Lyrics for Both Hands as interpreted by aur0ra

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

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city212girl
05-31-2006

Rated 0 
The low mone of the dial tone is when you call someone and they don't answer you just hear a dial tone repeating itself. She speaks of this again when she sings "I can't let it go and I can't get through"

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fly me high
06-16-2006

Rated 0 
"graffiti on your body" reminds me of that game you play when your little or bored where you write out letters to spell things on people's backs. swan song- like that last thing before you die. could be the last fight or discussion. i like the part about the old woman, like nothing-even ending something that was good in the start-nothing is sacred. the "theories" part reminds me of how you can't necessarily have a clear beginning and middle and end. like they couldn't tell when they started to become one person (ie the shadows). and by writing the history on the wall, she's leaving it there-like closure-for somebody to erase and almost signifying she's her own again.

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Crzy
06-26-2006

Rated 0 
this might be the greatest song ever her voice is soo amazing

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Nvmbr_Love
07-04-2006

Rated 0 
Fly me high, its funny that you say that because i just got back from a dance convention and we learned a dance to this incredible song.:D After class I imediatly went and asked the teacher what it was called.I bought it and now im in love with it

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Joyfulgirl415
07-21-2006

Rated 0 
I ADORE this song!!!

I agree with spasticbean's interpretation. And in addition, I think in the "both hands" part, she's saying be gentle, like if you were talking to a child carrying something fragile: "you two hands so you don't drop it." It's another reference to how hard Ani and her parter were working to keep their relationship in tact.

And I think the "don't close your eyes" part is like saying, "You don't want to miss this. These times are precious. We may not be together for too much longer. make sure you're present for these last moments we have."

Just a guess :o)

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kinda.perfect
10-28-2006

Rated 0 
Swan song" is a reference to an ancient belief that the Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is completely mute during its lifespan, but may sing one heartbreakingly beautiful song just before it dies.

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CherylJoyy
12-19-2006

Rated 0 
I think this is open for interpretation.
I have always related it to when I was in love. We lived together. That apartment was ours and our love was all over the place. Passion was never lacking. "Eventually our theories couldn't explain it all." It didn't work out. I would have painted it all over the walls. I know I cried it out so hard, that if the walls could talk they'd tell my story. We will always deny each other, but whenever we'd have sex.. it was love. He used both hands.

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Sayna
03-30-2007

Rated 0 
""Most people think that is odd, but you don't have to be female to be a feminist. "

syko, youre my hero. ppl are always so 'wahh feminism how scary!!' wahhh.

then again i live in texas ... "

Ditto that. Finally, someone gets it! I hate that feminism has become the f-word. People are just terrified of it. They say things like "I'm not a feminist, BUT... I believe men and women should have equal rights." I just sit there and laugh and say "Um, Guess what..."

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missimpossible
05-21-2007

Rated 0 
This song is the most poetic thing.

It is beautiful, simple, perfection.

I cannot praise it highly enough.

I am totally in love with it.

S x

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werechick
07-03-2007

Rated 0 
I adore this.

The idea of both hands is the desperation, the longing for contact. I suppose the best comparison would be to a scene in Leonard Cohen's novel, Beautiful Losers, where his hero is making love to his wife, and it is so clear that he longs to connect to her, to become, literally one with her, rather than be two people intersecting for the moment. He wants to consume her whole, like a fire. And this is the kind of love making Ani is trying to get across, that kind of desperate desire of a doomed relationship.

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paradisewidows
09-03-2007

Rated 0 
"she's listening through the air shaft to see how long our swan song can last"

oh my god.

