Comprising Philip Moore (vocals, guitar), Beth Tacular (accordion, vocals) and Mark Paulson (violin, vocals), their début album, Hymns for a Dark Horse (2007), was released on Burly Time Records, followed by their second album, Upper Air in July 2009 and album number three, The Clearing in March 2012.
Whereas the first two albums were recorded on the quick and the cheap, the songs sounding like "old, familiar campfire anthems sung by a couple clinging to very deep love". For the recording of The Clearing they had more time and better resources, making it a bigger sounding record, with bolder sounds, a broader scope, and more complicated songs. It was more than a third record for Bowerbirds. Between 2009 and 2012, Beth Tacular nearly died after a mysterious illness that put her in the hospital.
Beth and Phil even ended their long relationship but began it again after realizing that, despite their own shortcomings, they didn’t want to be with anyone else. Mostly, though, they returned to their cabin in the woods of North Carolina to nest—to make soup and walk dogs, to make art and write songs, to realize that this was their life and find contentment in it.
From 2012 to 2020, they did not release anything until the release of a string of digital singles in 2020 (they were compiled on Endless Chase: 20 Singles) and a long overdue new studio album, becalmyounglovers, in 2021.
Human Hands
Bowerbirds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To an untamed thunder,
And the northern flicker flash about
as the soup in the sky grows thicker.
But I tip my cap and curtsy, and I take no offense
Because there is no hate in your darkest cloud, no ill intent.
Yet there is hate all around.
Yet there is no war, no war,
No quarrel here at all.
And the deer shake in their hooves and shield their fawn.
And when the rain comes, the rain comes.
No judgement falls.
Yet there is hate all around.
There's a rusty prick in the tall grass,
Where the barbed wire waits for a blind horse in a gallop and its sealed and sudden fate.
There is hate in the grip of our human hands.
There is hate in the grip of our human hands.
There is hate in the grip of our human hands.
Yes, there is hate all around.
The Bowerbirds' song "Human Hands" is a contemplative and reflective piece that touches on themes of hate, nature, and human experience. The lyrics describe a scene of a storm brewing and the natural world responding, with animals taking cover and the rain falling without judgement. Yet, despite this sense of peace and acceptance in the natural world, there is still a sense of hate that surrounds us. The lyric "There is hate in the grip of our human hands" drives home the point that though we are a part of this natural world, our actions and emotions can lead to destruction and division.
The song's use of nature imagery to contrast against the negative impact of human behavior is a common theme found in Bowerbirds' music. Through this contrast, they highlight the beauty of the world around us and the need to protect it from our own harmful actions. Additionally, the line "But I tip my cap and curtsy, and I take no offense" expresses a sense of acceptance and peace in the face of adversity, even when that adversity comes from human hate.
Line by Line Meaning
When I wake, I wake by the brook,
Every morning I wake up by the peaceful brook.
To an untamed thunder,
I hear the sound of powerful thunder that's untamed and wild.
And the northern flicker flash about
I see the northern flicker birds flying around in a flash of light.
as the soup in the sky grows thicker.
The sky turns thicker with dark clouds that resemble the texture of soup.
But I tip my cap and curtsy, and I take no offense
Despite the unfavorable weather conditions, I show my respect, and I am not offended.
Because there is no hate in your darkest cloud, no ill intent.
The storm and dark clouds have no malice or ill intentions towards me.
Yet there is hate all around.
Unfortunately, there is hate everywhere I look.
On its hind legs, rears this storm, and the pines bend from its wily sword.
The storm becomes intense, and the trees bend as if they are trying to escape from its power.
Yet there is no war, no war,
Despite the storm's ferocity, there is no fight or battle happening.
No quarrel here at all.
There are no conflicts in this place at this moment.
And the deer shake in their hooves and shield their fawn.
The deer are afraid, and they try to protect their fawn from the storm.
And when the rain comes, the rain comes.
When it starts raining, it pours heavily without any discrimination.
No judgement falls.
Everyone and everything gets the same treatment under the rain without any prejudice.
There's a rusty prick in the tall grass,
There is a sharp and rusted object in the tall grass.
Where the barbed wire waits for a blind horse in a gallop and its sealed and sudden fate.
The barbed wires are waiting for an unaware horse to run into them and meet a cruel fate.
There is hate in the grip of our human hands.
Humans have hate in their hands and actions that cause harm to others.
There is hate in the grip of our human hands.
Humans do things that can cause pain and suffering to others due to hate in their hearts.
There is hate in the grip of our human hands.
Humans have the power to do evil and cause pain to others using their hands.
Yes, there is hate all around.
Hate is a pervasive force that can be found everywhere, even in the beauty of nature.
Contributed by Carson P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.