Far From Any Road
The Handsome Family Lyrics
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Her looming shadow grows
Hidden in the branches of the poison creosote
She twines her spines up slowly
Towards the boiling sun
And when I touched her skin
My fingers ran with blood
In the hushing dusk under a swollen silver moon
I came walking with the wind to watch the cactus bloom
And strange hands halted me, the looming shadows danced
I fell down to the thorny brush and felt the trembling hands
When the last light warms the rocks
And the rattlesnakes unfold
Mountain cats will come to drag away your bones
And rise with me forever
Across the silent sand
And the stars will be your eyes
And the wind will be my hands
The Handsome Family's song "Far From Any Road" begins with an image of a looming shadow growing from a dusty mesa. The song then describes a mysterious creature hiding in the branches of a poison creosote, slowly twining its spines towards the boiling sun. When the singer touches the creature's skin, their fingers run with blood.
The second verse takes place under a swollen silver moon, where the singer comes across strange hands that halt them as looming shadows dance. The singer falls down to a thorny brush and feels trembling hands.
The final verse describes the coming of mountain cats to drag away bones when the last light warms the rocks and rattlesnakes unfold. The singer invites someone to "rise with me forever across the silent sand," with the stars being their eyes and the wind being their hands.
The interpretation of the song is open-ended, much like the surreal images it depicts. It is possible that the song is a metaphor for death and the afterlife, with the mountain cats representing the end of life and the stars and wind representing the eternal spirit. It is also possible that the song simply celebrates the strange beauty of the desert landscape, with its stark beauty and hidden dangers.
Line by Line Meaning
From the dusty mesa
The singer describes the setting of the song as a dusty mesa.
Her looming shadow grows
The singer observes a shadow growing that belongs to something or someone.
Hidden in the branches of the poison creosote
The shadow is concealed within the branches of a poisonous creosote plant.
She twines her spines up slowly
The creature associated with the shadow slowly climbs up the tree, using its spines.
Towards the boiling sun
The creature climbs towards the sun in the boiling heat.
And when I touched her skin
The singer interacts with the creature and touches it.
My fingers ran with blood
The creature's skin causes the singer's fingers to bleed.
In the hushing dusk under a swollen silver moon
The singer sets the scene for the next verse, describing a quiet dusk under a swollen silver moon.
I came walking with the wind to watch the cactus bloom
The singer went for a walk with the wind and observed cacti blossoming.
And strange hands halted me, the looming shadows danced
The singer is stopped or slowed down by an unexpected event, possibly related to the creature observed earlier.
I fell down to the thorny brush and felt the trembling hands
The singer falls and feels hands that are shaking (possibly due to fear, the cold, or another reason).
When the last light warms the rocks
The singer describes a specific point in time when the last bit of light from the sun warms the rocks.
And the rattlesnakes unfold
The rattlesnakes come out when the sun sets.
Mountain cats will come to drag away your bones
The singer describes a possible fate for someone, where mountain cats come and take away their bones.
And rise with me forever
The singer is asking someone to rise with them for eternity.
Across the silent sand
The singer suggests that they will travel across quiet sand.
And the stars will be your eyes
The singer tells the person they are addressing that the stars will be their eyes.
And the wind will be my hands
The singer tells the person they are addressing that the wind will be their hands.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Brett Sparks, Rennie S Sparks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind