Take a litle 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 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
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 hand
You 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 hand
(Organ solo)
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
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
(Organ solo)
Extra verse from DJ Spooky Remix (From Scream 2 Soundtrack):
He'll extend his hand, real slowly for a shake
You'll see it coming toward you, real slowly for a shake
(Grabbing at your peril buddy?) cause you know you ain't
getting near much as he will take.
He's a...
He's mumbling words you can't understand
He's mumbling word behind his red right hand.
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
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
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 hand
You 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 hand
(Organ solo)
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
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
(Organ solo)
Extra verse from DJ Spooky Remix (From Scream 2 Soundtrack):
He'll extend his hand, real slowly for a shake
You'll see it coming toward you, real slowly for a shake
(Grabbing at your peril buddy?) cause you know you ain't
getting near much as he will take.
He's a...
He's mumbling words you can't understand
He's mumbling word behind his red right hand.
Lyrics submitted by Nelly
Track duration: 06:11
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So yes, this song is possibly about an impersonation of Satan, as it has been mentioned in other comments. Seeing that this is a recurring character, I'd probably say that this man with a red right hand is Cave's lust for murder, his murderous self, for that matter. Sorry if this has been said before, but I haven't read through the 7 pages of comments :)
''Red right hand'' comes from Paradise Lost. In the poem it's pretty obvious it's about Satan.
It may not be about the devil himself but about a generalized evil. A more psychological Satan rather than a spiritual one.
he will comfort you, that can represent the way they may give you a job and say you are protecting people, and it is in the interest of the nation, while in reality you are doing shady things. stacks of green paper in his red right hand, well that's obvious, the government has money to spend, and they have power and are corrupt.
this song was used in the x files tv series. In the show, they show shady government figures, like the cigarette smoking man, skinner, and others, that are involved with corrupt plots and cover ups. Some of them are murderers, aka "red right hand" (in my opinion, I think that is what the show and song is driving at)
"black coat" = government agent
my opinion is that it has nothing to do with the devil, that's just my opinion.
there are lots of different opinions about this song, but this is what came into my mind when I heard it. great song by the way. (I like the music, not the lyrics)
"you are one microscopic cog in his plan" = one small agent, amidst a vast network,, a large machine., one cog in a big machine.
"take me to the town, and go across the tracks.... " = see? its anytown usa, it can happen anywhere. They can find you, any place, any where... no secret is safe.
It is directly used in this song and "Song of Joy"
As Robster says below
"In Milton’s poem the hand is red because it BLAZES with fiery potency"
In "O'Malley's Bar" he writes
My hand decided that the time was nigh
And for a moment it slipped from view
And when it returned, it fairly BURNED
With confidence anew.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…
You will remember that Cave lived in Brazil in the early 1990s and it seems likely that he would be familiar with the character.
Antonio is a sort of avenging angel -causing all sorts of havoc or help depending on who you are.- just like the man with the red right hand.
I can't say I can recommend the movies - they are pretty hard work, but none the less, interesting in their own way.
Q: I find it hard to believe that you ad-libbed in the song "Red Right Hand."
Nick Cave: "That's quite true. One of my great talents is ad-libbing, I have to say. I had the title, and basically I knew what I wanted to sing about, and it was a matter of just going in and putting it down. There's certain lines in there, obviously, that aren't off the top of my head, but there's ones in there that definitely are. Aren't I incredible?"
Yes, Nick. Yes you are.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…
You will remember that Cave lived in Brazil in the early 1990s and it seems likely that he would be familiar with the character.
Antonio is a sort of avenging angel -causing all sorts of havoc or help depending on who you are.- just like the man with the red right hand.
I can't say I can recommend the movies - they are pretty hard work, but none the less, interesting in their own way.