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LilCAT
10-02-2007

Rated 0 
This song to me is all about the the death of a relationship, at that point with somebody when it goes round in circles. You both know that it's going no where but your both not willing to let go...
When she says
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 think thats all about the goodbye shag. The last time you have sex, drawing graffti on your body she's using her hands all over the body memorising and taking it all in.
Both hands is all about give me your full attention, be carefull with me, use both hands.
This song helped me through a really hard break up awhile ago and it just fit.
In each other shadow's we grew less and less tall, thats kinda how i felt... sometimes when your with someone for so long you lose your own identity in there's and that kinda what i get from that....
Beautiful song and i still listen to it on repeat all the time, the new version on the best of album is awesome

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yep
11-14-2007

Rated 0 
I'm sure the meaning of this song has been said over and over, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents.

To me, this song is most definitely about a break-up.
The relationship was so good until now. And now, she wants her lover to hold with both hands and not let go easily even though they both know it’s ending.

The “low moan of the dial tone” reminds me of when you’re going to call someone you’ve broken up with and you’re sitting there listening to the dial tone thinking on it and not actually doing it, trying to figure out if you really want to do it.

The old woman to me is that nosy neighbor that’s always peeking through, but maybe I’ve just had nosy neighbors in the past because lesbians are fascinating creatures apparently.

“I am drawing the story of how hard we tried” is when you’re thinking about the relationship and how good it was and how it all came to an end. Maybe even how you’re explaining why you’re breaking up with someone.

“I am watching your chest rise and fall like the tides of my life and the rest of it all”
Maybe the last night you spend with the person? And you’re watching them sleep, just thinking about the relationship.

I think the line "And your bones have been my bed frame, and your flesh has been my pillow" is quite possibly one of the best lines to a song I've ever heard.
It’s so much passion packed into one line. At one time, being passionate with that person was so perfect, so comfortable.

This song = amazing.

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daneypops
03-29-2008

Rated 0 
i think the first part sets the scene so beautifully. they've fought, and she's walked out to get some air. it starts to rain, and she calls and calls their house to speak to the other person, who won't pick up. it's a symbol of their relationship in general, she's always trying to connect and it's not happening.
the old woman hears their rows all the time, and she is watching to see how long this final goodbye will be drawn out for.
as for both hands, i've read that it's a reference to sex, but it also makes me think of the moment where her lover tells her it's over, that they don't want to be with her anymore, and she's begging him/her to take her hands in both of hers and look her in the eye to tell her, as opposed to shutting their eyes and barely touching her. the only bit i can think of for body graffiti is maybe that she's tracing words with her fingers as she holds the other person's hand, or they have sex once more before they finally split, and durig it she's writing secret messages with her fingers to tell the other person what she can't say out loud. it's a beautiful song.

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liveitfast93
04-19-2008

Rated 0 
i think when she is "walking in the rain" she finds herself lost. "listening to the low moan in the dial tone again and getting no where with you." I think that maybe she is trying to call someone to say that it is over..."and i can't let it go, and i can't get through." but she can't find the strength to.
"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" I think this may mean that some nosie lady is listening in to her soap-opera of a life, so in the end when things don't go right she could say 'i told you so.'
To me, "both hands" signifies how hard they held on. And when she says "don't close your eyes, I am writing graffiti on my body.. I'm drawing the story of how hard we've tried." I that she might be inflicting pain on herself, maybe slitting her wrists, and saying 'take a good look of what you've turned me into.'
"i am watching your chest rise and fall like the tides of my life" I think this line may be referring to meaningless sex, and comparing its risky-ness to her life. "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 i think this is trying to say that she's held on to this person because they have been there shelter, and they have comforted them, but something is missing...but she forgets about that when she is asleep.
"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" This basically means, that over time they grew less important to one another and started to grow apart, and their views that brought them together changed over time and moved them apart. And when she says she's recording there history on their bedroom wall, she might be writing with the blood from the slits on her wrists....and that's why she says the landlord will come paint it over.

