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.
Hip hip hooray
Talk to me and I'll be a saint
Take off your clothes
Grave-starved ghost
And don't be ashamed
If I'm watchin'
Don't stop talkin'
Just start talkin'
Ooooh...
You sat and stared
In your grandmother's chair
In that favorite room
And he, drunkenly
Four for three
Pressin' on you
Oh darling
You're cryin'
You're cryin'
Ooooh...
Oh darling
Stop cryin'
Just stop cryin'
Ooooh...
Talk to me and I'll be a saint
Take off your clothes
Grave-starved ghost
And don't be ashamed
If I'm watchin'
Don't stop talkin'
Just start talkin'
Ooooh...
You sat and stared
In your grandmother's chair
In that favorite room
And he, drunkenly
Four for three
Pressin' on you
Oh darling
You're cryin'
You're cryin'
Ooooh...
Oh darling
Stop cryin'
Just stop cryin'
Ooooh...
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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Great version of a great song,
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
:/ beautiful.
The grave-starved ghost metaphor gets me every time.
i always think of rape when listening to this song. am i crazy ? does anyone have a better explanation ?
@immekusaurus I do too. I think it makes sense when you look at the lyrics.
@immekusaurus I don't think you're crazy... I'm pretty sure it's pretty adjacent to that. Like with Avalanche, a lot of it seems to deal with the emptiness of relationships with others if not directly referencing sex work. So I don't know if it's about a sexual assault, but it definitely seems to be about a very negative, damaging experience with sex...
these are terribly off. ive noticed this about most of the lyrics posted from not animal, so maybe they changed over time? i dunno, but these are different than the ones on the album version.
these lyrics are for the first version of "hip hip hooray" (which is 3 minutes and 55 seconds long); it's the earlier demo that wasn't released on a full CD.<br /> the later "hip hip hooray" (which is 4 minutes and 48 seconds long) is far newer, just being released in 2008 on "not animal".<br /> the lyrics, as well as the overall sound, do differ quite a bit between the two versions. <br /> in my opinion, the earlier version is better.
but yeah this is a beautiful song
"Grave starved ghost" almost sounds like a metaphor...like the girl he's with really needs something she doesn't have or can't have. He obviously wants her to talk to him because it really sounds live he loves her and cares about what she thinks. She also sounds like she's self conscious because she's ashamed to take off her clothes in front of someone who loves her. When she "sat and stared" in her grandmother's chair "in that favorite room", it almost sound like maybe her grandma died and she had some cherished memories in that room? The part where it says "and he, drunkenly, five for three, pressing on you" most likely refers to her grandfather? Or her father? I'm not 100% sure on that one. She's crying because the memories are painful. The main singer in this song cares about her a lot and wants her to stop crying... She just sounds empty. Thus the "grave starved ghost" thing.
By the way, it's "Don't stop talking, just start walking."
no, whoever posted the lyrics isn't wrong.<br /> <br /> "don't stop talking, just start walking" is from the 2008 release of "hip hip hooray" on the CD "not animal". the posted lyrics here are NOT from that version. these are the lyrics from the earlier demo version.<br /> <br /> also, if you notice, my first comment was in 2007, meaning the person who posted the lyrics did so prior to that. your post was from 2010, two years after the second version on "not animal" was released.
Oops, I meant "like" when I said "live". Sorry.
you should really label this song "hip hip hooray (demo version)" so as to not confuse others.
@charcoalsketch Yes. I'm now scrambling to undo the edits I made before I knew this was a different version...
I think this song is about a girl who was raped.
"Hip hip hooray / Talk to me, and I'll be your saint." - Richard is telling her that she can talk to him about anything, and he'll be a loyal and respectful listener/confidant.
"Take off your clothes, / Grave-starved ghost, / And don't be ashamed" - The girl is a "grave-starved ghost" -- she feels empty and dead inside, and yet she feels lost, unable to find comfort. Richard tells her that even though she's been raped, she shouldn't have to feel ashamed of her body when she takes her clothes off anymore, it's okay.
"If I'm watching, / Don't stop talking, / Just start walking" - I think this part connects to the other talking/walking part near the end of the song. Richard tells the girl that he's there watching her and listening to her, and that she can continue to talk to him and vent to him. At the same time, he tells her that she should begin to start mentally "walking away" from what happened to her, leaving the past behind.
"You sat and stared / At your grandmother's chair, / In that favorite room / And he, drunkenly, / Five [fat?] for three, / Pressing on you" - This is the story that the girl told Richard. The incident must have happened when she was young; she's at her grandparents' house. It isn't directly implied that her grandfather is the one who raped her, it could have been any other family member who was there at the time. We know that he was drunk. Everyone seems to hear "five for three" at this part, but I'm not sure what that would mean..? It does sound that way, but it also sort of sounds like he's singing "fat for three," which would make more sense to me -- he's fat enough for three people, he's drunk, and he's "pressing on" her (presumably, he molested her).
"Oh darling, / Stop talking, / And start walking" - I think that here, Richard is telling her to stop talking about and reliving the horrific event that she's experienced, and instead start mentally "walking away" from it, leaving it in the past so that she can continue on with her life and not let it negatively affect her any longer.
"Oh darling, / Stop crying, / And start smiling" - Richard lets the girl know that everything is okay; that she can stop reliving her assault and being depressed, and instead work towards becoming stronger and smiling again.
Well, that's my two cents about this song. It's definitely been one of my absolute favorites by this band ever since I first got into them. it's a bittersweet story that delivers a powerful message overall, and the song in and of itself is simply beautiful.