Formed in 19… Read Full Bio ↴Powderfinger were a rock band from Brisbane, Australia.
Formed in 1989, the band managed to keep the same line up since they hit the big time, Bernard Fanning (Vocals, guitars), Darren Middleton (guitars), Ian Haug (guitars), John Collins (Bass) and Jon Coghill (drums). Powderfinger are winners of nearly every major award in Australia – including the ARIA (Australian Record Industry Awards) for Album of the Year, Best Rock Album and Song of the Year.
Their musical style changed significantly over the years from a predominantly Grunge influenced one (Parables for Wooden Ears, Double Allergic) to their own brand of Alternative Rock on the following albums Internationalist and Odyssey Number 5. Several songs on Vulture street were in tribute to classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC and Songs on Dream Days at the Hotel Existence feature a prominent Neil Young influence- to whom they owe their band name from his song of the same name.
The band released seven studio albums and a greatest hits album, Fingerprints - The Best of Powderfinger 1994-2000, in 2004. Their final album, Golden Rule, was released in late 2009. Despite their popularity in Australia, Powderfinger never achieved similar success overseas.
They toured with Silverchair on the "Across the Great Divide" Concert, from August to October 2007, trying to raise awareness of the indigenous people of Australia.
On the 9th of April 2010, it was announced at a press conference and on the band's website that after 20 years together, Powderfinger would be disbanding after their farewell Sunsets Tour. Of the split, frontman Bernard Fanning stated:
With the completion of our last album, Golden Rule, we feel that we have said all that we want to say as a musical group. We firmly believe that it is our most complete and satisfying album and can't think of a better way to farewell our fans than with music that we all believe in and also with, hopefully, our best tour to date.
Bridle You
Powderfinger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wash me white
Leave the spots in my eyes
Novelty
Wearing thin
Overload of truth and advice
Narrow minds
Move hollow mouths
To make you vague but polite
And I see you don't lose so well
Viscous (I've never seen)
Blood (Flowing and free)
Savage (I'll bridle you)
Save you from yourself
And I see you don't lose so well
Fragile beautiful
Scratch and bite to save
A feeling so betrayed
Viscous (I've never seen)
Blind (Hopeful and free)
Savage (I'll bridle you)
To save you from yourself
Who am I to judge?
The lyrics to Powderfinger's song Bridle You encapsulate the struggle of living in a society where conformity is prized above all else. The first line, "Strip me down, wash me white," speaks to the pressure that people face to become more palatable to the mainstream, to conform to their expectations and standards of success. However, the spots in the eyes represent the individuality that still remains despite these efforts. The singer is tired of being reduced to a novelty, something to be gawked at and ultimately discarded once the next new thing comes along.
Line by Line Meaning
Strip me down
Strip away all my outer layers and see me for who I truly am
Wash me white
Cleanse me of any impurities or sins
Leave the spots in my eyes
Acknowledge that I still have imperfections or flaws despite being cleansed
Novelty
Being new or different but also fleeting and temporary
Wearing thin
Losing its novelty or becoming less effective over time
Overload of truth and advice
Feeling overwhelmed or bombarded with too much information or opinions
Narrow minds
People who are closed-minded or unwilling to consider different perspectives
Move hollow mouths
Speaking without any real meaning or substance
To taste the foot that they bite
Experiencing the consequences of one's own actions or words
To make you vague but polite
Encouraging conformity and suppressing individuality or outspokenness
And I see you don't lose so well
Not handling defeat or criticism gracefully
Viscous (I've never seen)
A dense, thick liquid that is unfamiliar or unexpected
Blood (Flowing and free)
The essence of life that is pure and unencumbered
Savage (I'll bridle you)
To control or restrain someone or something with force
Save you from yourself
Protecting someone from their own destructive tendencies or behaviors
Fragile beautiful
Being delicate and vulnerable but also possessing an inherent beauty
Scratch and bite to save
Having to fight or struggle to protect oneself or others from harm
A feeling so betrayed
Feeling hurt or let down by someone or something that was trusted
Blind (Hopeful and free)
Being ignorant or unaware of certain truths but also having optimism and a sense of liberation
Who am I to judge?
Questioning one's own authority or qualifications to pass judgment on others
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BERNARD JOSEPH FANNING, DARREN STUART MIDDLETON, IAN DAVID HAUG, JOHN ANDREW COLLINS, JONATHAN ROBERT COGHILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind