What do you think Black Cadillacs means?

Modest Mouse: Black Cadillacs Meaning

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Album cover for Black Cadillacs album cover

Black Cadillacs Lyrics

It's true we named our children after towns
That we'd never been to and
It's true that the clouds just hung around
Like black cadillacs outside a funeral

And we were done done done with all the fuck fuck fucking around!
You were true to...

  1. anonymous
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    Apr 23rd 2015 !⃝

    Ummm im not really sure i mean thats kinda the thing about artists like isaac his lyrics are so complex and awesome i think he kinda leaves it up to everyone else to decide for themselves on what they really mean i think thats how it is for most artists but in all honesty i have no clue how you got natives and english settlers from this song at all im sorry i just dont get it lol but i think it has a lot to do with someone very close to him that he knew too well and they might have a been a little too selfish or kind of a sorry person but he loved them anyways but their actions is what put them into the ground hence the "you were so true to yourself you were true no one else" line comes from i mean its called black Cadillacs and mentions outside a funeral for reasons and he didnt die and he complaining or blaming you pretty much saying that he's still alive and thankful for that but its no thanks to you cuz he took what ever they did by example and did the exact opposite and thats why he's still here and their in the ground but i do think you were on to something about the religion thing i think he believes in god or some higher power but is always angry at him and is alittle unsure about it all because hes had a pretty rough life but thats only because the person he talks about in a lot of his songs if the same person which i think is his mom was very radical about their religion and he was exposed to it a lot and because i think its his mom thats where the whole "we named our children after towns" line comes from not necessarily applying to him but to the irresponsibleness of some bad parenting because ive read that she dragged him all over the country/state "all over the town" and then after she died or after he learned his lessons from being around her/them he was done done done with all the fuck fuck fuckin around but that is all pretty much just what i got from the song that was my little interpretation but its all my opinion and i guess i shouldn't say i dont get where your coming from but i think you might have went a little too deep into the lyrics but thats just my opinion and thanks for reading this if you did i love sharing these ideas with others and hearing their input as well sorry if i might have came off alittle douchey cuz i didnt agree with you or understand your point of view

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 13th 2009 !⃝

    I believe that Modest Mouse, in the song Black Cadillacs, is explaining the differences between Europeans coming to America and Native Americans, in their own explicit modest-mouse-type way. For instance, "We were laughing at the stars while our feet clung tight to the ground. So pleased with ourselves for using so many verbs and nouns." This, I think, is insulting both the seemingly endless English obsession with language and literature, and their scientific knowledge. "And we were done done done with all the fuck fuck fucking around" probably shows how after the Natives were friendly to the English and gave them gifts and such, they decided the were "done with all the fucking around" and decided to shoot the natives, completely unprovoked. "I didn't die and I ain't complaining" probably emulates how the natives had helped the English learn to live off the land, which kept them alive. "You were true to yourself you were true to no one else, well I ought to put you in the ground", I think, shows that the Indians were true only to their religion and wouldn't convert to Christianity." If anyone thinks I am completely wrong, say so please.


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