Lyric discussion by edulor 

Cover art for Mr. Fingers lyrics by Animal Collective

This song was written by Animal Collective based on the famous zoophilic event of Mr. Hands (the guy who had intercourse with a horse and died three days after because of the penetration) as a metaphore of how ephemeral life is and how we do destroy our lives in our hedonistic seek for pleasure. The title, "Mr. Fingers" is a clear allusion to "Mr. Hands", the guy of the horse. The lyrics are centered in his event: "Is perfection a place, or just a glimpse at hard work's face." Here, "hard work's face is a clear metaphor for "hard horse's penis", because for Mr. Hands, perfection may be a place or that horse's penis. "Mad men muse brought tears to my face" speaks for itself. Mr. Hands is a mad men, and his muse is the horse. The muse, with its painful penetration brought tears to Mr. Hands' face. "Man your shoes are hard to replace" also makes reference to the horse. "Top off a brew that brushed like a tie Here are days when friends passed away Except the news the weather is mild Grandma used to love how you'd play Brewed from a bruise but angled we smile Bag your blues and slip in the way" speak about how his existence ended banally, how he passed away and how he gave everything for his satisfaction; the way he became emptiness.

Song Meaning

lol, for some reason i dont think this song has anything to do with having sex with a horse.

I like to break songs like this down line by line.

Is there one sweet one that I must reach for then I'm done Is perfection a place, or just a glimpse at hard work's face

This is basically asking is there an answer to all of lifes questions and does it come on its own or is something we have to strive for.

Kick out the fuse that left like a mine man your shoes are hard to replace I think...

bowint26on, that's a nice interpretation, and actually, complements mine. My interpretation is not about having sex with a horse, but about how futile can life become if we take the incorrect decisions just for the sake of the moment (like having sex with a horse). Therefore, they are criticizing all of them people who lose their lives in the "now" and leave an insignificant life behind. However, if we do want to transcend, we have to become creators, to create, and here is where comes everything that you were saying about the perfection of the creative process.