Each member is originally from Anchorage, Alaska and migrated separately to Portland, Oregon to start a career in music.[7][8]
Initially they called themselves "The Funeral Band", performing in the streets and outside of music venues. The name eventually changed to The Builders and The Butchers, "for no other reason than it was the only name all five members liked."[8] The first year of acoustic performances were mostly street shows until opening for the experimental band Man Man in 2006.[8] “We very slowly started plugging [our instruments] in.” Sollee says,[8] but the group had to figure out how to utilize its two percussionists on stage. They found that by splitting one drum kit between Seely and Rude, with one handling the kick drum and another playing the snare, they developed what the group calls a “deconstructed” drumming style.[8]
The band's song-writing process involves Sollee writing the lyrics out and presenting it to the other members, who then start playing and putting the music around these lyrics.[6]
In May 2008 the band won the Willamette Week’s “Best New Band of 2008”[9] and Seattle Sound’s “Best Live Performers 2008”.
In late 2010, The Builders and the Butchers signed with Badman Recording Co. and released their third album, Dead Reckoning on February 22, 2011.[10][11]
Hands Like Roots
The Builders and the Butchers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Until all your insides are inside out
The air is black and foul
Sitting in the basement and wanting for you to come down
When your hands move like roots
Making their way through the ground
Oh, come all ye faithful
Leave behind your golden wings for the sticks and rocks and mud
And if thee should die tonight
Well it won't be without a sound
When your hands move like roots
Making their way through the ground
When your hands move like roots
When your hands move like roots
When your hands move like roots
Making their way through the ground
The Builders and the Butchers's song Hands Like Roots is a haunting and introspective piece that navigates the themes of transformation and mortality. The song begins with an evocative line, "Raise your chin and howl," suggesting a call to action. The first verse is about feeling trapped in a dark place, while waiting for someone to rescue the singer. The metaphor of "hands move like roots" indicates the longing to move from their current position and find a new beginning in a different place.
In the chorus, the singer invites everyone, regardless of their status or position, to join in the journey. The key phrase "Leave behind your golden wings for the sticks and rocks and mud" asserts that we need to abandon what makes us comfortable to find true meaning in life. The second verse continues with the idea that death is inevitable, but should not be silent. "Well, it won't be without a sound" acknowledges the sadness and fear of dying, but also reminds us to make our mark on the world while we are still alive.
The song ends by repeating the phrase, "When your hands move like roots making their way through the ground." The repetition emphasizes the idea of transformation and rebirth, taking us on a journey from darkness to light.
Line by Line Meaning
Raise your chin and howl
Lift up your head and make a loud noise
Until all your insides are inside out
Keep howling until the emotions within you surface
The air is black and foul
The atmosphere is negative and unpleasant
Sitting in the basement and wanting for you to come down
Being stuck in a place, waiting for someone to rescue you
When your hands move like roots
When your hands behave like they are searching for something
Making their way through the ground
Trying to connect to something beneath the surface
Oh, come all ye faithful
Inviting everyone to come and experience something together
Come men, women, servants and sons
Addressing everyone, regardless of social status or gender
Leave behind your golden wings for the sticks and rocks and mud
Abandoning luxurious things for something more down-to-earth
And if thee should die tonight
Even in the face of death...
Well it won't be without a sound
...there will still be some form of expression, a noise made
When your hands move like roots
When trying to create a connection with something deeper
Making their way through the ground
Aiming to find a stable and secure foundation
When your hands move like roots
Still searching for something you can hold onto
When your hands move like roots
Trying to establish roots and grow
When your hands move like roots
Searching for that sense of belonging
Making their way through the ground
Moving slowly towards that stable base
Contributed by William P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.