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Left Hand Song Lyrics

Too much time spent trying to crawl into a hole
Trying to crawl out of that hole

I followed a path of a piece of a bread, traveling
From one little sparrow's beak
To another little sparrow's beak

He picked it up, threw it and then dropped it, then
This other one picked it up and threw it and again
Then they broke it into pieces
Ate it up and forgot that it ever existed

They were still hungry, I bet
They were still hungry at the end

I was inside my office at the time
And I got real scared
Thought I saw two snakes slithering
Then I remembered:
Snakes don't live in carpeted areas

Too much time spent
And I'm spent

There is an old meatball wrapped inside of tinfoil
Lying on the bottom shelf of our fridge
A lesson in how fleeting preservation is...
Song Info
Submitted by
adamanteve On Jan 18, 2006
14 Meanings

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Cover art for Left Hand Song lyrics by Regina Spektor

I like this song. It's creepy and weird, but I love it.

I guess it's about trying to survive and protect yourself. At the beginning, she talks about how people crawl into holes to protect themselves and then spend the rest of their time trying to get back out again because life inside a hole isn't much of a life.

The birds then fight over this one little crumb that ends up not satisfying them, which I guess relates to the beginning. The life of safety isn't satisfying and isn't worth the work it took to get.

The part about the office is about how people hide from imaginary fears. There is no reason to fear snakes in the carpet of an office because they simply won't be there. It's a waste of time to worry about them.

The meatball, then, is rotten and gross, which shows that a life of being preserved amounts to nothing worthwhile.

Thoughts?

Cover art for Left Hand Song lyrics by Regina Spektor

I always thought this song was about food and how it rottens quickly. You need to eat your food fast like the sparrows or else it will go bad. Eat it before there's too much time spent!

"There is an old meatball wrapped inside of tinfoil Lying on the bottom shelf of our fridge A lesson in how fleeting preservation is... "

Cover art for Left Hand Song lyrics by Regina Spektor

Funny story that turned into a "ah-ha!" moment for this song.

Yesterday I bought an Izze Sparkling Blackberry drink (I dunno if any of you have heard of it, but it's my favorite and it comes in a glass bottle). Anyway, I hadn't had one in a long time so I was sooooo excited to drink it! I saved it for when I got home so that I could have it with dinner. I cooked my dinner still without drinking it, and finally went to eat/drink and BAM I knocked it on the floor and it shattered!!!! I wanted to cry (it was just one of those long frustrating days and that was my "reward").

In case you can't guess where this is going now (hehe) all I could think was "a lesson in how fleeting preservation is". I.e. what's the point of "preserving" things when lots of times the preservation doesn't even last (like the old meatball in tinfoil- I imagine it to be all moldy and old now, but at the time I'm sure someone was like "mmm! save that for later!). So it kind of made me start thinking of this song as an "enjoy things now while you can't, don't wait for later since it's not even promised to us!"

That's my 2 cents. :D

Two things...

That is my favourite drink too! Didn't know other people like it as much.

And also, totally agree and have had very similar experiences so many times, maybe now I'll learn my lesson (about how fleeting preservation is :) )

Cover art for Left Hand Song lyrics by Regina Spektor

They wanted a shorter title and she composed the song just with her left hand

Cover art for Left Hand Song lyrics by Regina Spektor

i am in total agreement! you followed my thought exactly... isnt regina amazing!

Cover art for Left Hand Song lyrics by Regina Spektor

once again, i am absolutely speechless at regina's amazingness.

Cover art for Left Hand Song lyrics by Regina Spektor

When she says "yeah, yeah, yeah" in the last verse, does anybody else notice a slight similarity to the Beatles singing "yeah, yeah, yeah" in "She Loves You"? I know that Regina every now and then will incorporate other songs within her songs (ex. BYOS and "My Favorite Things", Raindrops, Daniel Cowman and "Strangers in the Night", etc.) and I was just wondering if I was nuts to see a similarity there..... cheers!

AHHH!!! I was just about to say the same thing!!! :) I love how it sounds like something from an oldies song!! Her voice is SOOOOO beautiful in this!! <3

Cover art for Left Hand Song lyrics by Regina Spektor

Question: why is the title Left Hand Song now? Just curious. :D Thanks!

She recorded this version with Joshua Bell for his album "At Home with Friends." I think they just wanted a shorter title?

I was thinking about the title, my guess is it is called "Left Hand Song" because she composed it for Joshua Bell's new album, and he plays the violin, and the left hand is the more important hand when playing the violin.

actualy this is the same song as "a lesson in how fleeting preservation is"

it was already called "left hand song" before she recorded it with joshua bell (there's a photo of a track list of a sidney show in 2008 where the song was listed)

from what I could gather from the video where she played with joshua, she seemed to use only the left hand for this song

Cover art for Left Hand Song lyrics by Regina Spektor

really? i LOVE the violin part! joshua bell is a ledgend (and it adds to the effect of the song).

Cover art for Left Hand Song lyrics by Regina Spektor

from where is this song??? coz it is not an album song!!

@Chrispektor it's on "home with friends" by Joshua Bell.

 
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