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

And 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
How hard we tried

And 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 have been waiting for sleep
To offer up the deed with both hands

Oh oh with both hands

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

And 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


Lyrics submitted by aur0ra

Both Hands Lyrics as written by Ani Difranco

Lyrics © A SIDE MUSIC LLC

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Both Hands song meanings
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    General Comment

    My few takes ... I don't think the song was written for any one particular sex although it's certain it involved one particular sex, but she left that open for interpretation because why should sex matter.

    The metaphor of "Both Hands" to me is seems more like "Hold On to the Wheel with Both Hands" because this ride is going to come to a certain, sudden end, so brace yourself.

    AS far as "Writing on the Wall", i've always interpretted that as simply when you live in a place the scuffs and marks you make on the walls and corners are from your personal existance there. But when you move out someone else is going to come in and and fix up the holes and repaint it to remove the "history" of you being there. Sort of like leaving a relationship and entering a new one, eventually the new person is going to remove all (ok not all) hint of the previous relationship, because a new one can't truly begin with the presence of the old one still around.

    "In each of our shadows we grow less and less tall", is a great lyric to me.

    Hedgeson June 22, 2004   Link

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