Ever wondered why it's "red states"? Because it's the "red right". And as one of my favourite Australian lyricists has it, this is because of the red right hand:
Take a little walk to the edge of town, go across the tracks
Where the viaduct looms, like a bird of doom as it shifts and cracks
Where secrets lie in the border fires, in the humming wires
Hey man, you know you're never coming back
Past the square, past the bridge, past the mills, past the stacks
On a gathering storm comes a tall handsome man
In a dusty black coat with a red right handHe'll wrap you in his arms, tell you that you've been a good boy
He'll rekindle all the dreams it took you a lifetime to destroy
He'll reach deep into the hole,heal your shrinking soul
Hey buddy, you know you're never ever coming back
He's a god, he's a man, he's a ghost, he's a guru
They're whispering his name through this disappearing land
But hidden in his coat is a red right handYou ain't got no money? He'll get you some
You ain't got no car? He'll get you one
You ain't got no self-respect, you feel like an insect
Well don't you worry buddy, cause here he comes
Through the ghettos and the barrio and the bowery and the slum
A shadow is cast wherever he stands
Stacks of green paper in his red right handYou'll see him in your nightmares, you'll see him in your dreams
He'll appear out of nowhere but he ain't what he seems
You'll see him in your head, on the TV screen
And hey buddy, I'm warning you to turn it off
He's a ghost, he's a god, he's a man, he's a guru
You're one microscopic cog in his catastrophic plan
Designed and directed by his red right hand
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interesting idea. and good song! but wikipedia sees it differently. in fact, many countries (including canada and the u.k.) follow the opposite scheme. maybe australia's different? it does seem that some foreign news outlets that closely follow u.s. politics do it american-style....
The first thing I thought of when I read "red hand" was Ulster.
Though the lyrics, with some minor modifications, could apply rather well to NuLabor in the UK.
Are all his lyrics this interesting?
If so I may have to aquire some of his CDs.
That song also makes an appearance in the first Hellboy movie. I really liked the snippet of it I heard but didn't know who sang the song, know I know so I'm going to have to go find a copy.
Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrodaLzfi5s
One of my fave songs. Mr Cave is a very talented chap.
The song is used in all the Scream movies, and in Shrek.
Most of Nick Caves lyrics are good, a few are excellent, even less are so-so.
/soren
The first I heard the Red Right Hand was on the X-Files tv show. It is a neat song. Got to get me some more Nick Cave!!
I first heard the song on Dumb & Dumber.
It was certainly on "Songs in the Key of X". I had thought of it for so long as a theme for the Marlborough Man I had never considered a political meaning.
Yeah, there's a short snippet in Hellboy - but it's someone else singing it not Nick Cave.
The use of it in Dumb and Dumber is hallarious probably one of the better jokes in the film (and probably sacriliguous to serious Cave fans).
I've always wondered if there was something/someone specific Nick is refering to, or whether its clever peice of art that allows each admirer to perceive their own meaning.
And yeah, most of Nick's lyrics and songs are like this - dark poetic sketches.