Atmosphere – The Woman with the Tattoed Hands

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I used to know this woman Who had the most beautiful tattoos On the top sides of both of her hands She was forty-three years old and as far as I know Had never yet been with a man It's not that she wasn't attractive She was beautiful but it was the way that she interacted She was aggressively passive to the point Where she would've intimidated any mitt That ever tried to catch it On the right hand she had a tattoo of a nude girl She claimed it is what God resembled But on the left she had a mirrored image of the same female And this one she explained looked like the devil I remember once watching her touch her own breasts How the tattoos smiled as they stared down her stomach As if anticipating when they'd be allowed to caress The sweet flower that they both seemed to hunger (Sweet flower) Now maybe I was high but it felt so right Heaven and Hell both take to this woman's womb It didn't make sense how she could commence Touching herself with me wide awake in the same room But if I've learned anything in my years (My years) I learned I no longer believe in surprise (In surprise) But what happened next damn near stoled my tears The tattoos came alive right in front of my eyes They both slowly stood up and climbed off her hands And showed me why she never took some time with a man They climbed deep inside of this woman's garden She closed her eyes and she gently bit her bottom lip I stepped I left and I don't regret leaving And I'll never forget all the things I saw that evening A glimpse of religion a piece of coming closer To understanding more about what intrigues me most I didn't get turned on I just got turned I wasn't as aroused as I was concerned For each one of 'em I've hurt and every time I've been burned I've got a lot to teach but even more to learn So now I keep my eyes open hoping to take in all I can About women taking in all she can And for as long as I breathe I'll save receipt In my memory for that woman with the tattooed hands There's good and evil in each individual fire Identifies needs and feeds our desire As long as we keep our spirit inspired She can bite her bottom lip all she wants There's good and evil in each individual fire Identifies needs and feeds our desire As long as we keep our spirit inspired She can bite her bottom lip all she wants There's good and evil in each individual fire Identifies needs and feeds our desire As long as we keep our spirit inspired She can bite her bottom lip all she wants ...

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Lyrics submitted by nocuous_sunshine

"The Woman With the Tattooed Hands" as written by Lamont Herbert Dozier

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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The Woman with the Tattoed Hands song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment:I understand that this is an allegory so maybe you might not see it at first but he explains it to you at the end like he does in most songs, "There's good and evil in each individual fire Identifies needs and feeds our desire As long as we keep our spirit inspired She can bite her bottom lip all she wants". He explains to you that on one hand is god one the devil, they each sand up, climb inside her, and both god and the devil, "make her feel good". Good and Evil are inside all of us and drive us but as long as "we keep our spirit inspired" you can enjoy your self all you want.
    Flag bmp1113on June 26, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:In the literal sense, I feel like the tattoos resemble two sides of her personality and passive aggressiveness (adoration and hatred/the heaven and hell) of love and sex. The song entitles a story: he leaves the room when he sees an older woman doing her self because he found it intriguing and sad at the same time, either by her promiscuity or lack of. He didn’t want to touch her, to be in that punctured, wounded sense that there’s no love, just a fuck with fists up her sweet flower, only a vag of old age who was traumatized by life experiences with men (or shit people in general) who act in haste and disrespect internal connections (be it love and sex or other connections). The woman was hurt, probably many times, so she lost compassion and respect for herself, giving up on both the good and bad. All women hurt, all people hurt, who transfix on the desire to fulfill needs impulsively without the virtue of patience and love. He saw that in her, feels remorse about his past girls, and then walks off/moves on. In the after effect, she represents the downfall, he represents the change. “..and for as long as I breathe, I’ll save a seat in my memory for that woman with the tattooed hands.” He found something in her, a change in him, that he’ll never forget.
    Flag balloonstringon May 19, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Just one big metaphor for creation. Instead of tempting Adam with the apple and them eating it, masterbation is substituted. She had been born pure, but with free will. The two tattoos represent that purity and evil. In the end she chose sin while Adam watched. He wasn't turned on by it; rather, he was turned...never again to enter the world without the stain of sin. The song is about original sin. The song is incredibly creative...a masterpiece.
    Flag JoyDivisionFan1on October 22, 2011   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    General Comment:In my opinion, he refers to the woman of somebody that dedicates her life to religion, and almost as someone who spreads belief of religion.

    She led him on into thinking he was going to have sex with her, but instead she showed that her religion is all she needed, for all of her pleasures. Hence "They both slowly stood up and climbed off her hands
    And showed me why she never took some time with a man" and "They climbed deep inside of this woman's garden
    She closed her eyes and she gently bit her bottom lip
    I stepped, I left, and I don't regret leaving
    And I'll never forget all the things I saw that evening
    A glimpse of religion, a piece of coming closer
    To understanding more about what intrigues me most"


    I think there is a lot more depth to her fisting herself, especially considering how he mentioned how both the tattoos came alive.

    Flag xmakeafistxon October 22, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The woman with tattoed hands is a metaphor for hip hop!!!




    rapgenius.com/lyrics/Atmosphere/…
    this should help. if you click each lyric line it tells you the real meaning.
    Flag celibooon May 09, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Alright, so, before I read any of this I was unsure of what the song really meant...it was interesting, the whole concept. so of course thats why I tried to find out, which got me to this website. and i think that this woman believes she is her own god, and she is the woman tattooed on her hands representing herself as her god, but realizing she is at times wrong, she has an identical tattoo of herself on the other hand representing her as the devil. they both climbed deep inside of her "sacred garden" and it felt so good, but somewhere inside of her she feels its wrong, because shes going against societys norms of woman getting pleasure out of men. initially this woman can please herself, so, thats why she's this beautiful woman who is a 43 year old virgin. she doesnt believe anyone can please her more then she can please herself, and for that she is going against god, and creating her own rules, making her consider herself as her god. I could listen to this song over and over again.
    Flag littlebritton October 13, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think it's talking about creation. Good hand (god) and evil hand (devil) being put into the garden (garden of eden-the garden and women both represent earth), now that both are there, women(earth) bites down her lips, in both pleasure and pain (earth is effected by the good and bad in society). While he(human) sits and watches, he watches everything going on but doesn't really do anything except leave-like a lot of people in society when they see something happening.
    Flag MASONMEANon October 06, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this older woman is pleasuring herself. she (or slug) seems to think that the perception of good and evil differ for all people and, with everyone you meet, you will see good and evil in them. there are many influences on these perceptions (religion, soceity, ect.) and you have to be open minded when you encounter things that seem different. and with slug leaving he may have found this woman's act "evil" but looks back on it as a learning experience about religion, spirituality, needs, and desires.

    as for the masturbation, society today puts alot of emphasis on sex. she has never been with a man because she doesnt feel the need to. she's going against the grain of society but keeps her "spirit inspired" and is content with this. as far as we know we only have one life, so keep doing what makes you happy (to a certian degree) despite what others may say or think.
    Flag simpletonlolon October 01, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:"On a plane, I wrote a song called "Woman with the tattooed hands" about the woman sitting next to me. I didn't know her, but she kept staring at me like she hated me. So I started to write the song next to her, hoping that she would look down and notice. She didn't." - Slug

    Whole interview here: railroadhiphop.blogspot.com/2008/08/…
    Flag eldorrado57on March 21, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Memory:i feel like i'm going to be like her.
    i like men, but i don't want to "be" with anyone, i prefer to "be" alone.
    Flag ogsportoon February 24, 2010   Link

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