Their seventh CD, Last Days of Wonder (June. 2006) was one of Mojo’s top ten American Albums for 2006 and called “an unqualified triumph” by Uncut. Of their sixth CD, Singing Bones, The UK’s Independent wrote, “Rarely, even in the fatalistic world of country music, has the precarious mystery of mortality been captured with such poetic grace as on Singing Bones.”
They have appeared in the movie, I’m Your Man (2005), a tribute to Leonard Cohen as well as Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (2004). In 2004, a reader's poll in Mojo named The Handsome Family's third CD, Through the Trees one of the ten essential Americana records.
Last Days of Wonder is a collection of love songs sung in airports, garbage dumps, drive-thru windows and shark-infested waters. The CD celebrates the little miraculous moments of beauty found in everyday life: a golf course shining in the rain, hanging lights bouncing in the breeze, pigeons singing from billboards, trees blooming in squares of dirt. The songs linger on those moments when we’re pulled from the ordinary to feel awed by mystery, bewildered by beauty, terrified by the vast unknowable around us (whether we wander through shady groves or crowded parking lots).
Brett Sparks, who writes the music, draws from medieval melody, country-politan string arrangements, tin-pan alley crooners, and dusty hillbilly records to weave together the fabric of this record. Rennie Sparks, who writes the lyrics, makes magical realism from polar adventure stories, pagan hunting songs and her own time spent (like most people) riding up elevators, staring out hotel room windows, and driving interstate highways. The entire album was recorded over a year's time in the converted garage studio at the back of the Sparks' Albuquerque house. Brett recorded it all on a Mac and a whole mess of wires, microphones and little metal boxes. Alongside the usual guitar, bass and drums you will hear mellotrons, ukulele, banjo, bowed wine glasses, and trombone.
Brett and Rennie (The Handsome Family) have been married for 18 years. In their live performances The Handsome Family are sometimes up to a six-piece band and sometimes just Brett and Rennie with (or without) a laptop computer.
GOLD
The Handsome Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lying in the weeds with a bullet in my gut, watching dollar bills fly away in the dust.
Now the sun's sinking down, spilling gold on the ground, but I'm going out tonight, out past the last lights of town.
There was a girl with dark eyes and hair shining black.
It ran like a river wild down her back.
But these wide empty streets, the air shaking with heat, they made me hungry, hungry to do something mean.
Now the sun's sinking down, spilling gold on the ground, but I'm going out tonight, out past the last lights of town.
The Stop 'n Go's closed.
But the sun's sinking down, spilling gold on the
ground, and I'm going out tonight, out past the last lights of town.
The Handsome Family’s “Gold” is a song that tells the story of a man who finds himself in a ditch behind a convenience store, wounded and watching his money disappear into the distance. He wakes up with a tattoo of a snake and a ski mask on his face, unsure of what had caused him to end up in his current state.
As he lies in the weeds, he watches the sun set while feeling restless and hungry for mischief. The singer has the memory of a girl with dark hair and wildness in her eyes. It’s possible that he had been out with her earlier that day and that she was the one who tattooed him. The hot air and the deserted atmosphere of the street make him feel agitated and inclined towards “something mean.”
As the night creeps in, the Stop 'n Go closes, leaving the man alone with the moaning coyotes and the rolling beer cans. The sinking sun casts a golden hue on the ground, and the singer decides to go out into the night, for one last hurrah before the last lights of town fade from view.
“Gold” could be interpreted in different ways. Perhaps it’s about the fleeting nature of wealth and how easily it can disappear, akin to the singer’s dollars scattered in the dust. Alternatively, it could be seen as a commentary on impulsive behavior and the consequences thereof.
Line by Line Meaning
Got a tattoo of a snake and a ski mask on my face, but I woke up in a ditch behind the Stop 'n Go.
Although I have a fierce exterior with a serpent tattoo and ski mask markings, I find myself waking up in a ditch behind a convenience store.
Lying in the weeds with a bullet in my gut, watching dollar bills fly away in the dust.
I lay wounded in the grass, watching my money fly away with the wind.
Now the sun's sinking down, spilling gold on the ground, but I'm going out tonight, out past the last lights of town.
Despite the sun setting and golden light spilling onto the earth, I plan on going out tonight, past the limits of civilization.
There was a girl with dark eyes and hair shining black. It ran like a river wild down her back.
