what this songs talks about?
what does means the title?
if I do a translation of the title "hand" is something like "leg" or "arm" but I dont think Robert means it in this way..
any inputs? :smt017
David.
reminds me of this love song video, when robert looks his "big hand"!!!
ariel
here in peru we used to call that song "MANOTAS"
From the Join The Dots liner notes Robert says its about the "perils of drug additiction". Knowing this, read the lyrics or listen to the song and you will totally see that it is true. The Big Hand is the addiction itself.
I agree with Ron... the lyrics are quite pretty good evidence to what the songs about
Thanks folks for the help. Now is pretty clear "The Big Hand" = "The big help" = "The drug". Right?
Altought I think the melodies would fit better in a "love song", don't you think?
Cheers :rocker
David.
Quote from: ronFrom the Join The Dots liner notes Robert says its about the "perils of drug additiction". Knowing this, read the lyrics or listen to the song and you will totally see that it is true. The Big Hand is the addiction itself.
My impressions based on knowing that it is about drug addiction is that imagine that you are a puppet, being controlled by a huge hand above you. That "big hand" controls everything that you do.
On a similar topic to this. Where does the instumental version come from? I know it's played in Picture Show but the version of this I have is very short. I might just be missing something though. Does anyone know for sure???
That's quite an interesting question. The instrumental version of THE BIG HAND is played at the end of the "Picture show" video...but I am not sure this version is available...
Quote from: ronOn a similar topic to this. Where does the instumental version come from? I know it's played in Picture Show but the version of this I have is very short. I might just be missing something though. Does anyone know for sure???
Quote from: ronOn a similar topic to this. Where does the instumental version come from? I know it's played in Picture Show but the version of this I have is very short. I might just be missing something though. Does anyone know for sure???
I always assumed this was a demo version. There is a longer version that can be found on file sharing networks, but I think somebody just cleverly looped the Picture Show version over and over.
I used to have the "longer" version, but I do believe it was looped. The Cure rely heavily on repitition, but the "longer" version of The Big Hand didn't seem to go anywhere, if memory serves me correctly.
Cancel that... I just remembered that it wasn't The Big Hand I had that was looped, it was the instrumental part of the Lullaby remix. Sorry.
Quote from: dsanchezThanks folks for the help. Now is pretty clear "The Big Hand" = "The big help" = "The drug". Right?
Altought I think the melodies would fit better in a "love song", don't you think?
Cheers :rocker
David.
Quote from: ronFrom the Join The Dots liner notes Robert says its about the "perils of drug additiction". Knowing this, read the lyrics or listen to the song and you will totally see that it is true. The Big Hand is the addiction itself.
I think it is a love song but a love song to drugs and self destruction.
As someone who has had self desructive tendencies i can assure you you do cling to your vice like a lover at times and it keeps you wrm at night like a lover, gives you something to look forward to like a lover and makes attaches to you like a lover.
It is similar to hostages that fall in love with their kidnappers because the pain and dgredation is all they know after a time and realtiy scares them
Luke x
drugs.
it's all about how the need for getting wasted takes away the need or the fact things like friends, memories and dreams disappear.
the lines below really emphasise this:
"But the way the big hand smiles
You just won't care about it"
i was going to put more bits in but realised that i would have to add all the lyrics in..... :wink:
anyway here it is again for all of us [hope i haven't breached copyright or other legal things]....
The Big Hand
The big hand makes all of your favourite things
Like all your dreams go small
And all your friends run away
Until your memories fail
And the words don't fit
But the way the big hand smiles
You just won't care about it
The big hand makes all of your favourite things
Like all your days run out
And all your hopes disappear
And your smiles just stop
And your eyes go dead
And the shadows start to crawl
In the back of your head
But when the big hand speaks
It's like fireworks and heaven
So you listen
Don't think
And wish for nothing at all
And when the big hand sings
It's like fireworks and friends
Leaving alone I'm not
Leaving alone
Leaving alone I'll never
Leave alone again
So when the big hand holds up all your favourite things
And with a touch like glass
Starts to squeeze
You don't ask
"Why me?"
