The band was formed in Westchester, New York in 2005 by Gregory Dunn (guitar/vocals) and Nicholas Pizzolato (drums). A self-titled demo EP was leaked to the public in early 2006 and their debut album Pneuma was released independently in early 2007. Later that year, Frank Graniero (guitar/vocals) and Mitchell Lee (bass) completed the band's line-up. In 2008, Pneuma was reissued by Deep Elm. In Fall 2008, the band self-released the EP "Foreword".
Their second full-length album Waves was released May 10, 2011 on Triple Crown Records. The band has stated that Triple Crown Records let them record and write the album however they wanted to. The lyrics were written by Gregory Dunn, some of which, like Pneuma, were again written about his friend that had died. He has stated that this is the last album with lyrics about his deceased friend. With the album they wanted to create an album that would reflect how they play live.
The band's self-titled full length album was released on September 10th, 2013 on Triple Crown Records.
In December, 2015, Moving Mountains announced a split EP with the band Prawn, as well as a three city tour the weekend of December 18 to 20. Cities included were Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Cambridge. They toured with Prawn and Moneen.
Official website: www.movmou.com
HANDS
Moving Mountains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was born in your eyes
I was walking
The day I came to life
And I've come beside myself to know
I'm just a person with highs and lows
I was raised in your hands
I was fighting
Before I could understand
And I've got a lot of things to learn
And things I don't think that I deserve
Come lay your head
And come rest your tired eyes
Fall back instead
Feel your breath internalize
And come lay your head
And come rest your tired eyes
And fall back instead
Fall back instead
When I try to fall asleep
I'm lifted from my bed sheets
Where the ground is falling down
And the night is far too loud
I'm giving up
I'm giving in
Everything is rising
Come and rest your tired eyes
Your youth's fading
Everyone is leaving
And I cannot complain
The lyrics to Moving Mountains’ song, “Hands” speaks about the relationship of a child with his/her parents. The first two stanzas of the song that opens with “Oh, mother. I was born in your eyes, I was walking the day I came to life” and “Oh, father. I was raised in your hands, I was fighting before I could understand” signifies the roles that the parents play in the life of their child. The song then continues with the struggles of the person as he/she grows up and learns more about life, amid both good and bad times that come along the way.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more powerful and emotional, asking the listener to lay their head and rest their tired eyes, fall back and feel the breath within. It’s an emotional call to take a step back from life, and rest a while. It highlights the struggles that everyone faces as they go through life, but also encourages people to find peace amidst the chaos.
Interestingly, the song ends with a sense of acceptance, realizing that everything comes with a price, and nothing is constant in life. Through the line “Your youth's fading, everyone is leaving, And I cannot complain”, the song acknowledges that everything fades with time and encourages listeners to accept it.
Overall, “Hands” by Moving Mountains is a beautifully written song that speaks about the struggle of growing up while appreciating the role of parents in shaping our lives. It’s emotional and thought-provoking, and the lyrics are relatable to everyone.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, mother
The singer is addressing their mother
I was born in your eyes
The mother gave birth to the singer
I was walking
The singer was born alive and healthy
The day I came to life
The day the singer was born
And I've come beside myself to know
The singer has come to realize
I'm just a person with highs and lows
The singer experiences both good and bad times
Oh, father
The singer is addressing their father
I was raised in your hands
The father raised the singer
I was fighting
The singer was struggling
Before I could understand
The struggle started before the singer could comprehend it
And I've got a lot of things to learn
The singer knows they still have much to learn
And things I don't think that I deserve
The singer doesn't believe they deserve some things in life
Come lay your head
The singer is inviting someone to rest
And come rest your tired eyes
The singer is urging the person to relax
Fall back instead
The singer suggests falling back to find peace
Feel your breath internalize
Focus on your own breath and find inner peace
When I try to fall asleep
The singer has trouble sleeping
I'm lifted from my bed sheets
The singer's mind is preoccupied and can't relax
Where the ground is falling down
The singer feels like the world is falling apart
And the night is far too loud
The singer is unable to find quiet and stillness
I'm giving up
The singer is resigning themselves to the situation
I'm giving in
The singer is accepting what's happening
Everything is rising
Things are changing and escalating
Your youth's fading
You are getting older and time is passing
Everyone is leaving
People are moving on and leaving the singer behind
And I cannot complain
The singer isn't upset about others moving on
Contributed by John J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sam Olsen
Oh, mother
I was born in your eyes
I was walking
The day I came to life
And I've come beside myself to know
I'm just a person with highs and lows
Oh, father
I was raised in your hands
I was fighting
Before I could understand
And I've got a lot of things to learn
And things I don't think that I deserve
Come lay your head
And come rest your tired eyes
Fall back instead
Feel your breath internalize
And come lay your head
And come rest your tired eyes
And fall back instead
Fall back instead
When I try to fall asleep
I'm lifted from my bed sheets
Where the ground is falling down
And the night is far too loud
I'm giving up
I'm giving in
Everything is rising
Come and rest your tired eyes
Your youth's fading
Everyone is leaving
And I cannot complain
Sam Olsen
Oh, mother
I was born in your eyes
I was walking
The day I came to life
And I've come beside myself to know
I'm just a person with highs and lows
Oh, father
I was raised in your hands
I was fighting
Before I could understand
And I've got a lot of things to learn
And things I don't think that I deserve
Come lay your head
And come rest your tired eyes
Fall back instead
Feel your breath internalize
And come lay your head
And come rest your tired eyes
And fall back instead
Fall back instead
When I try to fall asleep
I'm lifted from my bed sheets
Where the ground is falling down
And the night is far too loud
I'm giving up
I'm giving in
Everything is rising
Come and rest your tired eyes
Your youth's fading
Everyone is leaving
And I cannot complain
Aaron Runk
Thank you for the lyrics
Nia
This song gets me through a lot. More than words can express.
Aaron Runk
This has basically been on repeat for the past few months
Marcus
I used to work and hour away from where I lived. I discovered this song when my grandmother became very ill. I remember a specific commute to work playing this on repeat and then having all of the emotions of loss REALLY hit me hard, like a delayed effect. The sun was lower and there were some very huge and thick clouds at the other end of the sunset, and it was truly beautiful. "Come lay your head. Come and rest your tired eyes." was the lyric that ties it all up. You can lose someone so dear to you and find the beauty in change, instead of losing yourself and letting it change your beauty.
clark can't
so sorry for your loss marcus. the words you've written are beautiful, especially those last two sentences. as many have i've lost a few good friends and family to this virus and hope to heal in a way that lets me see my losses in a way similar to this, thank you for your words and i hope you're doing well these days
Justin Dorman
I loved the live version, studio record sounds even better your voice man some serious talent
Chelsea Shane
This is so beautiful. The overlapping of different sounds and the vocals.... blows me away
welshcake
I cried like a baby. THANK YOU SO MUCH MOVING MOUNTAINS! Because it's an amazing song :)
Marcus Perez
This song really gets in my emotions... almost as much as MM going on hiatus UNCONTROLLABLE TEARS WERE SHED