Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

The Hand Song
Nickel Creek Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The boy only wanted to give mother something
And all of her roses had bloomed
Looking at him as he came rushing in with them
Knowing her roses were doomed
All she could see were some thorns buried deep
And the tears that he cried as she tended his wounds

But she knew it was love
It was one she could understand
He was showing his love
And that's how he hurt his hands

He still remembered that night as a child
On his mother's knee
She held him close as she opened the bible
And quietly started to read
Then seeing a picture of Jesus he cried out
Momma, he's got some scars just like me

And he knew it was love
It was one he could understand
He was showing his love
And that's how he hurt his hands

Now the boy's grown and moved out on his own
When Uncle Sam comes along
A foreign affair, but our young men were there
And luck had his number drawn
It wasn't that long till our hero was gone
He gave to a friend what he learned from the cross

Well they knew it was love
It was one they could understand
He was showing his love
And that's how he hurt his hands
It was one they could understand
He was showing his love
And that's how he hurt his hands

Overall Meaning

Nickel Creek's The Hand Song tells a touching story about a boy who wanted to show his love by giving his mother some roses. Unfortunately, all of her roses had already bloomed, and she could only see the thorns that lay beneath the petals. The boy had injured his hands while trying to pick the flowers, but his mother could see that he hurt himself out of love for her. The song highlights the theme of self-sacrifice and the fact that sometimes love hurts.


Later in the song, the boy recalls a time when he was young and his mother was reading him the Bible. He saw a picture of Jesus with scars on his hands, just like the ones he received while picking roses. This realization added a new layer to his understanding of love and sacrifice. He grows up and serves in the military, where he learns more lessons about love and sacrifice before ultimately giving his life out of love for a friend.


The Hand Song is an emotional journey that shows the power of love and how it can manifest in unexpected ways. It underscores the importance of selflessness and sacrifice and encourages us to show love in all its forms. Overall, the song is a beautiful tribute to mothers, soldiers, and the power of love.


Line by Line Meaning

The boy only wanted to give mother something
The boy wanted to give his mother a gift.


And all of her roses had bloomed
All of her roses had already grown and blossomed.


Looking at him as he came rushing in with them
She observed him as he hurried into the room with the flowers.


Knowing her roses were doomed
She recognized that the flowers were going to die.


All she could see were some thorns buried deep
All she saw were the thorns that were stuck deep in his hands.


And the tears that he cried as she tended his wounds
She saw him cry as she took care of his wounds.


But she knew it was love
She understood that his actions were a display of love.


It was one she could understand
She recognized that his love was something she could comprehend.


He was showing his love
He was expressing his love for his mother through the gift and by hurting his hands.


And that's how he hurt his hands
He hurt his hands by picking the rose with thorns.


He still remembered that night as a child
He still recalled the incident from when he was a child.


On his mother's knee
He sat on his mother's lap.


She held him close as she opened the bible
She held him near as she started to read the Bible.


And quietly started to read
She began to read silently.


Then seeing a picture of Jesus he cried out
When he saw a photo of Jesus, he called out.


Momma, he's got some scars just like me
He noticed that Jesus had scars on his hands, like him.


And he knew it was love
He understood Jesus' love for him and everyone else.


Now the boy's grown and moved out on his own
The boy has become an adult and left his family to live on his own.


When Uncle Sam comes along
When the army draft came, he was selected.


A foreign affair, but our young men were there
It was a foreign war, but American men were involved.


And luck had his number drawn
He was chosen to go to the battlefield by a lottery.


It wasn't that long till our hero was gone
He died not long after arriving at the battlefield.


He gave to a friend what he learned from the cross
He taught his friend about love, which he learned from Jesus' teachings.


Well they knew it was love
His friend understood that the boy was acting out of love.


It was one they could understand
His friend and others could comprehend the boy's motivation.


He was showing his love
The boy was expressing his love for humanity, even fighting in a war.


And that's how he hurt his hands
He ended up hurting his hands by sacrificing his life for his friends and country.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVID PUCKETT, SEAN WATKINS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

More Versions