Phillips spent his formative years in Stockton, CA, where he founded a band called Bloody Holly, but prior to his 20th birthday Phillips headed to Los Angeles to study film, and he quickly found himself beneath the spell cast by local bands as the Rain Parade and Dream Syndicate. Phillips soon joined with Stockton acquaintance Jeff Clark to form Shiva Burlesque. The band dissolved after two critically acclaimed records, and Phillips soon began writing and demo-ing using the Grant Lee Buffalo alias.
Following some solo dates, Phillips invited former bandmates Joey Peters and Paul Kimble to join him, and the trio signed to Warner subsidiary Slash in 1992. Phillips' golden, honey-soaked voice went largely to waste in Shiva Burlesque, but the new band enabled him to step out as a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. GLB went on to release four very different LPs, consistent in excellence. A cult following, successful tours, and across-the-board critical acclaim (he was voted Rolling Stone's Male Vocalist of the Year following their second LP) didn't translate into sales, however. Frustrated with his label's dead-on-arrival promotion, Phillips asked for his band to be released from their contract, and he was obliged. (It was erroneously reported that GLB had been dropped.) Phillips dissolved his band, anxious to forge a new path.
In October of 1999, he headed to Jon Brion's studio and recorded a handful of new songs, played exclusively by himself. Dubbed Ladies' Love Oracle, it was self-released the following year online and at his numerous appearances at Largo in Hollywood. After landing a deal with Zoe/Rounder, Phillips issued the excellent Mobilize in 2001. The next year, Rounder reissued Ladies' Love Oracle in time for Phillips' joint tour with Kristin Hersh and Joe Doe. In 2004, he released Virginia Creeper, followed by an album of covers (Nineteeneighties) in 2006. Strangelet appeared in 2007 on Rounder Records, followed by Little Moon (2009), and Walking in the Green Corn (2012) .
Discography
Ladies Love Oracle (2000)
Mobilize (2001)
Virginia Creeper (2004)
Nineteeneighties (2006)
Strangelet (2007)
Little Moon (2009)
Walking in the Green Corn (2012)
Hidden Hand
Grant-Lee Phillips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the dust, come galloping home
Ah, into the grave, sooner or late
You'll be led like a child by the hidden hand of fate
Oh, the silver hearse is in wait
And she revs outside of the gate
Ah, sooner or late, sooner or late
Set your nuclear rockets to aim
When you mingle riches and faith
The rules of the game, sooner or late
Set you're fields of poppies aflame
In your one God?s heavenly name
Ah, sooner or late, sooner or late
You'll be plucked like a fig by the hidden hand of fate
Set your wooden horses to roam
In the dust come galloping home
Ah, into the grave, sooner or late
You'll be led like a child by the hidden hand of fate
you'll be led like a child by the hidden hand of fate
You'll be snuffed like a flame by the hidden hand of fate
Plucked like a fig by the hidden hand of fate
By the hidden hand of fate, ah, ooh by the hidden hand of fate
Ah, ooh by the hidden hand of fate
Phillips’s song “Hidden Hand” is a warning about the inevitability of fate, and the illusion of control. The lyrics suggest that no matter what people do to influence their fate, they will ultimately be led by an invisible and unknown force that controls their destiny. The imagery of the wooden horses and nuclear rockets imply that no matter how powerful or advanced humanity’s technology may become, fate remains an irresistible and uncontrollable force.
The line “set your fields of poppies aflame in your one God’s heavenly name” can be interpreted as a warning against religious extremism, and the fact that those who act on behalf of their religious beliefs will also be subject to the power of fate. The silver hearse waiting outside the gate suggests that the inevitability of death is the ultimate manifestation of fate, and regardless of how people try to avoid it or outrun it, they will eventually be “snuffed like a flame” and led by the hidden hand of fate.
Overall, “Hidden Hand” suggests that people should accept the power of fate and live their lives as best they can while they can, because ultimately they will be led to their destiny.
Line by Line Meaning
Set your wooden horses to roam
Let your dreams and desires take you on a journey
In the dust, come galloping home
Embrace your roots and return to where you come from
Ah, into the grave, sooner or late
Death is inevitable and will come regardless of what you do
You'll be led like a child by the hidden hand of fate
Life is unpredictable and controlled by a force beyond our control
Oh, the silver hearse is in wait
Death is ready and waiting for us all
And she revs outside of the gate
Death is near and ready to take us at any time
To be snuffed like a flame by the hidden hand of fate
Death is sudden and can happen unexpectedly
Set your nuclear rockets to aim
Humanity's unchecked pursuit of power can lead to destruction
When you mingle riches and faith
The pursuit of material wealth can conflict with spiritual beliefs
The rules of the game, sooner or late
The consequences of actions catch up to everyone eventually
Set your fields of poppies aflame
The sacrifice of life for a cause can lead to destruction and chaos
In your one God's heavenly name
Religion has been used to justify violence and destruction throughout history
You'll be plucked like a fig by the hidden hand of fate
Life can take unexpected turns and alter our fate in an instant
By the hidden hand of fate, ah, ooh by the hidden hand of fate
Life is unpredictable and often beyond our understanding
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GRANT LEE PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind