After playing in New York and touring the US and Europe from 2009–2010, in the summer of 2010 McMahon released the Murder Dull Mind EP, a collection of the apartment recordings made while in Beijing, on Sacred Bones. This past January, he began recording for his second full length, Through Donkey Jaw, his first proper recordings in almost five years. Where Murder Dull Mind was sparse, mostly acoustic and almost all first-take improvisation, this new work contains many more fully-realized sounds and songs; it is very much the winter to Murder Dull Mind’s summer.
Lilac In Hand
Amen Dunes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Move like a shadow, affects me
Take a sight to head
Fetch a pretty man
To get him down to kiss me
In a time an a place, far as far at sea
Sick as shit, don't touch me
Lilac in hand
Lilac in hand
Hesitation
I couldn't believe, moon like a shadow
Move like a shadow, affects me
In a time an a place, far as far at sea
Sick as shit, don't touch me
Lilac in hand
Lilac in hand
Hesitation
The lyrics to Amen Dunes's song "Lilac In Hand" are cryptic and abstract, leaving room for interpretation. The opening lines, "I couldn't believe, moon like a shadow. Move like a shadow, affects me" suggest a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere. This is reinforced by the image of a moon behaving like a shadow, which should be impossible in reality. The next line, "Take a sight to head" is more difficult to interpret, but may refer to the idea of being overwhelmed by one's senses. The line, "Fetch a pretty man to get him down to kiss me" can be interpreted in different ways, but could be a reference to sexual desire or a romantic encounter.
The next stanza, "In a time and a place, far as far at sea. Sick as shit, don't touch me" changes the tone of the lyrics, with a feeling of distance and isolation. The use of the phrase "far as far at sea" reinforces this sense of being lost or far away from anything familiar. The line "'Sick as shit, don't touch me" suggests physical or emotional illness, possibly caused by the isolation or the romantic encounter referenced in the previous stanza.
The repetition of "Lilac in hand, Lilac in hand, hesitation" throughout the song adds to the dreamlike, surreal feel of the lyrics. The significance of the lilac is undefined, but it could be interpreted as a symbol of beauty or fragility.
Overall, the lyrics to Amen Dunes's "Lilac In Hand" are open to interpretation, but suggest a dreamlike atmosphere and a sense of isolation and illness.
Line by Line Meaning
I couldn't believe, moon like a shadow
The moon looked surreal, almost like a shadow.
Move like a shadow, affects me
The moon's shadowy appearance has an effect on the singer.
Take a sight to head
Looking ahead, trying to find a way forward.
Fetch a pretty man
The artist is wanting to be with an attractive man.
To get him down to kiss me
The artist wants the pretty man to kiss them.
In a time an a place, far as far at sea
The singer is in a distant, faraway place.
Sick as shit, don't touch me
The singer is feeling very sick and does not want to be touched.
Lilac in hand
The artist is holding a lilac flower.
Lilac in hand
The artist is still holding the lilac flower.
Hesitation
The artist is feeling hesitant about something.
Contributed by Gabriel C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
darkdubh
Caught him live last night and got the album signed by him.
eric
i played this song in the car to my last viable crush at age 26, on my 2nd or 3rd date with "yo you like fleet foxes? this song's fuckin sick". she insisted on paying for her own drinks and we agreed to remain very distant friends lmao
haven't listened to the song again til now
Darius Lele
I don't have words to describe how good this guy is.
Frances Cook
love his voice
Count Feedback
Great stuff.
Amine A
magnificent!
Camilo Oyarzún
FILETE!!!! AMAZING!
Justin Jezewski
Beautiful.
Moongrime
The need to apply musical medicine to my aching heart brought me here!!!
Eloïse Ptito-Echeverria
Did Amen Dunes just walk past the horrible shoe store I used to work at in this video?