Hands On
Kanye West Lyrics


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Hand 'em
Hands up high, hands on, hands on
Hands on, hands up
In your face, the reason
Hands on, yeah, hands on

Cut out all the lights, He the light
Got pulled over, see the brights
What you doin' on the street at night?
Wonder if they're gonna read your rights
Thirteenth Amendment, three strikes
Made a left when I should've made a right
Told God last time on life
Told the devil that I'm going on a strike
Told the devil when I see him, on sight
I've been working for you my whole life
Told the devil that I'm going on a strike
I've been working for you my whole life
Nothing worse than a hypocrite
Change, he ain't really different
He ain't even try to get permission
Ask for advice and they dissed him
Said I'm finna do a gospel album
What have you been hearin' from the Christians?
They'll be the first one to judge me
Make it feel like nobody love me
They'll be the first one to judge me
Feelin' like nobody love me
Told people God was my mission
What have you been hearin' from the Christians?
They'll be the first one to judge me
Make it feel like nobody love me
Make you feel alone in the dark and you'll never see the light
Man, you're never seein' home and you never see the domes
I can feel it when I write, point of livin' in the right
If they only see the wrongs, never listen to the songs
Just to listen is a fight, but you booked me for the fight
It's so hard to get along if they only see the slight
From the love of religion
What have you been hearin' from the Christians?
They'll be the first one to judge me
Make it seem like nobody love me
I'm not tryna lead you to Visas
But if I try to lead you to Jesus
We get called halfway believers
Only halfway read Ephesians
Only if they knew what I knew, uh
I was never new 'til I knew of
True and living God, Yeshua
The true and living God
(Somebody pray for me)

Hand 'em
Hands up high, hands on, hands on
Hands on, hands up
In your face, the reason
Hands on, yeah, hands on

I deserve all the criticism you got
If that's all the love you have, that's all you got
To sing of change, you think I'm joking
To praise His name, you ask what I'm smoking
Yes, I understand your reluctancy, yeah
But I have a request, you see
Don't throw me up, lay your hands on me
Please, pray for me

Hold myself on death
Hold it down, all fallen down
Somebody pray for me
Hand 'em
Hands up high, hands on, hands on
Hands on, hands up




In your face, the reason
Hands on, yeah, hands on

Overall Meaning

The song "Hands On" by Kanye West is a reflection on the resistance he faces from both the Christian community and the media after he openly declared his faith and released his gospel album, "Jesus is King". Kanye opens the song stating "Hands up high, hands on, hands on" which might be interpreted as a gesture of surrendering to God. He then talks about the challenges he faces and the criticism he receives from the Christian community. He points out the hypocrisy among some Christians who judge and criticize him but do not practice what they preach. Kanye also questions the genuineness of some Christians who only represent the negative side of religion by looking down on him and not showing any love.


Kanye expresses his desire to live a life that is faithful to God as he sings, "I was never new 'til I knew of true and living God, Yeshua." Despite all his struggles, he pleads with listeners to pray for him and not to give up on him. The song ends with Kanye asking for support; he sings, "Don't throw me up, lay your hands on me, please, pray for me" suggesting that he needs the love and support of not only God but also people around him.


Line by Line Meaning

Hand 'em
Kanye is commanding someone to hand something to him


Hands up high, hands on, hands on
Kanye is asking for people to put their hands up and be one with him


Hands on, hands up
Kanye is urging people to put their hands on him and unite with him wholeheartedly


In your face, the reason
Kanye is making his presence felt by being in someone's face and being the reason for it


Cut out all the lights, He the light
Kanye is telling people to cut out all lights to recognize and follow him as he is the true light


Got pulled over, see the brights
He is being stopped by oppressive forces, interrogating him with flashlights


What you doin' on the street at night?
The oppressive forces are questioning Kanye's presence at night on the street


Wonder if they're gonna read your rights
Kanye is uncertain if the oppressive forces would acknowledge his human rights


Thirteenth Amendment, three strikes
Kanye is highlighting how the thirteenth amendment disproportionately targets black people with three strikes and results in harsh sentences


