Feet For Hands

Album: Arc (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Newcastle-upon-Tyne bouncer Raoul Moat hit the headlines in 2010 when he went on the run after shooting three people. Amongst his victims was police officer David Rathband, who was permanently blinded. Frontman Jonathan Higgs told The Line Of Best Fit that this song is, "a re-imagining of what he must have gone through." He explained: "I read this huge interview with him and he was saying how he couldn't remember the faces of his family. They were featureless as an orange to him. And I thought that was so stunningly poignant. It was poetic but at the same time incredibly un-poetic and devastating. It was a terrible thing to have happened. It just completely ruined his life. Some of the lyrics are quotes from the interview. He said he kept seeing the moment, seeing Raul Moat appearing in his mirror and that's his last memory and he kept seeing it all the time."
  • The song title comes from the lyric "let's get up off the floor, and use our feet for hands," which guitarist Alex Robertshaw explained, "is about trying to adjust to a sudden change, adapting."
    Higgs added: "I always throw some reference to evolution into pretty much everything."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Keith Reid of Procol Harum

Keith Reid of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

As Procol Harum's lyricist, Keith wrote the words to "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." We delve into that song and find out how you can form a band when you don't sing or play an instrument.

Thomas Dolby

Thomas DolbySongwriter Interviews

He wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct a video about a home for deranged scientists.

Glen Ballard

Glen BallardSongwriter Interviews

Glen Ballard talks about co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album, and his work with Dave Matthews, Aerosmith and Annie Lennox.

Little Richard

Little RichardFact or Fiction

Was Long Tall Sally a cross-dresser? Did he really set his piano on fire? See if you know the real stories about one of rock's greatest innovators.

Wolfgang Van Halen

Wolfgang Van HalenSongwriter Interviews

Wolfgang Van Halen breaks down the songs on his debut album, Mammoth WVH, and names the definitive Van Halen songs from the Sammy and Dave eras.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.