Red Right Hand is a song interpreted by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, an Australian alternative rock band, in their album « Let Love In » this song was released in 1994. The title is a reference to Paradise Lost, a epic poem written by John Milton, « Red Right Hand » is a quote from this poem it says:

«  In my house he wrote « His red right hand ».« 

In the poem, it refers to the vengeful hand of God. The meaning of this song isn’t totally clear, some people will say that it refers to the political life, others say that it refers to a crime and some others to the Devil.                                                                                                                 And you, what do you think about it?

Here’s the lyrics:

Take a little walk to the edge of town
and go across the tracks
Where the viaduct looms,
like a bird of doom
As it shifts and cracks
Where secrets lie in the border fires,
in the humming wires
Hey man, you know
you’re never coming back
Past the square, past the bridge,
past the mills, past the stacks
On a gathering storm comes
a tall handsome man
in a dusty black coat with
a red right hand

He’ll wrap you in his arms,
tell you that you’ve been a good boy
He’ll rekindle all the dreams
it took you a lifetime to destroy
He’ll reach deep into the hole,
heal your shrinking soul,
but there won’t be a single thing
that you can do
He’s a god, he’s a man,
he’s a ghost, he’s a guru
They’re whispering his name
through this disappearing land
But hidden in his coat
is a red right hand

You don’t have no money?
He’ll get you some
You don’t have no car?
He’ll get you one
You don’t have no self-respect,
you feel like an insect
Well don’t you worry buddy,
’cause here he comes
Through the ghettos and the barrio
and the bowery and the slum
A shadow is cast wherever he stands
Stacks of green paper in his
red right hand

You’ll see him in your nightmares,
you’ll see him in your dreams
He’ll appear out of nowhere but
he ain’t what he seems
You’ll see him in your head,
on the TV screen
And hey buddy, I’m warning
you to turn it off
He’s a ghost, he’s a god,
he’s a man, he’s a guru
You’re one microscopic cog
in his catastrophic plan
Designed and directed by
his red right hand

Some facts about this song:
« Red Right Hand » have been used many time in the popular culture:
– In cinema with the movie Peaky Blinders (2013), in Scream 1 & 2 (in fact, Nick Cave recorded another version of as « Red Right Hand 2 » for Scream 3.)
-« Red Right Hand have also been recorded by Arctic Monkeys an English indie rock band , there’s another version covered by PJ Harvey and some others artists.

It’s been not very long that I discovered this song, but the first time that I heard it, I immediatly love it ? it’s maybe because it’s quite mysterious…

Here’s the link of the song, enjoy! 😉