place your hands

Why havent more people posted on this?!!! This a an AWESOME song man! Reminds me of loads of nights out in 1st yr of uni, everyone would go CRAZY when this song came on as soon as they heard the riff intro, pure class, Reef are so underrated!

this song is actually about the death of Gary Stringers grandfather, or so i heard. i think he's asking God or maybe even his grandfather to help him through his grief, etc. i think he just wants to be released from his grief, or 'the way that [he] feels right now'.

Gary Stringer was dealing with a loved one slowly dying. Having been there myself, the lyrics become more poignant...
"Oh place your hands, on my whole, Run your fingers through my soul"

Cancer can take a hold and travel (metastasis) across the body, nasty stuff, so the request is out there for God's healing hands to reach across his entire existence, including his soul, to heal -

He's pleading for the Common one, God, to reach down and "Oh Lord may it go" -

Two meaning here I interpret as "may it go" refers to the the sickness eroding his Grandfather, and the pain Stringer felt during and since. He himself has referred to the pain as "devastation" in interviews about this song.

Great song with huge depth, delivered successfully into the mainstream. Thanks Reef, and RIP to all this dreaded disease has taken.

Hand up....who thought this was "put your hands on my hole"...I betcha like 99% of the population :) It actually kinda turned me off the song because of the visual imagery.... love, elisa

i agree. why havn't more people posted on this song? Its one of them feel good anthems i reckon that even if you dont hear it for ten years youll still remember it.

yeah great upbeat feel-good song. gr8 singin voice

yeah i thought it was whole, not quite hole! hahaha, but still i was wrong! i'm glad i wasnt the only one thinking that for the last ten years!

I too thought it was "hole" and it made me really hate this song, the dirty bastards. I hope they washed it thoroughly. Not a big Reef fan I have to say, but at least I know it isnt hole anymore. Thank fuck for that.

I think this song is written for a new love. It's about letting go of the fear of failing that a new relationship brings. When you find someone, you just have to let yourself go. You have to tell your lover that you want them to feel the hope that you feel and to understand your soul, your feelings and emotion. Maybe this wont work out but we are not going to hold back from each other. I just want you know know exactly who I am and it will be beautiful. We can't fight our feelings, so let's just make a go of it. I dont know what the Common One is though,,, It was a Van Morrison record, but that doesn't make sense to me.

The common one is a chav called Scott that the singer (Stringer) was very fond of when he was at school in Glastonbury. (I was in the year below). When Scott joined the army, Gary became very dispondent. The "place your hands" bit is a reference to the way a policeman ask you to place your hands on the roof of the car when he needs to search your pockets. Here, Stringer is asking Scott to place his hands on his soul, so that he can trust him.