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Both Hands Lyrics
I am walking
Out in the rain
And I am listening to the low moan
Of the dial tone again
And I am getting
Nowhere with you
And I can't let it go
And I can't get through
The old woman behind the pink curtains
And the closed door
On the first floor
She's listening through the air shaft
To see how long our swan song can last
And both hands
Now use both hands
Oh no, don't close your eyes
I am writing
Graffiti on your body
I am drawing the story of
How hard we tried
I am watching your chest rise and fall
Like the tides of my life
And the rest of it all
And your bones have been my bedframe
And your flesh has been my pillow
I am waiting for sleep
To offer up the deep
With both hands
And in each other's shadows we grew less and less tall
And eventually our theories couldn't explain it all
And I'm recording our history now on the bedroom wall
And when we leave the landlord will come
And paint over it all
And I am walking
Out in the rain
And I am listening to the low moan
Of the dial tone again
And I am getting nowhere with you
And I can't let it go
And I can't get through
So now use both hands
Please use both hands
Oh no, don't close your eyes
I am writing graffiti on your body
I am drawing the story of how hard we tried
Hard we tried
How hard we tried
i think she refers to using both hands in the way that they tried so hard. as though using two hands signifies hard work. for some reason this relationship is falling apart. regardless of how much they would like to love eachother something's in the way. the problem is that neither know what it is or possibly the man in the relationship does but he is not attempting to fix it. it's definately a cool song. full of raw expression. just the way i like em'.
I really agree with you. The fact when she says that the land lord will paint over their story, I think that it means with time their time together will be covered or forgotten. And when she says in our shadows we grew less and less tall... with each and every mistake they made they created each other to be smaller than who they really were. The worst of themselves, always putting each other down.
I really agree with you. The fact when she says that the land lord will paint over their story, I think that it means with time their time together will be covered or forgotten. And when she says in our shadows we grew less and less tall... with each and every mistake they made they created each other to be smaller than who they really were. The worst of themselves, always putting each other down.
i thought this song referred to lesbian sex. . . both hands, she wants her to use both hands. . . ya know. . . i thought swan song was a reference to two people being intertwined. . . getting it one. the lady was listening. . . ha
no, I definitely think both hands represent hard work, using everything you have to make it work. It could be giving your all in the one last time they will be togther, but I definitely think it has more to do with trying and giving your all than simply lesbian sex. the term swan song comes from a myth that a type of swan stays mute it's whole life until the moment before it dies when it supposedly sings one last song... therefore I take it that shes talking about how long their last moment will last before the relationship...
no, I definitely think both hands represent hard work, using everything you have to make it work. It could be giving your all in the one last time they will be togther, but I definitely think it has more to do with trying and giving your all than simply lesbian sex. the term swan song comes from a myth that a type of swan stays mute it's whole life until the moment before it dies when it supposedly sings one last song... therefore I take it that shes talking about how long their last moment will last before the relationship is finally dead and over.
i don't think the "deep" is anything you can quantify. in fact, i think both the idea of the landlord, and the deep, are metaphorical. IE, the landlord won't really be painting over anything, but someone is going to occupy this apartment after this couple, and all of it will be erased. the relationship will be painted over. in the same way, the "deep", i think, is merely the speaker's desire for someone, someday (possibly the lover) to remember the whole thing.
The 'recording our history', to me, is literal ... she's really painting on the walls of the apartment that they shared. I think she really did it. Ani was an art student at the New School, and the other songs from this period (Out of Habit) employ painting as a metaphor. The wall will get painted over when they leave, and their history will be painted over too, details forgotten, no longer shared, when they break up.
"The deep" is just sleep, because it rhymes.
This song, I think, is about that very last fight, and the very last make-up, before two people finally break up. The history that the two share of good, and bad, and other is so extensive, it needs to be recorded.
Writing "graffiti" on your body makes me think of cavemen paintings.....and that is an intensive undertaking, taking a person's "both hands".
I always saw it as a song about a relationship. The sexual implications I took to show how close she felt with this person both by emotion and body.
As for the low moan of the dial tone, either she's thinking of calling this person or they hung up on her.
I found the song to be very moving and beautiful.
I was merely saying that I don't like thinking that the song is about giving head. I understand that there are parts of the song that probably are abit about sex and whatever but because this song has been apart of my life for so long and has had so much to do with me becoming who I am that I don't like thinking that. I still stand by what I said though...I don't want to know what some guy says as someone goes down on him and it's not exactly something I would share with the world on some website. I think the song is about relationships and how hard it is to keep going when you know theres no point anymore.It can be so hard to keep trying even when they know it's over.They have obviously been through alot together as said when she sings "Your bones have been my bedframe and your flesh has been my pillow" being together is a comforting feeling...to have someone you can call yours but they have no future no mattr how hard they try.
I always thought that it said "the lawn mower/and the dial tone again." The real version is much more beautiful: a low moan --> grief, sex, frustration, pain <--dial tone.
What are you talking about?
how incredible is this song?! i love it so much, i'll never get sick of it.