Hands On Us
The Notwist Lyrics

The lyrics to The Notwist's song Hands On Us suggest that the singer, Leo, has made a mistake that requires forgiveness. In the first two lines, the repeated phrase "Leo, they'll forgive you" implies that there has been a serious error on Leo's part, but that forgiveness is still possible. The next two lines provide some context for the mistake: Leo has not taken "everything" away. It is unclear what "everything" refers to in this case, but it suggests that Leo made a decision to leave something behind, rather than taking everything he could have taken.

The second verse further emphasizes the idea of forgiveness. The repetition of "Leo, they'll forgive you" suggests that the mistake was significant enough to warrant repetition, and the phrase "for no never leading them astray" implies that Leo may have had a tendency to lead others in the wrong direction in the past. The chorus of the song, "Hands on us, away/Hands on us," adds to the emotional weight of the lyrics, suggesting that Leo's mistake has caused some physical or emotional harm to those around him.