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.
Golden Mummy Golden Bird
HORSE the band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I rise my rotting form - enthralled by your light.
Your golden, magnetic light!
Your golden voice soured eternity - held in the grip of your gravity
Why won't you let me sleep?
What art thou who summons me?
What art thou who summons me?
I crumble back to sleep
If I could die I would sleep.
Just let me sleep
The lyrics of HORSE the band's Golden Mummy Golden Bird reflect a theme of a person who is struggling to stay awake and alive. The words "Wake up from etherian dreams" suggest someone who is in a hypnotic state or under some kind of sedation, possibly due to a medical issue or addiction, and is longing for the return of their song and light to bring them back to life. The singer rises from their rotting state, enthralled by this golden, magnetic light that is holding them in its grip, unable to let them sleep.
The line "Your golden voice soured eternity - held in the grip of your gravity" suggests a kind of transcendental experience where the voice of the person or force summoning the singer is so beautiful and powerful that it seems to create a sensation of timelessness, possibly transcending both life and death. However, the singer at the same time is pleading to be let go, to be allowed to slip back into the sleep and perhaps even death that they so desperately crave.
Overall, the song seems to be painting a picture of someone caught between two opposing forces - the pull of a beautiful, compelling light and the desire for peace and rest. The singer is caught in the grip of these opposing forces, unable to find peace and resolution until they can find a way to reconcile them.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up from etherian dreams - your song and your light return me to life.
The singer was brought back to life by the subject's music and radiant light.
I rise my rotting form - enthralled by your light.
Despite being in a decaying body, the singer feels captivated by the subject's light.
Your golden, magnetic light!
The subject's light is described as captivating and irresistable.
Your golden voice soured eternity - held in the grip of your gravity
The subject's voice reverberates through time and has an undeniable presence.
Why won't you let me sleep?
The artist is restless and wishes for the subject to leave them be so they can rest.
What art thou who summons me?
The singer is questioning the identity of the subject who brought them back to life.
I crawl - I creep
The singer's movement is slow and weak.
I crumble back to sleep
The artist is tired and wishes to go back to sleep.
If I could die I would sleep.
The artist is so tired that they wish for death so they can finally rest.
Just let me sleep
The artist desperately wants to sleep and hopes that the subject will leave them alone so they can do so.
Contributed by Jasmine G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.