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.
Skin of Our Teeth
Hunters & Collectors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Reveal fine shaped forehead
And see it go scrabbling
Scrabbling under the bed
Here's to God-fearing
God-fearing good living
And we'll be hanging by the skin of our teeth again
Spinning by the skin of our teeth again
And hanging by the skin of our teeth again
And dangling by the skin of our teeth again
And hanging by the skin of our teeth again
Spinning by the skin of our teeth again
The lyrics to Hunters and Collectors' song "Skin of Our Teeth" are difficult to interpret, but they seem to describe a situation where people are barely hanging on by the "skin of their teeth." The line "mould the hair back" suggests that the person is clean-cut and presentable, but they are still struggling to keep their life together. The line "reveal fine shaped forehead" is a sign of vulnerability, as it implies that the person is exposing themselves to potential harm. The following line "and see it go scrabbling, scrabbling under the bed" could be interpreted in a number of ways, but it could suggest that even though the person is trying to present themselves as put-together, there are still parts of them that are struggling to hold on.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "hanging by the skin of our teeth again," which reinforces the theme of barely holding on. The use of the word "spinning" suggests that the situation is unstable, and the person is not in control. The repetition of the phrase "hanging by the skin of our teeth again" also creates a sense of tension, as if the person is constantly on the edge of falling apart.
Overall, the song appears to be about the struggle to maintain a facade of normalcy when everything is falling apart. The title "Skin of Our Teeth" is a reference to the biblical story of Job, who is said to have survived a series of trials by the "skin of his teeth."
Line by Line Meaning
Mould the hair back
Smooth down the messy hair
Reveal fine shaped forehead
Show off an attractive feature
And see it go scrabbling
Watch as the thing scuttles away
Scrabbling under the bed
Crawling around in a hidden place
Here's to God-fearing
Let's raise a toast to being religious
God-fearing good living
Living a moral life
And we'll be hanging by the skin of our teeth again
We'll barely make it through
Spinning by the skin of our teeth again
Just barely managing to navigate through
And dangling by the skin of our teeth again
Hanging on for dear life
And hanging by the skin of our teeth again
Just barely managing to hold on
And dangling by the skin of our teeth again
Hanging by a thread
And hanging by the skin of our teeth again
Just barely managing to hang on
Spinning by the skin of our teeth again
Just barely making it through
Contributed by Samuel N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
EYE music band
The entire first album is absolute gold.
uglybustards
new bands would be too scared to make a song like this today
Michael Buchanan
awesome album my childhood right here :D
blorthorc
Always loved this track, still have the vinyl with the 12 inch add on, but not had a turn table in years, thanks.
Leo Konigs
Checked it...I'm the only Dutchman alive owning the original vinyl album with the 45 rpm 12 inch.......awsome album!!!!
pogue mahone
I still have the album - Aus the way we were
pogue mahone
Yeah - I really think that that one of the more 'global' we become the more uniform we become in our appreciation of (music). Loved this song in the day.
plato801
The 45rpm vinyl of this record is outstanding.
Geoff Casey
@uglybustards New bands would not be too scared to make great music and they still do but it's not profitable, that's why Hunters changed their style and why Nick moved overseas because MO and Cold Chisel were drawing all the crowds, progressive music never dies it just doesn't pay and Aus is a very small market.
Jens Sonntag
Would someone pls also put 'Four Corners' on da tube!