Conor Oberst, the band's frontman, allegedly said "Hot Knives is a song.. um, sort of about a woman that kind of discovers that her life is a sham and can't really exist in her reality any longer and has to transform completely into a new, uh, species. It sounds crazy, but it's not that crazy. It could happen to you, too" on the NME Track-by-Track.
Musicians
* Conor Oberst - Guitar, Vocals
* Mike Mogis - Guitar
* Nate Walcott - Piano, Strings
* Maria Taylor - Vocals, Drums
* M. Ward - Guitar
* Janet Weiss - Drums
* Stacy DuPree - Vocals
* Sherri DuPree - Vocals
* Z Berg - Vocals
* Rachel Yamagata - Vocals
* Bill Meyers – Conductor
Bright Eyes played "Hot Knives" on July 4th, 2007, on Late Show with David Letterman.
Music video
Oberst thanks director Patrick Daughters at the wrap for the music video in February 2007.
The Video for "Hot Knives" was directed by Patrick Daughters, who also directed "Title and Registration" (Death Cab for Cutie), "Stockholm Syndrome" (Muse), and the video for the previous Bright Eyes single, "Four Winds".
Hot Knives
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For she only entertained
The pain was gone the instant
She cleared her throat to speak her name
Said, Both of us must suffer
From this same unending ache?
The world was not of interest
Her bed beneath a crucifix
On guests performing miracles
With the Son of God just hanging like a common criminal
"When I do wrong, I am with God," she thought
"When I feel lost, I am not at all"
So give me black light
(Give, give me)
So give me hot knives
(Deep clean sleep)
On a dance floor no one tells time
(There is no time)
Oh, I've made love, yeah, I've been fucked, so what?
I'm a cartoon, you're a full moon, let's stay up
She went to see a mystic
Who made medicine from rain
And gave up her existence
To feel everything, dream other's dreams
Bid farewell to her family
With one ecstatic wave
(Please take care, I love you all)
Out the window as the car rolled away
She just vanished into a thick mist of change
So let us rejoice
(Let's rejoice!)
In all this pink noise
(Our pink noise!)
An oscillation that we can pinpoint
(We're right here!)
The lyrics of Bright Eyes’ song Hot Knives speak to themes of forgiveness, pain, and existentialism. The first verse speaks of a wife forgiving her husband's mistress, as she realizes they both suffer from the same pain. This suggests that forgiveness can be a way of healing oneself and others. The allusion to a crucifix on the wife's bed highlights her religious beliefs in relation to her personal struggles, as she contemplates her own wrongdoing and loss of direction. The chorus brings forth the idea of wanting to escape through black light and hot knives, being a metaphor for escapism through drugs, sex, and dancing. However, the line “there is no time” suggests that running from problems is futile.
The second verse brings up a mystic and medicine made from rain, which could also be interpreted as a means of escape, again emphasizing the desire to escape reality. The final line of the verse speaks of the woman waving goodbye to her family as she vanishes into a mist of change, perhaps suggesting an acceptance of change and a willingness to live life on her own terms. The final chorus talks about pink noise, an oscillation we can pinpoint, as an analogy for living in the moment and accepting life as it is, rather than trying to escape from it.
Overall, the song seems to present ideas of the struggles of the human experience and the fear of not living life to the fullest. At the same time, it recognizes the futility of escaping from the things that cause pain in our lives and that life is better embraced for what it is.
Line by Line Meaning
The wife forgave the mistress
The wife forgave the mistress for her infidelity
For she only entertained
The mistress only entertained
The pain was gone the instant
The pain of the wife was gone instantly
She cleared her throat to speak her name
She spoke the name of the mistress after clearing her throat
Said, Both of us must suffer
She wondered if they both were suffering from the same kind of pain
From this same unending ache?
She questioned whether the pain they experienced was never-ending
The world was not of interest
She did not find the world interesting
Though her days were never dull
Her days were still never dull
Her bed beneath a crucifix
She slept under a crucifix
On guests performing miracles
Guests performed miracles on her bed
With the Son of God just hanging like a common criminal
The Son of God hanging like a common criminal
"When I do wrong, I am with God," she thought
She thought that she was with God when she did wrong
"When I feel lost, I am not at all"
She felt like she wasn't lost at all, despite being in a state of confusion
So give me black light
She requested black light
(Give, give me)
She repeated her request for black light
So give me hot knives
She requested hot knives
(Deep clean sleep)
She wanted to experience deep clean sleep
On a dance floor no one tells time
She wanted to dance in a place where there was no concept of time
(There is no time)
The place she wanted to dance had no concept of time
Oh, I've made love, yeah, I've been fucked, so what?
