Born and raised in rural Victoria, Cave studied art before fronting The Birthday Party, one of Melbourne's leading post-punk bands, in the late 1970s. They relocated to London in 1980, but, disillusioned by life there, evolved towards a darker, more challenging sound, and acquired a reputation as "the most violent live band in the world". At this time, Cave, with his shock of black hair and pale, emaciated look, became an unwilling gothic rock poster boy. Soon after the band's break-up in 1983, Cave formed Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Much of the band's early material was set in a mythic American Deep South, drawing on spirituals and Delta blues, while Cave's preoccupation with Old Testament notions of good versus evil culminated in what has been called his signature song, "The Mercy Seat" (1988). The 1990s saw Cave achieve greater commercial success with quieter, piano-driven ballads, notably the Kylie Minogue duet "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (1996), and "Into My Arms" (1997). More recent releases, including the band's 17th and latest LP, Ghosteen (2019), feature increasingly abstract lyrics from Cave, as well as elements of ambient and electronic music. Grinderman, Cave's garage rock side project, has released two albums since 2006.
Cave co-wrote, scored and starred in the 1988 Australian prison film Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (1988), directed by John Hillcoat. He also wrote the screenplay for Hillcoat's bushranger film The Proposition (2005), and composed the soundtrack with frequent collaborator Warren Ellis. The pair's film score credits include The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), The Road (2009), Lawless (2012), and Hell or High Water (2016). Cave is the subject of several films, including the semi-fictional "day in the life" 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), and the documentary One More Time with Feeling (2016). Cave has also released two novels: And the Ass Saw the Angel (1989) and The Death of Bunny Munro (2009).
Cave's work has become the subject of academic study, and his songs have been covered by a wide range of artists, including Johnny Cash ("The Mercy Seat"), Metallica ("Loverman") and Snoop Dogg ("Red Right Hand"). He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007, and named an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2017.
Hand of God
Nick Cave Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There are some people trying to find out why
There's some people who aren't trying to find anything
But that kingdom in the sky
In the sky
I'm going to the river where the current rushes by
I'm going to the river where the current rushes by
Hand of God coming from the sky
Hand of God coming from the sky
Gonna swim to the middle and stay out there while
Way down low, way down low, let the river cast his spell on me
Let the river cast his spell on me
(Hand of God, hand of God, hand of God, hand of God) ooh, oh
(Hand of God, hand of God, hand of God, hand of God) ooh, oh
Singing boys sitting on the bridge
Singing boys sitting on the bridge
Throwing pennies off the edge
Peasants working in the fields keep their heads way down low
Oh, way down low
And don't let on what they know
(Hand of God, hand of God, hand of God, hand of God)
Way down low
(Hand of God, hand of God, hand of God, hand of God)
Way down low
Grab those pennies, count them ten
Grab those pennies, count them ten
Hand of God, never come back up again
Let the river cast its spell
On me
(Hand of God, hand of God)
(Hand of God, hand of God) ooh, oh
(Hand of God, hand of God) ooh
Near a body of water flowing 'cross the bed
Near a body of water spread across the hotel bed
I'm gonna swim to the middle and never come up again
Let the river cast its spell on me
Let the river cast its spell on me
(Hand of God, hand of God, hand of God) ooh, oh
(Hand of God, hand of God, hand of God) ooh, oh
(Hand of God, hand of God) ooh, oh
(God, God)
Going to the river where the current rushes by
I'm going to the river where the current rushes by
I'm gonna swim to the middle
And stay out there a while
(Hand of God, hand of God, hand of God)
Let the river cast its spell
On you
The lyrics of Nick Cave's song "Hand of God" illustrate a person's search for meaning and purpose, and their willingness to immerse themselves in something greater than themselves to find it. The song presents three different groups of people: the ones who are seeking answers, the ones who are not, and the ones who know the answers but keep quiet about them. The singer of the song chooses to go to a river, where he intends to swim to the middle where the water is high, and where he hopes to find a spiritual revelation. The repeated phrase "hand of God" suggests that his search is not only physical but also metaphysical in nature, and he is looking for a divine intervention to guide him towards the answers he seeks.
The song's pacing and tone is both haunting and meditative, with Cave's deep voice transfixing the listener. The sense of fantastical mystery conveyed by the metaphor of the river, with its spellbinding effect on the singer, paints a picture of a person caught between the worlds of reality and fantasy. The imagery of the people throwing coins off a bridge and subjects of the fields keeping their heads down low, further adds to the sense of individuals being weighed down by the burdens of life, not able to look up and seek truth.
Line by Line Meaning
There are some people trying to find out who
Some people are trying to determine the identity of someone or something.
There are some people trying to find out why
Some people want to know the reason behind something.
There's some people who aren't trying to find anything
Some people are not actively seeking for answers or information.
But that kingdom in the sky
However, some believe in the existence of a heavenly kingdom.
I'm going to the river where the current rushes by
The artist plans on going to a river that has a strong current.
I'm gonna swim to the middle where the water is real high
The singer intends to swim to the center of the river where the water level is elevated.
Hand of God coming from the sky
The singer envisions the manifestation of a divine power coming down from the heavens.
Singing boys sitting on the bridge
A group of boys who are singing are positioned on the bridge.
Throwing pennies off the edge
Those boys toss coins off the bridge and into the river below.
Peasants working in the fields keep their heads way down low
Farm workers are keeping their heads low as they labor in the fields.
