The… Read Full Bio ↴Hands Like Houses is a rock group from Canberra, ACT, Australia.
The band is renowned for its live performances, glorious mustaches, and sophisticated musical style, garnering the group a large following in the Canberra area.
The group released one EP entitled "Bear in Mind, I'm a Lion" and were highly ranked on alternative radio station Triple J's Unearthed competition.
In 2010, the band went to Chango Studios in Florida to record its first work under its new name with producer Cameron Mizell, the new EP was due for release at some point later in the year, but the band was given the opportunity to return to Chango and create what will be their debut full-length, 'Ground Dweller'.
On the 5th January 2012, the band announced that they had joined the Rise Records family, with details about 'Ground Dweller' to be released on January 10th.
The band's current line-up consists of:
Trenton Woodley - Vocals
Matt Cooper - Guitar
Joel Tyrrell - Bass
Alex Pearson - Guitar
Matt Parkitny - Drums
Starving to Death in the Belly of the Whale
Hands Like Houses Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So bite down, but even vipers mind the venom lacing their tongues.
Puncture wounds and almost no colour in our skin.
And we smashed every vial of the cure.
Aren’t we vicious when we’re backed against the wall?
I wish you’d just passed me by and we went about our ways,
If the sting would tear you inside out,
Wouldn’t it be worth just holding it inside?
Revenge should be honey on our tongues,
But it’s turned to ash in our mouths.
Empty out the hives of our honeycomb lungs.
Don’t we all want to be left alone?
The lyrics of Hands Like Houses's song "Starving to Death in the Belly of the Whale" depicts a scenario where individuals are in pain and misery tied together with bitter emotions, reflecting on the futility of revenge as the cure for emotional pain. The singer illustrates this by saying there is no injection for the aching in the lungs, a metaphorical way of expressing the emotional pain we experience. The lyrical tone of the song sounds pessimistic and hopeless as he compares humans to vipers, who are aware of the venom in their tongues, making them more cautious than humans about their wickedness.
The singer also highlights the pervasiveness of human negativity and the tendency to cling to past quarrels instead of reconciliation. This point is highlighted in the lines, ‘I wish you'd just passed me by, and we went about our ways, instead of this bitter exchange of poisonous words.’ The song talks about how we are in control of the venom we produce through the actions we do, like smashing every vial of cure despite the state we are in. It begs the question, ‘Aren’t we vicious when we’re backed against the wall?’ suggesting that it’s human nature to be malicious when we feel helpless.
In conclusion, the song 'Starving to Death in the Belly of the Whale' presents a deep philosophical message about the human nature of holding grudges and the futility in seeking revenge. It reminds us that we are in control of our actions and that we have a choice to either embody hate or love.
Line by Line Meaning
There’s no injection for this, the aching in your lungs.
The pain and distress we feel cannot be treated with medication.
So bite down, but even vipers mind the venom lacing their tongues.
We try to suppress our emotions, but even snakes are cautious when using their venom.
Puncture wounds and almost no colour in our skin.
Our bodies are beaten up and struggling to survive.
And we smashed every vial of the cure.
Despite having a solution, we reject it.
Aren’t we vicious when we’re backed against the wall?
When we feel trapped, we become ruthless.
I wish you’d just passed me by and we went about our ways,
I regret meeting you and wish we never crossed paths.
Instead of this bitter exchange of poisonous words.
Rather than arguing and hurting each other with hurtful words.
If the sting would tear you inside out,
If the pain we inflict on each other was as visible as a physical wound,
Wouldn’t it be worth just holding it inside?
Perhaps it would be better to keep our emotions inside than to hurt others.
Revenge should be honey on our tongues,
Getting back at those who have wronged us should be satisfying.
But it’s turned to ash in our mouths.
However, when we do take revenge, it doesn't give us the satisfaction we expect.
Empty out the hives of our honeycomb lungs.
Letting out our emotions will feel as sweet as honey.
Don’t we all want to be left alone?
In the end, we all want to be free of conflict and left in peace.
Contributed by Owen I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
All 1 Productions
There’s no injection for this, the aching in your lungs.
So bite down, but even vipers mind the venom lacing their tongues.
Puncture wounds and almost no colour in our skin.
And we smashed every vial of the cure.
Aren’t we vicious when we’re backed against the wall?
I wish you’d just passed me by and we went about our ways,
Instead of this bitter exchange of poisonous words.
If the sting would tear you inside out,
Wouldn’t it be worth just holding it inside?
Revenge should be honey on our tongues,
But it’s turned to ash in our mouths.
Empty out the hives of our honeycomb lungs.
Don’t we all want to be left alone?
John Moran
Such a killer and underrated band.
John Doe
+John Moran not on my year
jonathan pipher
their lyrics are so unique, and this song has a very good meaning behind it if you check them out. i love this band.
Gabbie Pinnock
Why are all of their songs amazing?! I mean, every one of their songs are my favorite XD This band is great!
jethica thcarlett
I can't find a single song that I dont like by them x3
Gabbie Pinnock
Same^^
Kristína Havranová
They should be more famous, and have more fans because their songs are just perfect!
Mike Zuker
Love the drums in this song. Really wish they play this at Warped but I don't think they will.
Adam McCann
The drums on basically every song on the first two albums, except the soft songs (Definition of Not-Leaving, Oceandust), are insane. Dude's a master. Not to throw the rest of the band under the bus, but Matt P. is the obvious standout. Trent too, but the musicians can definitely pick it out. Plus the way the songs are mixed definitely play the drums up too.
Josh Wagner
This whole album is phenomenal. I hope they still play it in some concerts even though its an older gem