The song is about a homosexual who is into bondage. Banks had also stated that people don’t usually understand his humor.
Paul Banks told Q Magazine:
"That’s from the standpoint of a homosexual into bondage."
"It’s so absurdist, it’s an almost dreamy snapshot of a scenario that involves homosexuality, you know, like bondage and some weird sexual partnership which at the time I felt was very radical as a lyrical context for a rock song. And I felt like I gotta do this as this is crazy. As I’ve said, usually it’s Daniel that introduces a new song but that song I was the one introducing it. As for taking credits, like you said, that was more on recent interviews because our fourth record was written in a little different way from the others. I was more involved in the previous albums, but on the last one it was mainly Daniel and Carlos generating the music, presenting it to the band and then we just kinda put our touch on it. It’s not that I don’t feel comfortable taking credits, it’s just that I’m being honest that on our fourth record I was just less part of it than the other ones."
Paul Banks, in an interview
Hands Away
Interpol Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will you be my man?
Serve it up, don't wait
Let's see about this ham
Oh, what happened?
Oh, what happened?
Home spun desperation's knowing
Inside your cover's always blown
The song "Hands Away" by Interpol is a twisted love song that follows the singer as he tries to get closer to his lover. The opening lines indicate his desire for physical contact with his partner: "Will you put my hands away?/Will you be my man?" He wants to know if his partner is committed to him and if they will take their relationship a step further.
The next few lines, "Serve it up, don't wait/Let's see about this ham," suggest that the singer is hungry for love and wants his partner to 'serve it up' or show him affection. The imagery of the ham is quite interesting as it can be interpreted as something he is trying to grab or hold on to - much like his desire for love.
The chorus, "Oh, what happened?/Oh, what happened?" seems to suggest that the singer is always questioning what went wrong in his relationship, perhaps indicating that there is some kind of rift between him and his partner. The final lines of the song, "Home spun desperation's knowing/Inside your cover's always blown" are a bit more abstract. The term "home spun" could be interpreted as something that is unrefined, while "desperation's knowing" suggests a longing for something that may not be possible. The final line suggests that his partner's 'cover' - possibly a metaphor for her true feelings - is always 'blown', revealing her true self.
Line by Line Meaning
Will you put my hands away?
Can you please relieve me of the burden of dealing with this problem?
Will you be my man?
Can you be the one who helps me out and takes charge?
Serve it up, don't wait
Do what needs to be done right now without any delay
Let's see about this ham
Let's take action and try to solve this particular issue
Oh, what happened?
What went wrong or caused the situation to escalate?
Oh, what happened?
What went wrong or caused the situation to escalate?
Home spun desperation's knowing
The desperate feeling comes from deep within and is not something that can be easily ignored
Inside your cover's always blown
You can't hide your true emotions or motivations no matter how hard you try
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Carlos Dengler, Daniel Kessler, Samuel Fogarino, Paul Banks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind