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.
Handsome Shoved His Gloves
HORSE the band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lyrics of HORSE the band's song "Handsome Shoved His Gloves" depict a chaotic, apocalyptic landscape that is vividly described through devastating imagery. The pencil-drawn line of fire, smoking birds in a downward spiral, and trails of charcoal and gray paint a picture of destruction and violence. The eagle crash-landing further emphasizes the theme of destruction and chaos, as does the image of shape shifters bulging and splitting to reveal what lies beneath.
The lyrics also suggest that humanity is somehow responsible for this destruction. The line "as scary as bees with the heads of raccoons, we seem to have split the embryo too soon" alludes to genetic experiments gone wrong or other forms of human intervention that have led to disastrous consequences. Moreover, the recurring phrase "this circuitry works best" could be interpreted as a commentary on the dangers of relying too heavily on technology, or as a metaphor for the human mind and how easily it can be influenced and manipulated.
The chorus of the song, in which "handsome" shoves his gloves and feeds the listener reasons with a fist, speaks to the power dynamics at play in a world gone mad. The use of the word "handsome" suggests that the one causing the destruction is charismatic and possibly beloved by some, despite the harm they are causing. The idea that they are making the listener strong but leaving them kneeling also suggests a twisted sense of empowerment and control.
Line by Line Meaning
a pencil drawn line of fire smoking birds in a downward spiral
The image of a pencil-drawn line on fire with birds spiraling down is used to describe chaos and destruction.
trails of charcoal trails of gray half burnt feathers
The aftermath of the fire is described as trails of charcoal and half-burnt feathers.
the eagle crash-landing now.
The eagle, a symbol of power and freedom, is now reduced to crash-landing.
as scary as bees with the heads of raccoons,
The image of bees with raccoon heads is used to describe something that is both frightening and unnatural.
we seem to have split the embryo too soon.
The phrase implies that something has been prematurely destroyed, like a developing embryo that is not yet ready to be born.
shape shifters bulging splitting reveal the underneath
The shape shifters are described as splitting and revealing what is underneath, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for revealing one's true self or intentions.
flaming stars, falling sky falling on me.
The fiery imagery here depicts a sense of danger and chaos, with stars and sky falling down on the singer.
shape shifter splays his face again a terrible bargain
The shape shifter continues to change their appearance, perhaps as part of a deal or bargain that is not beneficial for the other party involved.
smoking birds dropping from the sky plummeting PLUMMETING!
The sudden and dramatic drop of smoking birds from the sky is emphasized through the repeated use of the word 'plummeting.'
-and handsome shoved his gloves, with a fist he fed you reasons, brought you down from up above, made you strong but left you kneeling......this circuitry works best...........this circuitry works best..........this circuitry works best....
The repeated phrase suggests that the actions of the character 'handsome' were necessary for the functioning of a larger system, even if it involved bringing someone down from a higher position.
-and handsome shoved his gloves, with a fist he fed you reasons, brought you down from up above, made you strong but left you kneeling.
The character 'handsome' is described as using force and manipulation to bring the other person down, making them feel both strong and weak at the same time.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ARKENSTONE, ENGSTROM, ISEN, PROPHET, WINNEKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind