Know something about this song or lyrics?
Add it to our wiki.
I'd arrest you if I had handcuffs
I'd arrest you if I had the time
I'd throw you down in the back seat
As if you'd committed a terrible crime
I'd break in a town's worth of houses
And rob whole families blind
I'd do it to you like you do it to me
If you knew you would get away fine
I'd drown all these crying babies
If I knew that their mothers wouldn't cry
I'd hold them down and I'd squeeze real soft
To let a piece of myself die
It's hard to be the better man
When you forget you're trying
It's hard to be the better man
I'd arrest you if I had handcuffs
I'd arrest you if I had time
I'd wait for you outside the courtroom
Taunting when all your appeals were declined
I'd drive my car off of a bridge
If I knew that you weren't inside
With a pedal to the floor who could ask for more
A fantastic way to kill some time
And you could lay on your back and be beaten
You could put up your fists and fight
You could try and be way up
Way up, way up, way up
Way up, way up, way up
It's hard be the better man
When you forget you're trying
It's hard to be the better man
When you're still lying
It's hard to be the better man
When you forget you're trying
It's hard to be the better man
When you're still lying, you're still lying
Lyrics submitted by prayingmantis84
Track duration: 04:11
"Handcuffs" as written by Vincent Accardi
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
"I'd drive my car off of a bridge, if I knew that you weren't inside."
The meaning in this, at least for me, was that I was ready to end my life via this exact means save for the fact that I could not get over a girl. Like 'the' girl, the love of your life girl. I felt like I would be doing something terrible to her because I knew she'd hear. As far as my mind could reason, she would have been there with me.
I'm glad I didn't, looking back on it. We're together now and I've never been more satisfied with my life.
"I'd arrest you if I had handcuffs
I'd arrest you if I had the time"
These lines that he keeps repeating basically sound to me like he's saying that he'd stop the 'negative' part of who he is, be it the characteristics of lying (which he mentions a lot), being cold or mean, etc. All of the attributes of himself that he wish he didn't have. This 'demonic' side of him is personified throughout the song which makes it sound like he's talking about someone else.
"I’d throw you down in the backseat
As if you committed a terrible crime"
Probably using an allegory or metaphor of sorts to describe how he'd proceed to 'arrest' his negative side.
"We break into towns worth of houses
And rob whole families blind
I’d do it to you like you do it to me
If I knew you would get away fine"
He's giving an extreme example of a crime, robbing towns of families, and mentioning how he'd act the same way his negative side does (do it to you like you do it to me). The last line denotes attachment and feeling for this dark side because it is still part of him, even though he hates it.
"I’d drown all these crying babies
If I knew that there mothers wouldn’t cry
I’d hold them down and I’d squeeze real soft
And let a piece of myself die"
This is a very powerful verse. I interpret this as atonement.. saying how, if the mothers wouldn't cry (he'd be still considered 'good') he'd drown the babies to remove the dark side of him.. as if by doing something as horrid as drowning babies would almost cancel out the demon in him or something. Or that it would be so evil it would cross over the other side and disappear.
"It’s hard to be the better man
When you forget you’re trying
It’s hard to be the better man"
This is pretty self explanatory.. It's hard to be a better man when the negative side of him is being ignorant to the attempt of trying.
"I’d arrest you if I had handcuffs
I’d arrest you if I had the time
I’d wait for you outside the courtroom
Taunting as your appeals were declined"
His feelings towards the dark side of him become more aggressive now..
"I’d drive my car off of the bridge
If I knew that you weren’t inside
Put the petal to the floor, who could ask for more
A fantastic way to kill some time"
Then he seems to express concern for it, saying how he could just get rid of himself as long as his dark side wasn't there and was safe. I love how it sounds like he's going through an emotional roller-coaster while trying to figure out and make sense of how he actually feels about who he is.. switching between hate and compassion for his internal devil.
"And you could lay on your back and be beaten
You could put up your fists and fight
(You could try anyway)"
I think what he's saying here is that his negative characteristics could surrender, 'lay on its back' and be smothered, they'd try to fight, but the good side will always prevail.
"It’s hard to be the better man
When you forget you’re trying
It’s hard to be the better man
When you’re still lying"
This verse makes me think that the main demons he's addressing are related to lying. I think this part of the song can be taken literally unlike most of the rest. It's hard for him to be a good person when he has this bad side of him that keeps lying. He keeps repeating this, almost like a plea to himself to correct his behavior.
It's confusing, but extremely creative. I suppose this song ties in quite nicely with the title of the album as well "The Devil and God are raging inside me". Definitely about internal struggles on the grounds of morality, in my opinion.
I think the lyrics are talking about how there are so many thing he would do but he doesn't want to hurt them, Like driving off a bridge if he knew you weren't inside. I would kill myself without a doubt if i knew I wouldn't hurt my parents, or my friends, I feel handcuffed and thats what the lyrics are saying, that he is handcuffed to do the right things when it's so much easier to do the easier things
Especially the line "I'd drive my car off of a bridge if I knew you weren't inside". I think that's a metaphor for wanting to escape life through suicide, but not being able to cause you realize all the hurt that would inflict on your loved ones. In a sense they would be "inside" the car because it would bring them down with you, possibly to the point of suicide themselves.
That's just my interpretation.