Made a left when I should've made a right
Kanye acknowledges his past mistakes as they may have led him down the wrong path


Told God last time on life
Kanye is reminding God that this is his last chance at life


Told the devil that I'm going on a strike
Kanye is rebelling against the devil's urge for him to yield negatively


Told the devil when I see him, on sight
Kanye says that he will confront the devil at first sight


I've been working for you my whole life
He is pointing out that he has dedicated his life to serving God


Nothing worse than a hypocrite
He is pointing out how hypocrites are the worst type of people


Change, he ain't really different
He is highlighting how people are afraid of change even if it's for the better


He ain't even try to get permission
He is calling out how others are quick to judge and criticize without understanding or attempting to learn for themselves


Ask for advice and they dissed him
He is pointing out how his request for advice was met with disapproval instead of constructive criticism


Said I'm finna do a gospel album
He is telling people of his plan to create a gospel album


What have you been hearin' from the Christians?
He is questioning the motives and judgment of the Christian community


They'll be the first one to judge me
He is calling out the hypocrisy of the Christian community, who he believes will be quick to judge him


Make it feel like nobody love me
He is expressing how the judgment of others can make him feel alone and hated


Told people God was my mission
He is expressing that his mission in life is to spread the word of God


Make you feel alone in the dark and you'll never see the light
He is expressing how judgment and rejection can make you feel lost and in the dark, unable to see the light


Man, you're never seein' home and you never see the domes
He is expressing how, as a result of feeling lost, one can never find a place or a sense of home


I can feel it when I write, point of livin' in the right
He is expressing how he feels spiritually fulfilled when he is creating music


If they only see the wrongs, never listen to the songs
He is calling out those who only focus on the negatives and never take time to appreciate the good


Just to listen is a fight, but you booked me for the fight
He is acknowledging that it's a lot of work to understand and appreciate his music, but that people still pay to see him perform


It's so hard to get along if they only see the slight
He is pointing out how small issues can further divide people, even if they agree on the bigger picture


From the love of religion
He is acknowledging that he has issues with religion and how it can act as a divisive tool


I'm not tryna lead you to Visas
He is explaining that his intentions are not to lead people to a place of greed


But if I try to lead you to Jesus
He is explaining that his intentions are to lead people to Jesus and to a place of faith


We get called halfway believers
He is showing how people can be called hypocrites for not believing in something fully


Only halfway read Ephesians
He is acknowledging that people may only partially read the Bible


Only if they knew what I knew, uh
He is reflecting that if people knew what he knows, they would understand his perspective better


True and living God, Yeshua
He is praising the true and living God and calling him by name, Yeshua


I deserve all the criticism you got
He is acknowledging that he has done things in the past that deserve criticism


If that's all the love you have, that's all you got
He is acknowledging that if people can only give criticism and not love, then they are limited in their ability to understand or help him


To sing of change, you think I'm joking
He is acknowledging that people may not take him seriously when he talks about change and his desire to change the world through his music


To praise His name, you ask what I'm smoking
He is acknowledging that when he speaks about his faith and God, people question him and are often skeptical


Yes, I understand your reluctancy, yeah
He is acknowledging that people are wary or hesitant to believe in him


But I have a request, you see
He is asking people to listen to him and to give him a chance


Don't throw me up, lay your hands on me
He is asking people to not give up on him and to support him by laying their hands on him and praying for him


Please, pray for me
He is asking for people to pray for him and show him love and support through their actions


Hold myself on death
He is holding himself accountable for his actions and the consequences that come with them


Hold it down, all fallen down
He acknowledges that he has fallen down in the past but is working to rise up again


Somebody pray for me
He is asking for divine intervention and asking people to pray for him again


Hands up high, hands on, hands on
He is restating the chorus, asking people again to put their hands up and to be fully invested in what he is saying


Hands on, yeah, hands on
He is urging people again to put their hands on him and to be one with him


In your face, the reason
He is emphasizing that he is the reason people should listen to him and follow his message




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Anthem Entertainment, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Aaron Butts, Angel Lopez, Fred William Hammond, Kanye Omari West, Luis Federico Vindver Arosa, Timothy Z. Mosley

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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