new life
With my valuable hunting knife
She will shine like a new girl
And I want to shout out our love to the world (Hit it!)
Everything I think about I think about
Everything I talk about I talk about
With you
But you don't know what I go through
You don't know
Days, they will turn into nights
But my valuable hunting knife
It will not rust through the tears
And it will not lose its appeal over years (Come on!)
Everything I think about I think about
Everything I talk about I talk about
With you
But you don't know what I go through
You don't know
I'll never know
I'll never know
And then I will run
And then I will. . .
And then I will hide