Master's Hand
Charlotte Gainsbourg Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey)

Hold my head up, right foot back
Take my hands down, shake my back
Pull my strings and cut my rope
Rattle my frame and shatter my ghost
And if I can't get back in line
They're gonna break me down
Till the broad daylight comes through

Breathe out, come alive
Give me a reason to feel

Take my eyes and paint my bones
Drill my brain all full of holes
And patch it up before it leaks
These memories come two by three
And if I catch these master's hands
Could I spend my days on a discount revelry





Breathe out, come alive
Give me a reason to feel

Overall Meaning

Charlotte Gainsbourg's song "Master's Hand" is a rather haunting and mysterious piece with a sense of struggle and surrender. The lyrics themselves are deeply metaphorical, with imagery that evokes a sense of being controlled by an external force. The opening lines ("Hold my head up, right foot back / Take my hands down, shake my back") suggest a sense of being pulled in a particular direction, manipulated in some way. The repetition of the phrase "And if I can't get back in line / They're gonna break me down" drives home the idea that there is a force that is trying to control the singer.


The next section of the song is similarly intense, with lines like "Take my eyes and paint my bones / Drill my brain all full of holes / And patch it up before it leaks." Here, the metaphor becomes even more graphic, with images that suggest a sense of violation and damage being done. The idea of catching "master's hands" brings to mind the idea of being under the control of someone else, which is only heightened by the suggestion that spending "days on a discount revelry" would be a kind of escape.


Line by Line Meaning

Hold my head up, right foot back
I need to stand straight and be confident to face what is ahead of me.


Take my hands down, shake my back
I need to let go of my fears and anxiety and loosen up my body before moving forward.


Pull my strings and cut my rope
I need to break free from the constraints that are holding me back and take control of my life.


Rattle my frame and shatter my ghost
I need to confront my inner demons and let go of my past traumas to move forward.


And if I can't get back in line
If I can't get my life back on track, then I fear I will lose everything.


They're gonna break me down
The pressures of society are so great that they threaten to crush me.


Till the broad daylight comes through
I hope to emerge from this struggle and see the light of a new day.


Take my eyes and paint my bones
I want to see the world in a new light and be transformed from the inside out.


Drill my brain all full of holes
I am willing to explore new ideas and challenge my preconceived notions to grow.


And patch it up before it leaks
But I also need to be careful not to lose myself in the process and take care of my mental health.


These memories come two by three
My past haunts me in bits and pieces, replaying in my mind and holding me back.


And if I catch these master's hands
But if I am successful in mastering my own talents and skills, then perhaps I can escape my past.


Could I spend my days on a discount revelry
Maybe I can find happiness and contentment in the simple pleasures of life if I can overcome my struggles.


Breathe out, come alive
Through mindfulness and self-care, I can release my anxieties and live fully in the present moment.


Give me a reason to feel
But I also need purpose and direction in my life to truly find fulfillment.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Angel Butafly

I am taken by this song! Everything just draws you in, deeper and deeper and deeper. 🙏💚👌

Pneumologie

Hold my head up, right foot back
Take my hands down, shake my back
Pull my strings and cut my rope
Rattle my frame and shatter my ghost
And if I can't get back in line
They're gonna break me down
Till the broad daylight comes through

Breathe out, come alive
Give me a reason to feel

Take my eyes and paint my bones
Drill my brain all full of holes
And patch it up before it leaks
These memories come two by three
And if I catch these master's hands
Could I spend my days on a discount revelry

Breathe out, come alive
Give me a reason to feel

Traduire en français

Cheetah Neegans

excellent album. bravo!

xelena

Love this album.

Thiago Henrique

I Love This Album too! 😍😍

Claudestar1

Me too

Marie Blue

The title of French-British actress-singer Charlotte Gainsbourg’s* third album, “IRM” (2009) comes from the MRI tests she underwent in 2007 after a brain hemorrhage.

Oddly, American musician Beck penned the line “Drill my head full of holes to let the memories come out” whilst still unaware of Gainsbourg’s near-death episode. In 2010, Gainsbourg stated : “He didn’t know that I had been through surgery, and that I do in fact have a hole in my head, when he wrote that. It was A COINCIDENCE.” 💙🎶💚

* Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg is the daughter of iconic Jane Mallory Birkin (1946 - 2023).

ALEXANDER FELIZ

__

ALEXANDER FELIZ

~