HORSE the band's lyrics are chaotic and colorful metaphors for vocalist Nathan Winneke's life, often with humorous or abstract pop culture reference titles and bases. Winneke has referred to his style on multiple occasions as "lynchian" in reference to his favorite film director David Lynch and his obtuse narrative style.
The band had jokingly labeled themselves "Nintendocore" very early on in their career in reference to the synth sound they had adopted. Some Nintendo characters that are metaphorically referred to include Cut Man from Mega Man, although the song is spelled "Cutsman" because the song was about a childhood friend Winneke grew up with and that was how they had said the character's name in youth; "Birdo", one of the bosses from the NES game Super Mario Bros. 2, in the song "Birdo" which was actually about Winneke's distaste for eggs and traumatic experiences with his stepfather early in his life ; and the rabbit-like nemesis from The Legend of Zelda in the song "Pol's Voice" which is about Winneke's early loathing of the sound of his own voice. Similarly, the song "A Million Exploding Suns" refers to the Marvel Comics character Sentry, a schizophrenic and agoraphobic hero with this abundance of power, pertaining to Winneke's double life as a musician and as a video rental clerk.
2007's A Natural Death featured significant lyrical and musical evolution into the concepts of nature and mortality while moving slightly away from the Nintendo metaphors. The song "Murder" is inspired by the Western novel Lonesome Dove, in which a Native American named Blue Duck stalks and kills white settlers on the plains. "Hyperborea" as a reference to Robert E. Howard's original "Conan" pulp fantasy stories from the 30s, and "The Red Tornado," a DC comics character from the company of which Winneke is such an open enthusiast.
The band's line-up has continuously fluctuated in its 10 year history. In February it was announced that Chris Prophet had been fired and Jon Karel from The Number Twelve Looks Like You would be filling in on drums during Earth Tour. In July, 2008 the band stated that long-time band friend Daniel Pouliot of Bleeding Kansas had joined as the band's full time drummer. On Wednesday, December 3 2008, the band announced that Dash Arkenstone would be leaving the band soon, though he remains on good terms with the other members and has attended local shows.
The band booked its own tours starting the summer of 2002, including a 3-month tour spanning seven countries. With a carefully maintained web presence including their MP3.com and MySpace accounts, they had gained themselves a niche audience. In the summer of 2004, the HORSE the World Tour 2004 included 85 shows in 90 days, spanning 7 countries throughout North America and Europe.
Their latest album, titled Desperate Living, was released on October 6, 2009.
Arrive
HORSE the band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Plummet
Crunch
On the feet of the gods do the endless munch
Hunger
Open - Whoosh... Wind
BOOM
The moon is still
The stars are... still
The wind is still still
But not completely gone
The moon is still
The stars are... still
The wind is still still
But not completely gone
BOOM
Black circles in the dust spinning on a wind deprived of its lust
The sky above is bent and swings to the sound of silent things
BOOM
I can't have it all
Flee the moment and the moment will find you
I can't take this call but I can hear it
I CAN HEAR IT
I can't find the words
Speak of the devil and the devil will find you
I'm here but not at all
BUT NOT AT ALL
BOOM
...and we know that within our model of a human heart is doomed
BOOM
And still there is that gleaming silence underneath a gaping sky and an empty moon
BOOM
No need to operate to save my life
The time is coming
Quickly sliding soon
So soon
All the breaths in all the world
Stop breathing
And so consumed
ARRIVE
The lyrics to HORSE the band's song Arrive are cryptic and open to interpretation. The song starts off with the words "Pseudo-Squander Plummet Crunch," which could be interpreted as a reference to the chaotic feeling of falling or losing control. The lyrics then go on to describe a hunger and a sense of openness, with the phrase "On the feet of the gods do the endless munch." This could be interpreted as a desire for something greater or a longing for a higher power.
