Throw My Bones

Album: Whoosh! (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • To "throw my bones" means to roll the dice. That's because in ancient times, people would throw animal bones to divine the future. When they painted spots on the bones, they became early versions of dice and were used in games of chance.

    In a Songfacts interview with Deep Purple lead singer Ian Gillan, he explained how it relates to this song's message. "The idea of trying to find out what's going to happen tomorrow, nobody knows that," he said. "I went through this whole Brexit thing, and people saying, 'We don't have enough information and what's going to happen?' I'm thinking to myself, 'I know everything I need to know. Who knows what's going to happen? But I'm prepared.' That's what the song is about. It's just about being content with life as it is. It doesn't mean to say that you just sit there and don't do anything or you don't have ambition. It just means to say that you don't know what the future holds. It may be something you'd really rather not have."
  • This is the lead single from Deep Purple's 21st album, Whoosh!. Like their previous two, it was produced by Bob Ezrin, who recorded the band in Nashville. This lineup of Deep Purple includes three members from their classic Mark II era: Roger Glover, Ian Gillan and Ian Paice; along with Steve Morse, who joined in 1994; and Don Airey, who came on board in 2002.
  • In the music video, and astronaut wanders around the city before venturing to the countryside and finding himself in a desert setting. The same astronaut is on the cover of the album, tying in with the apocalyptic nature of some of the songs.

    The band doesn't show up in the video at all, which is fine with them. "We've never been fond of videos," Gillan told Songfacts. "And we don't look that good these days, either!"
  • According to Ian Gillan, the Woosh! album title was chosen for its onomatopoeic qualities, and "when viewed through one end of a radio-telescope, describes the transient nature of humanity on Earth."
  • Whoosh! entered UK's album chart at #4, the band's highest-charting longplayer since their 1980 chart-topper Deepest Purple.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Justin Timberlake

Justin TimberlakeFact or Fiction

Was Justin the first to be Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher? Did Britney really blame him for her meltdown? Did his bandmates think he was gay?

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

John Waite

John WaiteSongwriter Interviews

"Missing You" was a spontaneous outpouring of emotion triggered by a phone call. John tells that story and explains what MTV meant to his career.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Don Brewer of Grand Funk

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.