"Cattle and Cane"

The Go-Betweens - Cattle and Cane

I have heard the song described as being in 11/4 time, and honestly, I think that is right. I tried counting it out as 6/4, 5/4 and as 3/4, 4/4, 3/4 but kept getting lost. Counting in 11/4 kept me true.


The song is very autobiographical, the singer is talking about his childhood. Around 1:30 the rest of the band sings a really haunting wordless backing chant. It almost made the song go from simple reminiscences to a real felling of loss. Later I read that the band had moved from Australia to England to try to make it, and the whole song made more sense. After a slow guitar solo, a spoken word style verse really hammers home the loneliness.

The song really grew on me over a few listens. Great for a moment when your past is all you can think of. Put it on, revel in the past, drink it up. Then when the song ends, move on.