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 "Take These Hands and Throw Them in the River" are a commentary on the desperation and hopelessness that can come with poverty and financial struggles. The first verse describes the struggle of waiting for a paycheck to come and the coping mechanisms people turn to in the meantime - in this case, alcohol and drugs. The line "you would not raise your eyes" suggests a sense of shame or defeat in the face of financial hardship.
The second verse describes a sense of isolation and powerlessness, with cop cars on every corner and the feeling of being "all alone." The repeated line "we got desperate" emphasizes the emotional weight of the situation, and the phrase "we're crawling home" suggests a sense of defeat and exhaustion.
The chorus, with its repeated command to "take these hands and throw them in the river" can be interpreted in a few ways. It could be a metaphor for the need to let go of the things we can't control, or a symbol of cleansing and renewal. Alternatively, it could be a call to action, a plea for radical change in the face of systemic poverty and inequality.
Overall, "Take These Hands and Throw Them in the River" is a powerful and poignant commentary on the emotional toll of poverty and financial struggle.
Line by Line Meaning
We got desperate
We became desperate and hopeless in our situation
Waiting for our cheques to come
We were waiting eagerly for our cheques to arrive, hoping that they would solve our financial problems
I got drunk, you got high
I started drinking to cope with our situation while you turned to drugs
You would not raise your eyes
You were too ashamed to look at me or anyone else because of our situation
Cop cars on every corner
The presence of police cars on every street corner makes us feel trapped and powerless
We're all alone
We feel isolated and abandoned in our struggle
We're crawling home
We're struggling to make it home, feeling defeated and broken
Take these hands and throw them in the river
Let's get rid of our despair and start afresh
Take these hands and bury them in your hands
Let's hold onto each other and support one another through our struggles
Contributed by Asher A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.