The imagery in the song then turns dark with the words "The Ash Grey Door of Doom" and "Black circles in the dust spinning on a wind deprived of its lust." The sky is described as bending and swinging to the sound of silent things, creating an eerie atmosphere.
The chorus of the song is a repetition of the phrase "BOOM." While the meaning of this word is open to interpretation, it could be seen as representing something explosive or transformative.
The lyrics then describe a sense of being overwhelmed, with lines like "I can't have it all" and "I can't find the words." There is a sense of being lost or disconnected from oneself, as represented by the line "I'm here but not at all."
The song ends with the phrase "No need to operate to save my life; the time is coming quickly sliding soon; all the breaths in all the world stop breathing; and so consumed. ARRIVE." This could be interpreted as a metaphor for death, with the idea that all things eventually come to an end and arrive at their final destination.
Overall, the lyrics to Arrive are abstract and open to personal interpretation. The song seems to explore themes of chaos, longing, and mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
Pseudo - Squander
Fake or phony - Wasting time and resources
Plummet
Falling quickly and suddenly
Crunch
The sound of something being crushed or broken
On the feet of the gods do the endless munch
The act of continuously consuming or devouring everything in their path seems to be under the control of the divine
Hunger
The feeling of needing or wanting more
Open - Whoosh... Wind
The sound of air rushing in or out of a space
BOOM
A loud noise indicating something important is happening or about to happen
The Ash Grey Door of Doom
The entrance to something terrible or dangerous
The moon is still
The stars are... still
The wind is still still
But not completely gone
The natural world seems to be in a state of eerie stillness, yet there's still some presence of life
Black circles in the dust spinning on a wind deprived of its lust
Dirt or debris caught in the wind but not moving as it usually would, as if the wind no longer has its usual force
The sky above is bent and swings to the sound of silent things
Even the sky seems to be affected by the unnatural stillness, and is reacting to something that can't be heard
I can't have it all
Flee the moment and the moment will find you
I can't take this call but I can hear it
I CAN HEAR IT
I can't find the words
Speak of the devil and the devil will find you
I'm here but not at all
BUT NOT AT ALL
Feeling overwhelmed and unable to control or handle everything that's happening or being asked of them
...and we know that within our model of a human heart is doomed
Humanity is inherently flawed and destined for destruction
And still there is that gleaming silence underneath a gaping sky and an empty moon
Despite the stillness and emptiness, there's still a sense of something present, waiting or watching
No need to operate to save my life
The time is coming
Quickly sliding soon
So soon
All the breaths in all the world
Stop breathing
And so consumed
The end is imminent and unstoppable, and everything will come to a sudden, consuming stop
ARRIVE
The end has arrived
Contributed by Audrey R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Edward Hester
The end of this song literally brings tears to my eyes. NO BAND CAN EVEN COME CLOSE TO WHAT THESE DUDES ARE UP TO.. DESPERATE LIVINNG IS ONE OF THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME LIKE ABBY ROAD OR DARKSIDE OF THE MOON
Daniel Moreno
I thought i was the only one who have cried with because of this song
Justin Solowoniuk
I'm here fam.
galaxybear _
we're all here.
Herb Tenderson
Edward Hester ARRIVE!
Jamie Howard
Really dark side of the moon?
David Kirshman
11 years later and they are still in my top 5 favorite bands to listen to.
Ryleigh S
This song is to anyone who ever thought HTB was just silliness. They never have been, but on songs like this and albums like Desperate Living, they show their depth even more clearly.
Edward Hester
This dudes are literally my fuckin Heros haha these songs come from that special place where inspiration, drunkeness and madness all come together. I'm prey sure God is even impressed and proud of these guys for making this album. Give them a Grammy or Nobel peace prize or something
galaxybear _
This song is about a pizza they had delivered and forgot about, but suddenly realized it was there after the delivery person had left, but someone called back and had it sent back. It was consumed. It arrived.
edit: what a remarkable full circle, holy shit.