In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Carry me hooting and howling
To the river to wash off my hands
Of the hot blood, the sweat and the sand
Any rival who goes for our girls will be left thumb sucking in terror
And bereft of all coffin bearers
A crude art, a bovver boot ballet - equally elegant and ugly
I was as thrilled as I was appalled, courting him in fisticuffing waltz.
Now I'm not saying the lads always deserve a braying.
And I'm not saying the girls are worth the fines I'm paying.
We're just brutes bored in our bovver boots.
We're just brutes clowning 'round in cahoots.
We're just brutes looking for shops to loot.
We're just brutes hoping to have a hoot
Hooting, hooting and howling
To the river to wash off my hands
Of the hot blood, the sweat and the sand
Any rival who goes for our girls will be left thumb sucking in terror
And bereft of all coffin bearers
A crude art, a bovver boot ballet - equally elegant and ugly
I was as thrilled as I was appalled, courting him in fisticuffing waltz.
Now I'm not saying the lads always deserve a braying.
And I'm not saying the girls are worth the fines I'm paying.
We're just brutes bored in our bovver boots.
We're just brutes clowning 'round in cahoots.
We're just brutes looking for shops to loot.
We're just brutes hoping to have a hoot
Hooting, hooting and howling
Lyrics submitted by animalcollector
Hooting & Howling Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
It reminds me SO much of A Clockwork Orange
Surprised no comments. Anyways this song is simple and sounds awesome. Love the way he sings it. Seems to be about him protecting his 'girls' and if someone gets in the way he kills/fights/etc. Him and his cahoots seem to be bored and look to trouble for excitement. I bet this song will catch on before too log and be on the radio. It is a hidden gem.
what makes the album's two-part title-track suite so unsettling is not simply the first-person account of gang rape graphically described within, but the stone-faced nonchalance with which Fleming delivers it.<br /> <br /> PitchForkMedia's 22nd best album of 2009..<br /> <br /> pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7744-the-top-50-albums-of-2009/3/
Bovver boots are a sort of Doc Marten-style boot, used usually when referring to skinheads. And the song is definitely about being in a gang of skinheads. Very cool juxtapositions of lanugage and content and how it has elements of both sympathy and sarcasm.
How does one go about writing such graphic yet elegant lyrics?! And to reference such things as bovver boots and turn it into a concept within a rhythmical/melodical framework is just brilliant! I think I heard that Tom(?) studied English lit at uni and that probably influences some aspects of their writing but still... the creativity in this band is astounding.
such an amazing track. alot of recurring themes through the album i think this sums up the album as a whole best. wonder what bovver boots are
Lace up boots, think Doc Martens
yeah, definitely thought "A crude art, a bovver boot ballet" was "a crew arc, eight ball boob ballet"
haha, I'm really glad no one was listening to me singing this song before i looked up the lyrics.
sick sick sick sick song. sick sick sick sick ALBUM.
Any rival who goes for our girls will be left thumb sucking in terror and bereft of all coffin bearers
i just love the way he sings this!
the way he sings is as if he's a man on the edge...behind the calm veneer he is just wishing/hoping almost that someone would push him so that he can have an excuse to display some act of madness.
The ritual of going to the river to wash away the evidence shows that he has done this many times before....sums up frivolous love and adolescent disregards perfectly. Also the fact that he is being carried hooting and howling is hilarious!
like after a bar fight and his friends usher him into the steets to calm him down, all the while he's cursing and shouting just aching to get back into the action.
love it