Hand-made
alt-J Lyrics

The lyrics to Alt-J's "Hand-Made" are rife with vivid imagery and emotive language. The primary motif is a sensation of physical injury, described in the opening lines with the metaphor "Your sting red full stops my skin, dotted, scratch scratch, now I'm bleeding." This richly layered phrase suggests not only the pain of a physical injury but also the interruption of thought or communication, represented by the full stops. The subsequent line, "Legions upon legions of craftsmen handmade my feelings," presents a fascinating contrast. Where the injuries appear to be involuntary and inflicted by an outside force, the feelings are intentional and the work of numerous skilled craftsmen. This contrast underscores the idea that emotions are not something we choose to have, but are rather something that happens to us as a result of external stimuli.

The following lines invoke the notion of wilderness and danger: "There's bears in the wood and they're out to get me / And I'm safe from harm if I stay in this chalet." The idea of being hunted by wild animals is a common one in literature and folklore, and it suggests a primal fear of pure, untamed nature. The singer ultimately finds safety in a man-made structure, a chalet, which represents the idea of civilization and the control that humans have over the natural world. However, the final lines of the chorus subvert this idea of control: "And hold me tight and I'll sink in, / I'm absorbed in your thinking, / And you don't know." These lines suggest that despite our attempts to control our surroundings and our emotions, we are ultimately at the mercy of other people and their thoughts and feelings.