In late 2010 the band's bandcamp account featured their single ‘Ffunny Ffrends’, a sort of alien beatnik pop music that echoed 60s psychedelia and krautrock minimalism with just a hint of gentle weirdness that suggested its roots might equally lie in the verdant indie of the equally distant New Zealand scene.
Ruban Nielson is a New Zealand native who transplanted to Portland, Oregon, USA with his band The Mint Chicks. UMO was a project conceived as Ruban’s escape hatch to a new musical dimension where his vision of junkshop record collector pop could be realised in a sound that recalled Captain Beefheart, Sly Stone and RZA jamming on some kids TV theme too dark to ever be broadcast.
The eponymous UMO debut album was released in 2011 on Fat Possum Records, followed by II (2013), Multi-Love (2015), Sex & Food (2018), IC-01 Hanoi (2018) and V (2023).
Hunnybee
Unknown Mortal Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Days are getting darker
A week is such a long time
Eras rot like nature
Age of paranoia
Don't be such a modern
Stranger, oh, angel
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Of heaven, tongues are fencing
Too many leaves in the city
Careful like an orchid
Love survives forever
Age of paranoia
Don't be such a modern
Stranger, oh, angel
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
In Unknown Mortal Orchestra's song Hunnybee, the lyrics paint a picture of a changing world and the constant passage of time. The warm rain and thunder symbolize the unpredictability of life, while the days getting darker represent the inevitable approach of change and the unknown. The eras rotting like nature and the age of paranoia speak to the fleeting nature of existence and the sense of anxiety that can accompany it. The lyrics urge the listener not to be a modern stranger, suggesting that the answer to the unease we feel in the world may lie in connecting with others on a more human level.
Against this backdrop of uncertainty, the lyrics introduce the idea of the honeybee. The repeated refrain "honeybee, honeybee, there's no such thing as sweeter a sting" is a paradoxical phrase that at once suggests the sweetness of life and the pain and hardships that come with it. The image of the honeybee, a delicate and industrious creature that is also capable of inflicting real pain, captures the complexity of life and the ways in which seemingly contradictory elements can coexist.
In conclusion, "Hunnybee" is a song that explores themes of time, change, and the paradox of life. The lyrics encourage the listener not to get lost in the modern world and to find meaning and connection amidst the uncertainty of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Warm rain and thunder
A description of the weather, possibly symbolizing the changing emotions of the singer
Days are getting darker
A reflection on the passing of time and the approaching darkness of the future
A week is such a long time
A realization that time can feel long and slow when anticipating something
Eras rot like nature
A metaphor about the natural cycle of life and decay applied to human history
Age of paranoia
A comment on the current state of society, suggesting a culture of fear and distrust
Don't be such a modern Stranger, oh, angel
A plea to reject the negative aspects of modern society and embrace a more positive, angelic perspective
Honeybee, honeybee
Repetition and emphasis of the central motif, potentially referencing the idea of sweetness and beauty
There's no such thing
A statement that challenges convention and expected norms
As sweeter a sting
A metaphor suggesting that even the negative aspects of life can have beauty and wonder, like the sting of a honeybee
Of heaven, tongues are fencing
A cryptic image of conflict and tension in a heavenly realm
Too many leaves in the city
A critique of urban environments and the need for nature and open spaces
Careful like an orchid
Comparison to the delicate and beautiful nature of an orchid, suggesting a need for caution and care in life
Love survives forever
An affirmation of the power and endurance of love in the face of time and change
There's no such thing
Reiteration of the earlier statement, further emphasizing the idea of challenging norms
As sweeter a sting
Reiteration and reinforcement of the idea that even negative experiences can hold their own beauty and value
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: Carl Kody Nielson, Jacob Martin Portrait, Ruban Nielson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@xae7871
Warm rain and thunder
Days are getting darker
A week is such a long time
Eras rot like nature
Age of paranoia
Don't be such a modern stranger
Oh angel
Hunnybee, hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Hunnybee, hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Hunnybee, hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Hunnybee, hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Of heaven, tongues are fencing
Too many leaves in the city
Careful like an orchid
Love survives forever
Age of paranoia
Don't be such a modern stranger
Oh angel
Hunnybee, hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Hunnybee, hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Hunnybee, hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Hunnybee, hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Hunnybee, hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Hunnybee, hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Hunnybee, hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Hunnybee, hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
@ajayalcos3928
Lyrics
Warm rain and thunder
Days are getting darker
A week is such a long time
Eras rot like nature
Age of paranoia
Don't be such a modern
Stranger, oh angel
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting (x4)
Of heaven, tongues are fencing
Too many leaves in the city
Careful like an orchid
Love survives forever
Age of paranoia
Don't be such a modern
Stranger, oh angel
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting (x4)
Guitar Riff
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting (x4)
@Rraikhan111
Warm rain and thunder
Days are getting darker
A week is such a long time
Eras rot like nature
Age of paranoia
Don't be such a modern stranger
Oh angel
Hunnybee, Hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting (x3)
Of heaven, tounges are fencing
Too many leaves in the city
Careful like an orchid
Love survives forever
Age of paranoia
Don't be such a modern stranger
Oh angel
Hunnybee, Hunnybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
@sineadzara8458
Warm rain and thunder
Days are getting darker
A week is such a long time
Eras rot like nature
Age of paranoia
Don't be such a modern
Stranger, oh angel
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Of heaven, tongues are fencing
Too many leaves in the city
Careful like an orchid
Love survives forever
Age of paranoia
Don't be such a modern
Stranger, oh angel
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
Honeybee, honeybee
There's no such thing
As sweeter a sting
@MIgardener
I had to go watch Spirited Away after this.
@herbsbyquitainc3041
Love that movie and I have a soot ball shirt ... I’m 33
@shittyinstantramen7121
Understandable
@ixchel6589
Yes
@Subbie-the-1st
@Herbsbyquita Inc I don't blame ye
@GarmanyRachel
I was getting Kiki’s Delivery Service vibes!
@staygolden
“You didn’t come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here.” – Alan Watts
@01hZ
Watt? i dont get it
@Rella_sky
@Master we all came from the Earth, we are all apart of nature, similar to how a wave is formed from the ocean.
@francisreyestalusig8432
You were formed here