“What if the breath that kindled those grim fires/ Awaked, should blow them into sevenfold rage,
And plunge us in the flames; or from above/ Should intermitted vengeance arm again/ His red right hand to plague us?”
And plunge us in the flames; or from above/ Should intermitted vengeance arm again/ His red right hand to plague us?”
-Paradise Lost by John Milton
In 1994, singer/ songwriter Nick Cave composed what has become an unlikely dark horse of a pop culture hit: ubiquitous as it is mysterious. Armed with only a passage from Milton's Paradise Lost, and a spare percussive melody, "Red Right Hand" is not the sort of song one can simply unhear or ignore. Though never an outstanding chart hit, it is a song that has been sampled, borrowed, and covered repeatedly. Though its most notable appearance is as the theme song of British drama series, "Peaky Blinders", its familiar, hypnotic riff can also be heard in the soundtracks for "Dumb and Dumber", "The X-Files", "Scream", "Hellboy", and several other motion pictures. What exactly is it about this song that has made it so far reaching and memorable?
According to Sellnow, the illusion of life is created through the synergy of lyric and music. If, then, the lyrics to "Red Right Hand" paint a picture of corruption, manipulation, and invasion, then the melody reinforces an atmosphere of unbreakable tension and eminent doom.
The Lyrics:
[Verse 1]
Take a little walk to the edge of town and 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 hand
Take a little walk to the edge of town and 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 hand
[Verse 2]
He'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
But there won't be a single thing that you can do
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 hand
He'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
But there won't be a single thing that you can do
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 hand
[Verse 3]
You don't have no money? He'll get you some
You don't have no car? He'll get you one
You don't have 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 slums
A shadow is cast wherever he stands
Stacks of green paper in his red right hand
You don't have no money? He'll get you some
You don't have no car? He'll get you one
You don't have 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 slums
A shadow is cast wherever he stands
Stacks of green paper in his red right hand
[Verse 4]
You'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
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. (Lyrics Genius)
You'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
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. (Lyrics Genius)
Though it is never made clear to whom Cave is referring when he sings of the man with the red right hand, it is clear that in the context of Milton's religious imagery that this is a Godlike figure. To further enforce this religious significance, Cave calls him "a ghost, a god [and] a man," imagery reminiscent of the Holy Trinity. Some may argue that this represents Cave's criticism of religion, and it could be, or it could be a criticism of forces that play on the fallacy that their will is aligned with God's therefore every decision they make, no matter how self-serving or cruel, is right and just.
The red right hand serves as the song's central image. The color imagery of "red hand" and "green paper" is clearly symbolic of red blood and green bills, but it is ultimately Cave's dependence on synecdoche that reinforces the brutality of the song. The fact that the hand is the "right" hand speaks to the absolute righteousness with which the central character carries out his nefarious schemes at any cost. He clearly seduces with material and emotional comforts with the intention to trap his prey: "you." It is the use of second person that makes this song relatable and immediate especially with the closing line "you're one microscopic cog in his catastrophic plan/ Designed and directed by his red right hand." The audience is left with the uncomfortable sense that we, the public/ the voter/ the consumer?, have already unwittingly fallen into the grasp of a ruthless force.
The Music:
The music itself is slow, hypnotic, and calm on the surface. It starts out with minimal chiming percussion, keyboard, and Cave's deep raspy voice carrying the main melody. The minimal offbeat chords add weight to Cave's lyrics as he describes the setting. The spare instrumentation gives the audience the impression of a build that is then only released with a single percussive sting before the chorus begins. The second verse, though only slightly more instrumentally filled out continues with the same spare melody and then, is once again broken with the percussive sting. The third verse, though still quite spare, adds the slight ghostly sound of a theremin which lends an overall eeriness to the entire verse and which significantly punctuates what is likely the most memorable line from the song, "stacks of green paper in his red right hand." To further heighten the tension, Cave then adds the synthesized, disquieting effect of a clock or a toy being wound time and again, but then being given almost no release. The tension this builds is nearly incongruent to the calm, hypnotic synth chords it plays under. The release does not occur until there are a few organ blasts at the end of the bridge. The overall effect leaves the audience tense and frazzled as there is no musical release proportionate to the underlying tension.
The Takeaway:
With the use of a few clever lyrical archetypes and a tense and unsettling melody, Cave has created a memorable, virtual experience. As Sellnow expressed, music does not cause emotions, but hearkens to existing emotions. Haven't we all wondered if we are merely cogs in some great nefarious scheme and if it is ourselves we serve or simply the systems we are enslaved to? Have you ever come across a song or other pop culture artifact that made you question your perception of reality? Please discuss!
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