After recording their first album, which featured the single Talking to a Stranger, the band traveled to Germany to record with famed producer Conny Plank. In 1984, the band reorganized, adding a three-piece horn section and losing the second guitarist. By 1986, the band's style was moving away from the sweat-drenched rhythmic jams of their early days to a more song-centered aproach centered on Seymour (whose younger brother Nick was a member of Crowded House). Throw Your Arms Around Me was a successful single in many countries.
The band was never able to match the worldwide attention they reached in 1986, though they continued to record with considerable success in Australia, and maintained a loyal fanbase elsewhere.
They broke up in 1998, but returned to play one concert on 14 March 2009 for "Sound Relief" at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which was a multi-venue rock music concert in support of relief for the Victorian Bushfire Crisis.
Loinclothing
Hunters & Collectors Lyrics
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It's feeding worms in the hay
And soon to surround the sheep's head
See the distant howl of pleasure
And it's sending shivers down the spine
The Rag and Bone man coming
And through the heat of the night
The Rag and Bone man coming
See those toes tapping
A million cows are stampeding
Feel his stomach turning
It's turning, it's turning
A million cowboys, they're toe-tapping
Feel those toes tapping
A million cows are stampeding
Feel his stomach turning
It's turning, it's turning
Place to place
The Rag and Bone man coming
And in the heat of the night
You can hear those trumpets screaming "round up"
See the Rag tool stagger off the sheep's head
Hear the distant howl of pleasure
And it's sending shivers down the spine
The Rag and Bone man coming
And through the heat of the night
The Rag and Bone man coming
Place to place
The Rag and Bone man coming
A million cowboys are toe-tapping
Feel those toes tapping
A million cows are stampeding
Feel his stomach turning
It's turning, it's turning
Place to place
The Rag and Bone man coming
The lyrics to "Loinclothing" by Hunters & Collectors paint a vivid picture of the Rag and Bone man riding through the night, bringing both fear and excitement to those who hear his approach. The reference to heat and feeding worms in the hay suggest a sense of dread and decay, while the distant howl of pleasure and trumpets screaming "round up" hint at a more chaotic, frenzied energy.
The imagery of a million cowboys toe-tapping and a million cows stampeding is a romantic and idealized depiction of the old west, but the repeated refrain of "feel his stomach turning" suggests that there is something darker at play. The rag tool staggering off the sheep's head is a gruesome detail that adds to the unsettling feeling of the song. Overall, "Loinclothing" is a powerful and evocative meditation on both the allure and horror of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
The heat of the night
The darkness of the night is hot and suffocating
It's feeding worms in the hay
The heat is causing worms to emerge and feed on the hay
And soon to surround the sheep's head
The worms will soon surround and consume the head of the sheep
See the distant howl of pleasure
A distant howl of pleasure can be seen and heard
And it's sending shivers down the spine
The howl is causing a physical reaction of shivers down the spine
The Rag and Bone man coming
The scavenger known as the Rag and Bone man is approaching
And through the heat of the night
Despite the hot, suffocating night, the Rag and Bone man continues to move
A million cowboys are toe-tapping
Metaphorically, there are a million cowboys anxiously waiting and tapping their toes in anticipation
See those toes tapping
The anticipation is palpable and visible in the toe-tapping
A million cows are stampeding
Metaphorically, the cows represent the chaos and frenzy that will ensue once the Rag and Bone man arrives
Feel his stomach turning
The Rag and Bone man feels a sense of unease at the impending frenzy
It's turning, it's turning
The unease is intensifying
Place to place
The Rag and Bone man moves from location to location
You can hear those trumpets screaming "round up"
The sense of chaos and frenzy is further intensified by the sound of trumpets rallying for a roundup
See the Rag tool stagger off the sheep's head
The scavenger's tool, known as the Rag, is seen falling off the head of the sheep
And it's sending shivers down the spine
The sight of the Rag falling off the sheep's head is causing a physical reaction of shivers down the spine
Place to place
The scavenger continues to move from location to location
Contributed by Penelope F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.