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gnatalie
07-28-2008

Rated 0 
use both hands is what my boyfriend says to me when i'm going down on him... i just hope no old ladies behind pink curtains are watching.

this last interpretation is totally wrong.

ani difranco is more a feminist than a self-inflict abuser. you know ladies, when you're having sex with a man, giving him head... and you like it but you KNOW it's demeaning... that's what she's talking about. what ani was doing with that guy at the time was mimicking how HARD they were trying to make things work at that moment... how sad it was that she was doing this for him when she didn't even feel he was completely worthy of it... even more so because they both knew the relationship wasn't working.

you've all felt this... she digs into subconcious thoughts of women.

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Lil lex
08-13-2008

Rated -1 
I know this website is for people to give their opinions about what songs mean but this song is NOT about sex.
I've been listening to,dancing to and singing this song since I was 3 years old (so 13 years) and it means so much to me,it's been through all the hard/bad times in my life aswell as the good and to think for a second that it could be about sex or giving head is sickening!
Ani writes very powerful lyrics with even stronger messages but I honestly don't think that a song with these connotations is about sex...It's about so much more than that and it's demeaning to say that it's about giving head to some guy.
I should probably stop ranting about other peoples stupid thoughts about such a great song now.
P.S gnatalie or qnatalie whatever your name is...nobody needs or wants to know about what your pig of a boyfriend says to you when you give him head!

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RedLetterYear
11-16-2008

Rated 0 
This was the first Ani Song I really ever heard. My girlfriend got me into Ani and told me to listen to this song as well as 32 flavors. So this song holds a special place in my heart!

Favorite stanzas ...

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


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emiliadawl
01-14-2009

Rated 0 
the 'low moan of the dial tone' is literal. It's her trying to call her man (or whatever) and she's tried so many times to fix what maybe can't be fixed. "Swan song" is an allusion to "And then there were none" by Agatha Christie. It's a love song and the old woman maybe grew up being alone so she's waiting for it to end because she knows it will. "Both Hands" is her pleading with him to fix everything. It's about a desperate woman.

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Guarimn
02-23-2009

Rated 0 

Both Hands. You don't even have to look at something with one hand. It's possible, when you can use one hand to fiddle around and look in another dirrection. When you use both hands you need your eyes to coordinate your movement so that both hands may be in sync. This task, "enables or forces", "activates or directs" the mind to "look" at what is going on, visually.. That's my ultra-literal-interpretation...now for my my non-ultra literal-interpretation.

I see this song as a active plea to get past the bull and closer to the heart/soul/mind/whatever...of another person. "oh no, don't close your eyes" could mean, don't start ignoring,suppressing,hidding from... fill in the blank. Let's be aware of what's going on, because We ArE SuFfering, hurting, damaging, limiting, stifiling, skerewing up, messing up...

I feel a strong urgency when I hear "both hands". I'd like to call this song, "Wake the Fuck Up" or "Call to Arms".

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gnatalie
03-10-2009

Rated 0 
LILEX - just because my boyfriend asks me to use both hands when going down on him doesn't make me a pig. apparently you are a little sensitive to the subject of sex. i don't think anyone else minds too much. i'm not saying it to OFFEND anyone. it's just sex! you stumbled into a page full of opinions, you're gonna' have to expect that shit. this is my interpretation of it - there's nothing sickening about it at all. hate to sound cliche but sex is a natural thing!! if you can't handle a little sex talk, you really need to get out more. and for the sake of your argument, what is this song about again?

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gnatalie
03-10-2009

Rated 0 
ani difranco is all about digging inside women and telling the truth about how they real feel about things. im being real when i say this - for a lot of women, the act of going down on a man can feel demeaning, just because. a lot of women don't enjoy it for that reason. i'm not saying my interpretation is correct, but i think it must make sense to someone else. you shouldn't be going on websites that might contain content that's rated above PG-13 if you're planning on being so wimpy.

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River Wolf
05-11-2009

Rated 0 
Ani could have not began her career with a better song, this is one of my favs by her. There is also a really cool electric guitar version of this song. In some ways this song reminds me of my last girlfriend and how we tried to keep things alive but then had to face that we were doomed.

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Lil lex
06-23-2009

Rated +1 
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.

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