Sean Beavan co-founded 8MM and quietly self-released their debut EP, Opener, through their website while he was producing Kill Hannah's "For Never and Ever" in 2004. Fronted by his wife, Juliette, who has been described as a cross between Billie Holiday, Beth Gibbons and Jessica Rabbit, 8MM quickly became a local underground buzz. Internet word-of-mouth led to tremendous organic support followed by global critical acclaim from artists and tastemakers such as the influential Nic Harcourt of KCRW.
As a producer and mixer, Beavan has worked with a cadre of seminal artists including Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Depeche Mode, No Doubt, System of a Down and Slayer (amongst many others).
Bones
8mm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your photograph falls from my hand
Wash away like so many plans
My only love was only a man
You believe in nothing
Oh, you believe in nothing
Blood in my mouth
Hair slips through my fingertips
You were blind but now I see
How these waters will make it clean
Oh, you believe in nothing
Oh, you believe in nothing
Shimmer and quake
No sound, no ache
Shimmer and quake
No sound, no ache
No more lies
And nothing to fake
Shimmer and quake
No sound, no ache
Aw, you believe in nothing
You believe in nothing
I only did what I had to do
I believed in me and you
I only did what I had to do
I believed in me and you
I believed in me and you
I believed in me and you
Oh, you believed in nothing
Oh, you believed in nothing
The lyrics of 8mm's song Bones showcases the pain and disappointment of a past love affair. The first verse talks about how the memories of the past slowly fade away, like bones sinking into sand. The singer is holding onto a photograph, but even that washes away, signifying the finality of the situation. The second verse details the physical sensations of the singer as they cope with the aftermath of the relationship. Blood in their mouth and salt on their lips represent the hurt and bitterness they feel, while hair slipping through their fingertips illustrates the idea of a lost grip on the situation. The bridge mentions how the waters will make them clean, indicating a sense of renewal and hope for the future, despite the pain of the present.
Overall, the song shows a journey of letting go and moving on from a past love that had no real substance or belief. The singer ultimately realized that they only had to do what they had to do and believed in themselves and their actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Bones sink into the sand
The remains of our love fade away like bones sinking into the sand.
Your photograph falls from my hand
As memories of you slip away, the image of you in my mind falls apart like a photograph dropping from my hand.
Wash away like so many plans
Just like many of our plans, memories of you gradually slip away and get washed away by the currents of time.
My only love was only a man
I realize now that my love for you wasn't as strong as I thought. You were just a mere mortal like anyone else.
You believe in nothing
You lack the ability to believe in anything, not even love.
Blood in my mouth
So much pain and suffering have left me traumatized and bitter that I taste blood in my mouth.
Salt on my lips
The tears I've cried have left salty residue on my lips.
Hair slips through my fingertips
Memories of you slip away from my grasp like hair slipping through my fingertips.
You were blind but now I see
In retrospect, You couldn't see everything clearly, but now I see the truth in stark clarity.
How these waters will make it clean
The waters before me have the power to cleanse my soul of the pain and misery I've been harboring.
Shimmer and quake
Everything else disappears, leaving just the shimmering waters and the tremors of emotions within me.
No sound, no ache
My heart and soul remain empty without you, and the silence is deafening.
No more lies
I can no longer live a life of deceit and lies.
And nothing to fake
I have no one left to pretend for, so there's no point in keeping up a façade.
I only did what I had to do
I didn't intend to hurt you, but I had to make difficult decisions for my own well-being.
I believed in me and you
I had faith in our love, but it ultimately crumbled before my eyes.
Oh, you believed in nothing
You never invested any emotions in our relationship, and it was doomed to fail from the start.
Contributed by Christian W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.