So this has been.my favorite song of OTEP's since it came out in 2004, and I always thought it was a song about a child's narrative of suffering in an abusive Christian home. But now that I am revisiting the lyrics, I am seeing something totally new.
This song could be gospel of John but from the perspective of Jesus.
Jesus was NOT having a good time up to and during the crucifixion. Everyone in the known world at the time looked to him with fear, admiration or disgust and he was constantly being asked questions. He spoke in "verses, prophesies and curses". He had made an enemy of the state, and believed the world was increasingly wicked and fallen from grace, or that he was in the "mouth of madness".
The spine of atlas is the structure that allows the titan to hold the world up. Jesus challenged the state and in doing so became a celebrated resistance figure. It also made him public enemy #1.
All of this happened simply because he was doing his thing, not because of any agenda he had or strategy.
And then he gets scourged (storm of thorns)
There are some plot holes here but I think it's an interesting interpretation.
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
I know that I messed up a few times or watcha wanna call it
I know if I fell down, you'd change the way that I saw it
I put it on the line for this time only
(Is that what you really want?)
I can't see that I got red hands, I'm colorblind singing (day-oh)
Don't put the blame on me, child, the damn thing gone wild (day-oh)
Never wanted to be fooling you, can't believe I was wounding you-oo
(Is that what you really want?)
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand
The fire burns, I'm not the one with the match, man
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
I've seen it all before, you back out, and everything's changing
I needed something more, you stepped down, so what are you chasing?
I put it on rewind for this time only
(Is that what you really want?)
I realize that I got red hands, I wanna change this (day-oh)
Don't ask me why I choose to lie, I stay blind, oh (day-oh)
It's clear to me that you are human too, your accusations are burning through-oo
(Is that what you really want?)
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand
The fire burns, I'm not the one with the match, man
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
I know that I messed up a few times or watcha wanna call it
I know if I fell down, you'd change the way that I saw it
I put it on the line for this time only
(Is that what you really want?)
I can't see that I got red hands, I'm colorblind singing (day-oh)
Don't put the blame on me, child, the damn thing gone wild (day-oh)
Never wanted to be fooling you, can't believe I was wounding you-oo
(Is that what you really want?)
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand
The fire burns, I'm not the one with the match, man
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
I've seen it all before, you back out, and everything's changing
I needed something more, you stepped down, so what are you chasing?
I put it on rewind for this time only
(Is that what you really want?)
I realize that I got red hands, I wanna change this (day-oh)
Don't ask me why I choose to lie, I stay blind, oh (day-oh)
It's clear to me that you are human too, your accusations are burning through-oo
(Is that what you really want?)
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand
The fire burns, I'm not the one with the match, man
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
Lyrics submitted by eastjesusshenanigan418
Red Hands Lyrics as written by Ryan Marshall Gianni Luminati
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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From Gianni Luminati of Walk off the Earth:
"'Red Hands' is pretty open to interpretation and will mean different things to different people. When we originally wrote the song, we were thinking about taking responsibility for your actions and standing up on your own when things go wrong ... rather than blaming other people around you. Sometimes you just have to accept the circumstances that are thrown your way without pointing the finger."
@rivum Nice that you answer:)
@rivum I just discovered this song (a bit late to the party, I know!) but I absolutely love it. When I reflect on the lyrics I am reminded of an Albert Einstein quote "“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” So just because you are not the one with the proverbial "loaded gun in your hands", that does not make you innocent if you stand by and do nothing.
In my opinion, I think the group is singing about someone who's made a lot of mistakes in his past, maybe with the law and the police; ('I know that I messed up a few times or what you wanna call it') but he finds a person who manages to look past his mistakes, only for the main character to be accused from that same person about something else that wasn't his fault.
The person still accuses him nonetheless because of the main character's past with the law and is unwilling to believe that it wasn't him.The main character tries to convince the person that he didn't do it but to no avail.
This is just my interpretation :) I really adore this song.
@audrey430 jThat is one way to see:)
I made an account just for this song. I'm surprised that no one else saw this as the Bystander Effect. 'This gun is loaded but it's not in MY hands' implies that the narrator saw a loaded gun (someone bullying someone else, etc) and did nothing because the narrator was not the one with the gun, just a bystander. In the beginning he is colourblind and sees no wrong with being a bystander but then, somewhere in the middle, he Can see that he has Red Hands and wants to make himself better, thus fighting the Bystander Effect. (I've been thinking of writing a Short using a little 10yrold boy listening to this song after standing by a as a classmate was bullied.)
I think because of how it is sung and the lyrics show a graduated change in acceptance of guilt, that it is about a guy who got close to a girl then pulled away and lied about how he felt about her. He now feels guilty for breaking her heart and feels like he messed up and wants to change the situation and go back to how things were. It is an emotionally charged situation. Both are unsure of what the other wants, and dont want to hurt each other or get hurt.
That's how I interpreted it as well, nicely put.
It took me while before it made sense, but when I listened and red the lyrics at the same time, it hit me! In my eyes, it's about false accusations. "That gun is loaded" is repeated a lot, and it is a bit of a dramatization (depending on the connection you want to make with the song). "The gun is loaded, But it's not my hand" = Sure I've screwed up before but I would never do anything like this to you, all you're doing is assuming. Red Hands= being caught red handed.
There is also the reference: "the damn thing gone wild" which is a line from a song called "old black Betty" which back in the 70's was rumored to be about drugs- BUT also guns- So to me, this song keeps circling back to guns.
Yeah, "Black Betty" by Ram Jam is the reference you're making.
@recitation the song "Black Betty" was originally a song from the 1930's that was a folk based song with themes of working and marching (it may have been in reference to an alcohol drink/bottle).<br /> <br /> Ram Jam covered the song in 1977.
He's saying he didn't realize he was doing something, but now that he realized it, he's going to do something about it.
okay, just my opinion, however, I was interpreting the lyrics a bit more broadly, more from the point of view that the "red hands" refers to blood on our hands for not taking action against those with the loaded guns, those who light the match....so, if we don't take action, we have red hands, we have blood on our hands by our own inaction...........
I saw this about being about a guy that's cheating and feeling guilty. He's questioning whether he really wants to hurt his girlfriend/wife by cheating on her.
At the same time he's shifting the blame. Every time he acknowledges his guilt, he's either dismissive ("or watcha wanna call it"), or blames someone/something else.("Don't put the blame on me, child, the damn thing gone wild") it's not his fault, it's instinct/out of his control. ("I've seen it all before, you back out, and everything's changing I needed something more, you stepped down, so what are you chasing?") it's not his fault, she's pulling away/looking at someone else/not the same person.
The match and the gun, both more of the same. He's not the one that started this, he's not the cause of their relationship dying/him cheating.
You walk through the door and your instantly drilled (grounded,yelled @, talk down to etc...) for "slamming the door!"
That gun was already loaded! Unfortunately ppl do become victims, those with low self-esteem. I tend to annoy and frustrate aggressor kind of ppl bcuz I let them kno facts!!(it's not that I don't care but im not the one with the matches!)
This should b practiced because certain ppl believe they're own lies and realization can be devastating.
Best new underated song
I'm thinking he's talking about a relationship that has problems, on both sides. The question is, are they going to try to make it work -- or are they going to pull the trigger and split up? He is saying that although he looks guilty of causing some of the problems they are having -- he is not going to be the one to call it off. The gun is not in his hands.