Massachusetts-based art-pop combo Hands and Knees combines inventive guitar… Read Full Bio ↴Massachusetts-based art-pop combo Hands and Knees combines inventive guitar noise and indiepop sensibilities with a dose of melancholy to create a stunningly stark and pretty sound.

Built around the unadorned smokey vocals of Carina Kelly and the distant and lovely tenor of Joe O'Brien, Hands and Knees creates music that splits the difference between maximum hummability and the soundtrack to a country teen's death flick. Echoes of other influences include The Jesus & Mary Chain, Elliott Smith, Mazzy Star, and Guided By Voices, and they show off the depth of their music knowledge with a winning cover of the Tall Dwarfs' obscure lo-fi masterpiece "All My Hollowness To You."

The members of Hands and Knees record and often rehearse in guitarist Scott Hoffman's haunted church-like studio in a sleepy town in western Massachusetts, though the members travel between there and Boston. The story goes that Hoffman went for a walk on a snowy afternoon and discovered Carina and Joe in a clearing deep in the woods, trading songs while they strummed on their guitars, apparently too shy to risk being heard by any other humans. Several weeks later, they stumbled upon drummer Philip Ilatovsky and found themselves in Hoffman's ghost-ridden studio, with songs and a name to boot.

That was only a short time ago, yet now with a handful of recordings and numerous live shows behind them, Hands and Knees have separated themselves from that fateful cold day in the woods. Hands and Knees are pleased to announce the release of their debut self-titled record in early 2007 by Banazan Records.

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Close Your Eyes
Hands and Knees Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Uh, can I play you, um, some of the new things
I've been through which I think, could be commercial

What's inside
What's inside of your eyes
I don't know now
I don't know
What you want

What's inside of your eyes
I can see right through them now

What's inside
What's inside of your mind
I don't know
I don't know
But stay down
I don't know now

In your eyes
In your eyes
See the light shine though them now
In your eyes
You act the same
We should get it down

See right through you (right now)
See right through you
I see right
see right through you
We should get it down
Take
In your eyes

In your eyes
See the light shine through.

Overall Meaning

The song "Close Your Eyes" by Hands and Knees is a introspective tune about the mystery that lies within another person's eyes and mind. The singer wonders about what is going on inside the person they are addressing, and expresses a sense of confusion and uncertainty. The lyrics open with a plea to the listener to listen to the new things the singer has been through which they think could be commercial. However, they quickly shift to observing the person's eyes and what's inside them, claiming to be able to see right through them. The singer then questions what's inside the person's mind, but urges them to stay down.

The chorus is where the singer wonders what lies in the person's eyes, and then states that they can see the light shining through them. The lyrics suggest that the person is acting the same as always, and that they should "get it down". The repetition of "see right through you" emphasizes the singer's perception of the person's transparency, while the final line of the chorus reiterates the idea that they can see through the person to the light shining in their eyes.

Overall, the lyrics to "Close Your Eyes" suggest a sense of vulnerability and confusion, as the singer grapples with trying to understand what is going on inside another person's head. The repetition of certain phrases and questions throughout the song, as well as the urgency in the singer's voice, drive home the sense of uncertainty and frustration that the song captures.

Line by Line Meaning

Uh, can I play you, um, some of the new things I've been through which I think, could be commercial
The singer wants to play their new music to someone, believing it has commercial potential.

What's inside What's inside of your eyes I don't know now I don't know What you want What's inside of your eyes I can see right through them now
The singer is questioning the intentions of the listener by looking into their eyes, but has trouble deciphering their true desires.

What's inside What's inside of your mind I don't know I don't know But stay down I don't know now
The singer is unsure of what thoughts are going on in the listener's head, but urges them to stay calm.

In your eyes In your eyes See the light shine though them now In your eyes You act the same We should get it down
The artist notices the listener's emotions shining through their eyes, and suggests they work together to create something.

See right through you (right now) See right through you I see right see right through you We should get it down Take
The artist is still analyzing the listener and can see through them, and repeats the idea of working together to create something.

In your eyes In your eyes See the light shine through.
The singer reiterates that they see the listener's emotions shining through their eyes.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ERIK SUNDBORG, MICHAEL FEINER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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