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.
The Red Door
The Handsome Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a dark and moonless eve.
I led you through the stone gate,
Torches spitting in the breeze.
All around our palace glistened,
Splashed with waves up from the sea,
But you shone bright as a thousand suns
One thing, I asked of you my love
As I combed your white-gold hair.
Only stay your hand from the red door,
The red door beneath the stairs.
The red door under the stairs,
The red door ′neath the stairs.
Stay your hand from that old black lock.
There's nothing to see in there.
Why do you stand so many hours
Staring out across the sea?
Why do you slip out past the black drapes
When I pretend that I′m asleep?
And even in the bright sun
As we walk the bone-white beach.
You put your ear to the whispering shells
And turned away from me.
Red in your dress's hem tonight,
A red flash in your eye.
Why the tremor in your soft hands
When I pull you to my side?
The red door and what's inside,
The red door and all it hides.
Stare away across the ocean waves,
But I know what you′ve seen tonight.
The Handsome Family's song The Red Door is a hauntingly beautiful ballad about a palace by the sea, where a couple resides. The singer tells the story of how they met their love on a dark and moonless night, guiding her through the gates of a palace, watching it shine in the moonlight. The singer asks but one thing of their beloved, which is to stay away from the red door beneath the stairs. The song is both romantic and menacing, all at once, with the lover slowly losing their mind.
The singer wonders why their lover spends hours staring out at sea, slipping out of view whenever the black drapes are drawn, and why they put their ear up to whispering shells when they are together. As time passes, the singer notices that their lover's dress has a red stain, and their eyes flash with a red colour. When the singer tries to hold them, their lover's hands tremble, leading the singer to the conclusion that their lover has opened the red door beneath the stairs and has seen what lies inside.
The song's lyrics are open to interpretation, but the story appears to talk about a couple who could live forever in a romantic, albeit spooky paradise by the sea, but the lover is tempted by the forbidden door. Despite the singer's best efforts to keep their lover from opening it, their lover cannot resist, leading to a tumultuous end. The song highlights the fleeting nature of love in haunting, dreamlike imagery and metaphors.
Line by Line Meaning
You appeared upon the white shore
You showed up unexpectedly on the beach
On a dark and moonless eve.
It was very dark outside with no moon to light the way
I led you through the stone gate,
I guided you through the entrance made of rock and stone
Torches spitting in the breeze.
The flickering torches were being pushed by the wind
All around our palace glistened,
Our home looked beautiful with the reflection of the water
Splashed with waves up from the sea,
The water from the ocean was splashing against the walls
But you shone bright as a thousand suns
You were radiant and glowing beautifully
In your gown of ivory.
You were dressed in a white gown
One thing, I asked of you my love
I asked you for one favor, my dear
As I combed your white-gold hair.
As I was tending to your hair that was as white as gold
Only stay your hand from the red door,
Please don't open the red door
The red door beneath the stairs.
The door that was red located underneath the stairs
The red door under the stairs,
The door that was colored red and situated below the stairs
The red door ′neath the stairs.
The door that was red and situated beneath the stairs
Stay your hand from that old black lock.
Don't touch the old black lock on the door
There's nothing to see in there.
There's no reason to go in that room
Why do you stand so many hours
Why do you stay there for hours at a time
Staring out across the sea?
Looking out towards the ocean
Why do you slip out past the black drapes
Why are you sneaking out past the black curtains when I'm asleep
When I pretend that I′m asleep?
When I'm pretending to be asleep
And even in the bright sun
Even when it's sunny outside
As we walk the bone-white beach.
As we stroll on the white sandy shore
You put your ear to the whispering shells
You listen to the sound of the shells
And turned away from me.
Then you turn your back towards me
Red in your dress's hem tonight,
There's red on the bottom of your dress this evening
A red flash in your eye.
Your eyes are showing a quick red sparkle
Why the tremor in your soft hands,
Why are you shaking with your tender hands
When I pull you to my side?
When I bring you closer to me
The red door and what's inside,
There's something inside the red door
The red door and all it hides.
The red door is keeping a secret
Stare away across the ocean waves,
Continuously gaze towards the waves
But I know what you′ve seen tonight.
But I know what you saw earlier tonight
Writer(s): Brett Sparks, Rennie Sparks
Contributed by Addison N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.