Painting A Hole

Album: Heartworms (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • James Mercer's distorted voice sings of painting a hole on the side of a wall and walking through it into a new world. The Shins singer credits Looney Tunes with sparking the concept. "I've always been fascinated by that moment in the old cartoons, where [Wile E.] Coyote would paint a scene of the highway on a rock and hope that the Roadrunner would smash into it," Mercer told Billboard magazine. "Of course, what happens is that the Roadrunner would just go right into the scene."
  • The lyrics are more than a surreal, cartoonish fantasy. Mercer also sees the song as a metaphor for belief systems, and how they can cause us to create our own reality. "I guess I was thinking about fascism and so on, and the darkness of what can happen when people decide to believe in anything," he said.
  • The song features an electrified dulcimer played by Chris Funk of The Decemberists.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Zac Hanson

Zac HansonSongwriter Interviews

Zac tells the story of Hanson's massive hit "MMMbop," and talks about how brotherly bonds effect their music.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

P.F. Sloan

P.F. SloanSongwriter Interviews

P.F. was a teenager writing hits and playing on tracks for Jan & Dean when he wrote a #1 hit that got him blackballed.

N.W.A vs. the World

N.W.A vs. the WorldSong Writing

How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.

TV Theme Songs

TV Theme SongsFact or Fiction

Was a Beatles song a TV theme? And who came up with those Fresh Prince and Sopranos songs?

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.