The Squirrely Soul of the Farm
Dive into the squirrely soul of our farm with a gem written by Berman, "Strange Victory, Strange Defeat" for the Silver Jews' 2008 album, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea. This tune isn't just catchy. It's our nutty battle cry, loaded with squirrel metaphors for our feisty farm rebellion.
Crank it up and check out the raw Pitchfork video of David Berman and the band jamming in Juan's Basement. It's like spying on a squirrel rock concert: cheeky, captivating, and full of sneaky wisdom.
These lyrics aren't fluff—they're our rebel yell. Berman's squirrels? Total revolutionaries, just like our farm squad. Straight from Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, where that sassy red squirrel flips off Old Mr. Brown, the grumpy owl bossing the forest. Nutkin skips the begging, opting for dances, riddles, and pure mischief—all for a taste of freedom.
We're the farming Nutkins! Our "Mr. Browns" are those corporate ag bullies pushing chemical-drenched monocrops that suck the life out of soil and souls. Us? We party with moon phases, whip up compost brews, and grow peculiar heirlooms like Manpukuji carrots and rainbow Glass Gem corn. This isn't just chaos; it's building a better tomorrow.
Berman tips his hat to Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay on "Manners," blasting fashion as "virtue gone to seed"—a wilted version of real greatness, chasing trends over true grit.
Nailed it, Ralph! We see industrial farming the same way: a bloated zombie of what used to be awesome. Cozy family farmsteads feeding soil, people, and places. Now? It's profit-hungry machines trampling sustainability and diversity.