She didn't think it mattered whether she made love or had sex
I'm a cartoon, you're a full moon, let's stay up
She wanted to stay up with the other person she was with
She went to see a mystic
She went to see a mystic
Who made medicine from rain
The mystic made medicine from rain
And gave up her existence
She gave up her existence
To feel everything, dream other's dreams
She wanted to feel everything and dream others' dreams
Bid farewell to her family
She bid farewell to her family
With one ecstatic wave
She waved ecstatically
(Please take care, I love you all)
She expressed her love and concern for her family
Out the window as the car rolled away
She watched the car roll away through the window
She just vanished into a thick mist of change
She just vanished into a thick mist of change
So let us rejoice
Let's rejoice
(Let's rejoice!)
She repeated her previous statement
In all this pink noise
Let's enjoy all this pink noise
(Our pink noise!)
It's our pink noise
An oscillation that we can pinpoint
It's a specific oscillation that we can pin down
(We're right here!)
They remain in the present
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CONOR OBERST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sarapandzic-kruskic5648
The wife forgave the mistress
For she only entertained
The pain was gone the instant
She cleared her throat to speak her name
Said, Both of us must suffer
From this same unending ache?
The world was not of interest
Though her days were never dull
Her bed beneath a crucifix
On guests performing miracles
With the Son of God just hanging like a common criminal
"When I do wrong, I am with God, " she thought
"When I feel lost, I am not at all"
So give me black light
(Give, give me)
So give me hot knives
(Deep clean sleep)
On a dance floor no one tells time
(There is no time)
Oh, I've made love, yeah, I've been fucked, so what?
I'm a cartoon, you're a full moon, let's stay up
She went to see a mystic
Who made medicine from rain
And gave up her existence
To feel everything, dream other's dreams
Bid farewell to her family
With one ecstatic wave
(Please take care, I love you all)
Out the window as the car rolled away
She just vanished into a thick mist of change
So let us rejoice
(Let's rejoice!)
In all this pink noise
(Our pink noise!)
An oscillation that we can pinpoint
(We're right here!)
@skly24
honestly he's prbly one of the best lyricists (top 10) of all time. Its amazing. its like everytime you listen, you get a different meaning from the song, and understand it more. thats y i listen to his music. BEST artist of the 2000's so far hands down.
@weeglk
Sorry I know this post is now 14 years old… but it’s so true! I have listened to this song hundreds of times. Today- for some reason it gave me chills like it was my first time. This entire composition of this song is amazing! ❤️
@digitalvideoguys
I keep saying Conor Oberst is our modern day Bob Dylan
@SusanMillerRag
"when i do wrong i am with god, when i feel lost i am not all." hits to close to home, and i love it. Conor is brilliant.
@digitalvideoguys
"too"
@sarapandzic-kruskic5648
The wife forgave the mistress
For she only entertained
The pain was gone the instant
She cleared her throat to speak her name
Said, Both of us must suffer
From this same unending ache?
The world was not of interest
Though her days were never dull
Her bed beneath a crucifix
On guests performing miracles
With the Son of God just hanging like a common criminal
"When I do wrong, I am with God, " she thought
"When I feel lost, I am not at all"
So give me black light
(Give, give me)
So give me hot knives
(Deep clean sleep)
On a dance floor no one tells time
(There is no time)
Oh, I've made love, yeah, I've been fucked, so what?
I'm a cartoon, you're a full moon, let's stay up
She went to see a mystic
Who made medicine from rain
And gave up her existence
To feel everything, dream other's dreams
Bid farewell to her family
With one ecstatic wave
(Please take care, I love you all)
Out the window as the car rolled away
She just vanished into a thick mist of change
So let us rejoice
(Let's rejoice!)
In all this pink noise
(Our pink noise!)
An oscillation that we can pinpoint
(We're right here!)
@Forkliftdance
very amazing song, i was a fan of bright eyes but when i first heard this they became one of my favorites.
@Angenitha
Casadaga is the best album I've heard since years and years and years....
@Faithfightsfoes
Bright eyes is so amazing, i can't think of anywords to express how much they make me smile. I love reading the comments on bright eyes videos because they're so intelligent. and they're all so respectful. it's refereshing.
@artistsComplex
^_____^ Love this song. Surely fallin' for Bright Eyes. I really enjoy watching Conor's eyes when he's singing.