Explanation.

Half A Canyon

from Wowee Zowee

Wowee Zowee, even by Pavement standards, is a weird album. "Half A Canyon" starts off like a lothario swaggering into a singles bar (punctuated by Malkmus uttering "shit, baby") and builds to a rockin' climax. It's almost danceable, this song, like a club mix for people who hate club music. When Malkmus' cracking voice screams "I can't believe I'm still going" toward the end of the song it feels like a moment of self-realization as he's swept along by the sheer momentum of his own music.

I have no idea what the hell the song is about, though. There are a couple mentions of American history ("July Fourth," "witch trials") but what it all means within the context of this song is beyond me.