And don't let on what they know
These workers are concealing some knowledge that they possess.
Grab those pennies, count them ten
Someone is retrieving those coins to count how many there are.
Hand of God, never come back up again
The singer describes the divine hand never resurfacing.
Near a body of water flowing 'cross the bed
Close to a river that is coursing through a bed or basin.
Near a body of water spread across the hotel bed
Close to a water body which has spread onto the bed in a hotel room.
I'm gonna swim to the middle and never come up again
The artist intends to swim to the center of the river and not surface again.
Let the river cast its spell on me
The artist is appealing for a mystical influence from the river.
God, God
The singer is invoking God's name.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Nicholas Cave, Warren Ellis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mazharidavid6252
Mr Nick Cave (a poem dedicated to)
Awakened
from the oddest
dream
(
Mr Cave's golden award
boots
troubling a Christmas' eve
where I had felt
the weight of
my stringiness and guilt
)
I was thinking of
Mister Nick Cave
— his dark glaze
and long hair,
his blue-raven suit
and angel-white shirt
I was thinking of
what he had been
generously
granted with
Talent
Fame
and
Love
— fans & women
GRACE
and
FAITH
I was thinking of
Mister Cave
and through my head
came a remnant
of John's Gospel :
"A man can receive nothing
unless it is given him
from heaven"...
Darkness was slowly fading
and a true light
was about to shine
and lying in my bed
I felt compassion for
the poet
and
singer
thinking how Lord
in His Good Unfathomable Will
tested Mister Cave's
Love
Grace
and
Faith
through the loss
of his own
flesh
and blood
the mourning of his child...
and I actually woke up
to such thought
filled with
Love
and
Compassion
and in the middle of
so many humble thoughts
and grief
I took off my clothes
and enfolded myself in
solitude
where darkness was
fading
and a true light was already
shining...
David Mazhari (copyright)
@agustinfortuny2871
lyrics
En una villa nació, fue deseo de Dios
Crecer y sobrevivir a la humilde expresión
Enfrentar la adversidad
Con afán de ganarse a cada paso la vida
En un potrero forjó una zurda inmortal
Con experiencia, sedienta ambición de llegar
De cebollita soñaba jugar un mundial
Y consagrarse en primera
Tal vez jugando pudiera
A su familia ayudar
Grande, Diego
Para el más grande del mundo, ahí
En una villa nació, fue deseo de Dios
Crecer y sobrevivir a la humilde expresión
Enfrentar la adversidad
Con afán de ganarse a cada paso la vida
En un potrero forjó una zurda inmortal
Con experiencia, sedienta ambición de llegar
De cebollita soñaba jugar un mundial
Y consagrarse en primera
Tal vez jugando pudiera
A su familia ayudar
A poco que debutó (Marado, Marado)
La 12 fue quien coreó (Marado, Marado)
Su sueño tenía una estrella
Llena de gol y gambetas
Y todo el pueblo cantó (Marado, Marado)
Nació la mano de Dios (Marado, Marado)
Llevó alegría en el pueblo
Regó de gloria este suelo
Es para el número uno del mundo
Carga una cruz en los hombros por ser el mejor
Por no venderse jamás al poder enfrentó
Curiosa debilidad
Si Jesús tropezó, ¿por qué el no habría de hacerlo?
La fama le presentó una blanca mujer
De misterioso sabor y prohibido placer
Que lo hizo adicto al deseo
De usarla otra vez involucrando su vida
Y es un partido que un día
El Diego está por ganar
A poco que debutó (Marado, Marado)
La 12 fue quien coreó (Marado, Marado)
Su sueño tenía una estrella
Llena de gol y gambetas
Y todo el pueblo cantó (Marado, Marado)
Nació la mano de Dios (Marado, Marado)
Llevó alegría en el pueblo
Llenó de gloria este suelo
Olé, olé, olé
Diego, Diego
Olé, olé, olé
Diego, Diego
Olé, olé, olé
Diego, Diego
Olé, olé, olé
Diego, Diego
Y todo el pueblo cantó (Marado, Marado)
La 12 fue quien coreó (Marado, Marado)
Su sueño tenía una estrella
Llena de gol y gambetas
Y todo el pueblo cantó (Marado, Marado)
Nació la mano de Dios (Marado, Marado)
Llevó alegría en el pueblo
Regó de gloria este suelo
Regó de gloria este suelo
Regó de gloria
Te quiero, Diego
@mitchellevans7685
I've known about Nick Cave for a long time, but this is the song that finally had me dipping my toes into the ocean of his music. Now I'm swimming in it.
@treborob
Anyone thinking Nick Cave is going to save their life is missing the message... he's busy saving his own soul.
@marythomas5358
Such a rich, deep, intelligent, beautiful voice.
@Skyrilla
The hell is an ''intelligent voice'' ?
@gobuns6612
@@Skyrilla dummy, it doesn't have to be the singing what is intelligent. or it might as well could be. approach with a bit of naivety.
@rafalprzewlocki
I discovered this song by "This much I know to be true" documentary. Everything works great: pulse, strings, ambients, backing vocals... Great tension!
@liliwhiteandtherainingsoul1855
Thank you Nick and Warren for helping me keep my head way down low. I know there's a Kingdom in the sky. Still, I'm a human being.
Love.
Lili
@LucasBrenelliG
I see life & death in these songs. Nick, you can take my soul for a while
@leonardniamh
Absolutely transformative
@NinjaLill
This song is nothing but pure genius.