A Silver Mt. Zion is a band formed in 1999, in Montreal, Quebec, by Godspeed You! Black Emperor musicians Efrim Menuck, Sophie Trudeau and Thierry Amar. According to an interview with VPRO Radio in The Netherlands, originally the project was for Efrim to learn how to score music, but the idea was soon abandoned as Efrim decided that he preferred music not to be defined by rules, preferring simply what sounds best. Despite this, he continued the project out of a desire to experiment with ideas that would not work within the context of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The decision to record an album was partly inspired by the death of his dog Wanda, who had died while Godspeed You! Black Emperor was on tour. He wanted to record an album in her memory, but did not feel that he could effectively do this through Godspeed's collective, consensus format.
Unlike Godspeed You! Black Emperor, A Silver Mt. Zion's music often features vocals. The last few albums they have released contain no purely instrumental tracks. Efrim confessed that he was uncomfortable with this at first, feeling "foolish" and uncomfortable with the role of the singer in music generally. That is, he did not want to be the focus of the band's music but rather wished to use vocals as a stylistic tool. Some fans were initially ambivalent about the use of vocals, but Efrim's poetic lyrical style is now well respected among fans. Furthermore, A Silver Mt. Zion's fanbase has expanded, and they are no longer seen merely as an offshoot of Godspeed You! Black Emperor but as a unique and separate entity.
The addition of members has moved their music from a well weighted, and curiously empty (in terms of space) sound to all encompassing and complex arrangements, recently focusing more on vocal layers.
Other than the main three members, various other people joined the band for recording and touring including: Beckie Foon, Ian Ilavsky, Jessica Moss and Scott Levine Gilmore.
A Silver Mt. Zion:
2000: He Has Left Us Alone, but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms...
The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band:
2001: Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band With Choir:
2003: "This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing,
Thee Silver Mountain Reveries:
2004: Pretty Little Lightning Paw (EP)
Silver Mt. Zion:
2004: Song of the Silent Land - contributed track "Iron Bridge to Thunder Bay"
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band:
2005: Horses in the Sky
2008: 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra:
2010: Kollaps Tradixionales
2012: The West Will Rise Again (EP)
2014: Hang On to Each Other (EP)
2014: Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything
Take These Hands and Throw Them in the River
A Silver Mt. Zion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting for our cheques to come
I got drunk, you got high
You would not raise your eyes
We got desperate
Waiting for our cheques to come
I got drunk, you got high
Cop cars on every corner
We're all alone
Cop cars on every corner
We're crawling home
Take these hands and throw them in the river
Take these hands and throw them in the river
Take these hands and throw them in the river
Take these hands and bury them in your hands
The lyrics to A Silver Mt. Zion's song "Take These Hands and Throw Them in the River" paint a bleak picture of economic desperation and police oppression. The repetition of the line "We got desperate waiting for our cheques to come" emphasizes the frustration and hopelessness of living paycheck to paycheck, while the contrast between the singer getting drunk and their companion getting high suggests that they each cope with their struggles in different ways. The line "You would not raise your eyes" could suggest avoidance or shame, or could be interpreted as a refusal to look at the unjust reality they are living in.
The presence of cop cars on every corner further underscores the societal conditions of the song, and the feeling of being constantly under surveillance and control by those in power. The repeated phrase "We're all alone" adds to the sense of isolation and alienation. The refrain of "Take these hands and throw them in the river" can be seen as a metaphor for a desire to escape from the difficulties and constraints of their lives and start anew. The final line, "Take these hands and bury them in your hands," could be interpreted as a plea for connection and solidarity in facing the struggles ahead.
Line by Line Meaning
We got desperate
We felt hopeless and afraid
Waiting for our cheques to come
We were waiting for financial help that did not arrive
I got drunk, you got high
We turned to substances to numb our pain and escape reality
You would not raise your eyes
You were too defeated to look up and face the situation
Cop cars on every corner
The presence of authority figures made us feel watched and powerless
We're all alone
We feel isolated and unsupported
We're crawling home
We are defeated and exhausted, barely able to make it back to our dwelling
Take these hands and throw them in the river
Wash away our mistakes and despair
Take these hands and bury them in your hands
Take control and help us find strength and guidance
Contributed by Adrian E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.