Unfair… Read Full Bio ↴The Auteurs was a British alternative rock band of the 1990s.
Unfairly dismissed as the egotrip of acclaimed songwriter Luke Haines, The Auteurs were one of the unsung bands of the mid-nineties Britpop movement. Releasing their first record, New Wave, in 1993, the Auteurs were compared to Suede, and the resurgent glam-rock movement, and began to amass a reasonable cult following. 1994's second album, and commercial highlight, Now I'm A Cowboy, saw the band embracing at times a more contemporary sound, notably on the single Lenny Valentino, which probably remains Haines' best-known song. Now I'm A Cowboy was marked out by sprawling guitar lines as much as by Haines' inimitable lyrics, a kind of visceral social commentary. While touring this album in 1995, Haines jumped off a fifteen-foot wall, breaking both ankles, resulting in his being in a wheelchair for the rest of that year, recording the starker, angrier third album After Murder Park, most notable for the ballad-like lead single Unsolved Child Murder, released for Christmas at Haines own bidding. Following this, Haines took time out to work on other projects such as Black Box Recorder and Baader Meinhof, reforming the Auteurs in 1999 for the release of the mostly overlooked final album, How I Learned To Love The Bootboys.
While Haines remains widely respected for his lyrical eloquence and eye for the minutae of life, his eccentric, confrontational personality, and habit of styling himself as a louche ne'er-do-well, perhaps impeded the formation of a more affectionate bond with his fans. The Auteurs, similarly, tended to be respected rather more than they were loved.
Buddha
The Auteurs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
happy hunting, happy hiding, happy new year
i hope you get yourself together
i hope your absence is made clear
i first learned, their was a value
in a little subterfuge
from some old peeping tom
came in contact with a svengali
he was housebound and unwell
choked on a whale bone in a cantonese restaurant
his nervous system
had broken down
9 singing buddhas
The Auteurs's song "Buddha" appears to be a tongue-in-cheek and somewhat irreverent take on Buddhism, and specifically the figure of Buddha himself. The song opens with the line "happy birthday buddha," setting a jovial and playful tone from the start. The lyrics then describe Buddha as "happy hunting, happy hiding," perhaps suggesting that he is elusive or hard to pin down. The line "happy new year" could be interpreted as a reference to the Buddhist holiday of Vesak, which celebrates Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death.
The next stanza shifts to a more personal tone, with the singer expressing a hope that Buddha "gets himself together" and that his "absence is made clear." This could be read as a comment on the singer's own struggles with spirituality or personal growth, with Buddha serving as a sort of role model or inspiration. The final stanza references a "svengali" – a term that typically refers to a manipulative or domineering figure – who was "housebound and unwell." It's unclear what this person's connection to Buddha or Buddhism might be, but their death by choking on a whale bone in a Cantonese restaurant adds a bizarre and surreal note to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
happy birthday buddha
Celebrating the birth of Buddha, the founder of Buddhism
happy hunting, happy hiding, happy new year
Wishing Buddha prosperity and joy in his pursuits, whether they involve seeking or seclusion, and hoping he has a happy new year
i hope you get yourself together
Expressing a desire for Buddha to find inner peace and harmony
i hope your absence is made clear
Wishing for clarity and understanding in regards to Buddha's absence, whether it be physically or spiritually
i first learned, their was a value
Reflecting on a personal experience where a lesson was learned
in a little subterfuge
Implying that the lesson was learned through deception or trickery
from some old peeping tom
Suggesting that the source of the lesson may have been an unsavory character
or another woman's refuge
Alternatively suggesting that the source of the lesson may have been a woman seeking shelter or solace
came in contact with a svengali
Introducing another character who may have influenced the lesson and may have had a level of control or manipulation over the situation
he was housebound and unwell
Describing the condition of Svengali, implying that he may have been desperate or struggling
choked on a whale bone in a cantonese restaurant
Revealing an unfortunate and possibly gruesome end to Svengali
his nervous system
Referring to Svengali's physical being, which may have been fragile or damaged
had broken down
Further emphasizing the tragedy of Svengali's demise and the idea that things can fall apart or weaken over time
9 singing buddhas
Referencing a common motif in Buddhist iconography, which typically depicts nine celestial beings known as bodhisattvas who are capable of achieving enlightenment and assisting others on their own path to enlightenment
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LUKE MICHAEL HAINES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind