#SLS ~ Hands

Thanks to Jim Adams, for hosting Song Lyric Sunday. Check out his site for upcoming topics, “official rules”, and tons of other great content.

The theme this week is – Songs with One Word Titles. This was difficult. Not because I couldn’t find a song, but because there were SOOOO many to choose from. I decided to pick Hands by Jewel because I love the message of the song… “We are never broken”, and we CAN make a difference.

Wiki tells us: “Hands” is the first single released from American singer Jewel‘s second album, Spirit (1998). Jewel wrote the song following an incident in which she considered stealing a sundress after getting fired from various jobs due to kidney troubles, and she decided that her hands were better suited to writing songs than stealing clothes. Written as one of the last songs for the album, the lyrics express how the smallest decisions have the power to make change. A piano-driven ballad, the song was serviced to American radio stations on October 16, 1998.

Almost twenty-three years later, and this song is still relevant. A great, evergreen song, and a sad testament of (to?) our society.

If I could tell the world just one thing
It would be that we’re all OK
And not to worry ’cause worry is wasteful
And useless in times like these

I won’t be made useless
Won’t be idle with despair
I’ll gather myself around my faith
For light does the darkness most fear

My hands are small, I know
But they’re not yours, they are my own
But they’re not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken

Poverty stole your golden shoes
It didn’t steal your laughter
And heartache came to visit me
But I knew it wasn’t ever after

We’ll fight, not out of spite
For someone must stand up for what’s right
‘Cause where there’s a man who has no voice
There ours shall go singing

My hands are small I know
But they’re not yours, they are my own
But they’re not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken

In the end, only kindness matters
In the end, only kindness matters

I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray

My hands are small, I know
But they’re not yours, they are my own
But they’re not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken

My hands are small, I know
But they’re not yours, they are my own
But they’re not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken
We are never broken

We are God’s eyes
God’s hands
God’s mind
We are God’s eyes
God’s hands
God’s heart
We are God’s eyes
We are God’s hands
We are God’s eyes

“God” can mean whatever you want it to mean to you, personally. I’m not a religious person, but I consider myself to be spiritual. And my definition of spiritual and “God” are very fluid. It’s part ethics, part woo woo, New Age stuff, and part belief that there is something greater than human existence. My point is, I think this song could resonate with atheists too.

I hope you enjoy the song, and the video!

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