You just slip to the floor
Just slip to your knees
But when the big hand speaks
It's like fireworks and heaven
So you listen
Don't think
And wish for nothing at all
And when the big hand sings
It's like fireworks and friends
Leaving alone I'm not
Leaving alone
Never leaving alone
Leaving alone I'm not
Leaving alone
Leaving alone
I'm not leaving alone again
drugsss..yeah...i want metadona
www.vanidadesonline.tk
the big hand instrumental can be found on 'bloodflower's dreams bootleg.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XK1515A5
but only this track(
Anyone know why Boris didn't want 'The Big Hand' released on 'Wish' but was OK with it being a b-side? I (naturally) assumed that it must have been about having a **** and he didn't want his mother to hear it but then I actually (!) read the lyrics and that's not it... If that's what it really WAS about after all then it's another example of 'willful obscurity'. David Coverdale could do a judicious editing job and really make it clear! 'Wish' was spectacular (apart from 'Wendy Time'). If 'Wendy Time' had been replaced with 'This Twilight Garden' (possibly my favorite Cure song ever) or any of the six b-sides as they are all first-rate tracks...I don't know. It would have made number one in America! We Americans don't like 'Wendy Time' and several of us volunteered NOT to buy it and make sure it stayed at number two. It's been twenty-two years, time to reveal the real cause behind that. It wasn't me...hell, I love the album, but I did get a few OTHERS to see reason and forego the purchase. All they've heard is 'Friday I'm In Love' on the radio and to this day they think it must have been a lightweight pop record. :smth023
Quote from: cheyler on March 11, 2014, 04:53:46
Anyone know why Boris didn't want 'The Big Hand' released on 'Wish' but was OK with it being a b-side?
where did you get that from?
Quote from: dsanchez on March 11, 2014, 10:20:52
where did you get that from?
Nowhere probably. He's just making things up to create a stir. Which reminds me of... oh, let's not get into that.
Anyway, according to Robert Smith (who wrote the lyrics, I believe), "The Big Hand" is about "drugs".
Quote from: Ulrich on March 11, 2014, 10:58:28
Anyway, according to Robert Smith (who wrote the lyrics, I believe), "The Big Hand" is about "drugs".
it's, as discussed in the previous page of this topic (I merged both topics into this one).
Quote from: Ulrich on March 11, 2014, 10:58:28Nowhere probably. He's just making things up to create a stir.
Not really. See below:
"The B-side The Big Hand was planned as an A-Side single early in 1993 but the idea was scrapped, largely due to Boris Williams not wanting it to appear on the album but having no qualms about it appearing as a B-side (from KROQ radio interview with the band in 1992)"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Letter_to_Elise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Letter_to_Elise)
Ah, I see. Trouble is that I don't trust Wikipedia as there has been a lot of misinformation on it. :smth011
Is there any "decent" source (close to the band) to confirm this?
Anyway, Boris might have had his reasons, perhaps he didn't like drugs. ;)
Quote from: Ulrich on March 11, 2014, 16:56:27
Ah, I see. Trouble is that I don't trust Wikipedia as there has been a lot of misinformation on it. :smth011
Is there any "decent" source (close to the band) to confirm this?
Well, the Wikipedia article quote as the source an KROQ's interview in 1992. Will try to find that.
Well, the most "official" source I could find is the liner notes of "Join The Dots (B-sides and rarities)" which state the following:
The B-Side "The Big Hand" was a particular favourite of Porl Thompson's and, as Robert reveals, "That's why the Wish album artwork has a 'big hand' on it. Actually everyone loved this song except me. It was the very first Wish song we recorded. We played it live before the album sessions had even started, but it never quite came together for me, although I have warmed to it over the years. It's a strangely upbeat song about the perils of drug addiction... and I think that contradiction is part of its attraction!"
Pretty "official" to me and points to another Wikipedia misinformation. But nowadays people believe almost everything they find there... :roll:
'Fireworks in heaven'...true enough. Thanks once again to our host for merging similar topics. I do like to create a stir. As JT said, 'add water and stir'.
Quote from: cheyler on March 11, 2014, 19:26:28
I do like to create a stir.
Oh yeah, no wonder that your first thought about the song was this:
Quote from: cheyler on March 11, 2014, 04:53:46
I (naturally) assumed that it must have been about having a **** and he didn't want his mother to hear it
:lol:
Before you ask: the negative Karma did not come from me this time!
I "disliked" some of your posts and 1 pm, but number 4 did not come from me. :oops:
I think next time I'll look around a bit more carefully since my question about this song had already been answered some time ago. Plus when reading the lyrics again the subject matter is fairly obvious. Could also be about a domineering woman I suppose. I will always treasure the negative karma points you gave so generously to me... :) I type the previous sentence (and this one) at the risk of being informed that I am off-topic.