Bloodless Moonlight

Iron & Wine “Sinning Hands”

There is something about Sam Beam’s voice, particularly in the context of his fuller musical arrangements, that makes me zone out and ignore his lyrics. I liked this track immediately, but probably heard it about fifteen times before thinking that I should try to pay attention to his words. As it turns out, “Sinning Hands” seems to be sung from the perspective of someone with rather complicated issues regarding sexuality. There isn’t a great deal of context in the lyrics, but there is the distinct impression that the protagonist is ashamed of his sexual relationship with a woman whose “eyes hide like kittens, new and wet.” (Uh, okay!) As the song moves along, his body withers and decays, seemingly corrupted by this sexual encounter. It reads as though it could be based upon some sort of myth or allegory, but I suppose there is always the chance that this is sung from the first person and that Sam Beam is some sort of deeply messed-up prude. I wouldn’t know.

Buy it from Amazon.