I remember a girl with captivating features, her dark hair flowing like a wild river down her back.
But these wide empty streets, the air shaking with heat, they made me hungry, hungry to do something mean.
The desolate, hot streets stirred within me an appetite for trouble and malice.
The Stop 'n Go's closed.
The convenience store is no longer open.
The coyotes they moan and the wind's rolling beer cans down the street.
The eerie cry of coyotes echoes in the night, while beer cans tumble aimlessly in the wind.
But the sun's sinking down, spilling gold on the ground, and I'm going out tonight, out past the last lights of town.
Despite the unsettling surroundings, the setting sun provides a breathtaking view as I venture out beyond the edges of the town.
Contributed by Caleb M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Zulqarnain
Got a tattoo of a snake
And a ski mask on my face
But I woke up in a ditch
Behind the Stop 'n Go
Lying in the weeds
With a bullet in my gut
Watching dollar bills
Fly away in the dust
Now the sun's sinking down
Spilling gold on the ground
But I'm going out tonight
Out past the last lights of town
There was a girl with dark eyes
And hair shining black
And it ran like a river
Wild down her back
But these wide empty streets
And the air shaking with heat
They made me hungry
Hungry to do something mean
Now the sun's sinking down
Spilling gold on the ground
But I'm going out tonight
Out past the last lights of town
The Stop 'n Go's closed
The coyotes they moan
And the wind's rolling beer
Cans down the street
But the sun's sinking down
Spilling gold on the ground
And I'm going out tonight
Out past the last lights of town
B F
Tem uma tatuagem de uma cobra e uma máscara de ski no meu rosto
Mas eu acordei em uma vala atrás da loja Stop 'n Go
Deitado nas ervas com uma bala no meu intestino
Vendo dólares voarem com a poeira
Agora o sol está se pondo
Derramando ouro no chão
Mas eu irei sair esta noite
Passando nas últimas luzes da cidade
Havia uma garota com olhos negros e cabelo brilhando preto
Choveu como um rio furioso pelas suas costas
Mas essas ruas bem vazias, o ar balançado-se com calor
Eles me deixaram faminto, faminto para fazer algo ruim
Agora o sol está se pondo
Derramando ouro no chão
Mas eu irei sair esta noite
Passando nas últimas luzes da cidade
O Stop 'n Go fechou
Os coiotes uivam
E o vento levando latas de cerveja pela rua
Agora o sol está se pondo
Derramando ouro no chão
Mas eu irei sair esta noite
Passando nas últimas luzes da cidade
Drawn & Quartered
I love when I discover a new band and they have a 20+ year anthology. I am truly blessed.
Eric Schuster
I only heard "Far From Any Road" from True Detective and now I'm in love with this kind of music.
I definitely buy the new album!!
NannaNaynay
You'll probably like Chris Rea then
Prankstartv! Jayh
Listen to "Fallen Peaches "-Buityfull William-The Redwood Forrest-My Sisters Tiny Hand- Bottemles Hole" and you will find , listening to these songs, many more . Don't wanna be a smart ass, but it would be like a waste if i did'nt told you . Grtngs Serge
Gary Hunnicutt
Their one that hooked me was My Sister's Tiny Hands
anthony lewis
check out their song called GOLD!
Zulqarnain
Got a tattoo of a snake
And a ski mask on my face
But I woke up in a ditch
Behind the Stop 'n Go
Lying in the weeds
With a bullet in my gut
Watching dollar bills
Fly away in the dust
Now the sun's sinking down
Spilling gold on the ground
But I'm going out tonight
Out past the last lights of town
There was a girl with dark eyes
And hair shining black
And it ran like a river
Wild down her back
But these wide empty streets
And the air shaking with heat
They made me hungry
Hungry to do something mean
Now the sun's sinking down
Spilling gold on the ground
But I'm going out tonight
Out past the last lights of town
The Stop 'n Go's closed
The coyotes they moan
And the wind's rolling beer
Cans down the street
But the sun's sinking down
Spilling gold on the ground
And I'm going out tonight
Out past the last lights of town
Hot Dickson Rice
This duo revives the spirit of classic country music. Truly fantastic stuff.
TheTsunamijuan
I think this is my favorite song on this album. Despite the whole album being amazing, I keep coming back to this song.
Holly Travis
This is more than music.
This went through my soul.
I love you guys.