One Hundred
Hands Like Houses Lyrics

The Hands Like Houses’s song, “one:hundred,” is a song that depicts the feeling of being in a situation where one needs to control their emotions for fear of what could happen if they were revealed. The singer, through the lyrics, pleads with their partner to hold their breath and tongue so that their hearts can remain still so that they do not reveal how they feel. The opening lines, “Hold your breath, baby. We have to make our hearts sit still. Hold your tongue, honey, The things we know could unleash hell” shows how much of a burden it is on them to keep their emotions hidden. The singer’s anxiety is apparent when he says, “Patch me up, my skin is so tight around my chest, my heart is leaping out. I feel my imagination playing like a movie in my eyes, It’s got me firmly by the sleeve." Here, the singer explains how he is holding everything in, and it is becoming difficult, even to the point that he is starting to feel it physically. The lyrics make it clear that it is still unclear whether the bottled emotions will overflow.

In the chorus, the singer continues to plead with the other person to keep their emotions intact, saying, “I swear they’re beating so loud that anyone could tell. We’re keeping every thought to ourselves in case we mention how we feel. Hold your tongue honey, the things we know could unleash hell.” The line “We’re keeping every thought to ourselves” is a clear indication of how much of a personal battle the singer is fighting within themselves. They want to share their emotions with their partner but are also scared of what will happen if they do so. Later, the singer’s tone takes a more emotional turn as they say, “Please don’t remind me of reality now. I’ve been pretending for days by now, My god, it must have been days.” This line shows the struggle they are having and how long it has been since they had to keep their emotions under wraps.