Hands Clean – English Lyrics

• By: Alanis Morissette
• Album: Under Rug Swept

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a journey into the English language with Alanis Morissette's "Hands Clean." This song offers a compelling opportunity to explore complex emotional vocabulary and idiomatic expressions, particularly through its unique lyrical structure that alternates between different perspectives. By dissecting its raw and honest narrative, you can gain insight into how English is used to convey deep personal truths and the nuanced dynamics of past relationships, making it a powerful tool for language and cultural understanding.

[English]

♪♪

♪ If it weren't for your maturity none of this would have happened ♪

♪ If you weren't so wise beyond your years I would've been able to control myself ♪

♪ If it weren't for my attention you wouldn't have been successful and if ♪

♪ If it weren't for me you would never have amounted to very much ♪

♪ Ooh this could be messy but ♪

♪ But you don't seem to mind and ♪

♪ Ooh don't go telling everybody and ♪

♪ And overlook this supposed crime ♪

♪ We'll fast forward to a few years later and ♪

♪ And no one knows except the both of us ♪

♪ And I have honored your request for silence ♪

♪ And you've washed your hands clean of this ♪

♪ You're essentially my employee and I like you having to depend on me ♪

♪ You're kind of my protégé and one day you'll say you learned all you know from me and ♪

♪ And I know you depend on me like a young thing would to a guardian ♪

♪ I know you sexualize me like a young thing would and I think I like it ♪

♪ Ooh this could get messy but ♪

♪ Ooh you don't seem to mind ♪

♪ Dude, don't go telling everybody ♪

♪ Overlook this supposed crime and ♪

♪ We'll fast forward to a few years later and ♪

♪ And no one knows except the both of us ♪

♪ I've more than honored your request for silence ♪

♪ And you've washed your hands clean of this ♪

♪ What part of our history's reinvented and under rug swept? ♪

♪ What part of your memory is selective and tends to forget? ♪

♪ What with this distance it seems so obvious? ♪

♪ Just make sure you don't tell on me especially to members of your family ♪

♪ We best keep this to ourselves and not tell any members of our inner posse ♪

♪ I wish I could tell the world 'cause you're such a pretty thing when you're done up properly ♪

♪ I might want to marry you one day if you watch that weight and you keep your firm body ♪

♪ Ooh, this could be messy and ♪

♪ Ooh, I don't seem to mind ♪

♪ Ooh, don't go telling everybody and ♪

♪ Overlook this supposed crime ♪

♪ We'll fast forward to a few years later and ♪

♪ No one knows except the both of us ♪

♪ And I have honored your request for silence ♪

♪ And you've washed your hands clean of this ♪

♪ Ooh, this could get messy but ♪

♪ Ooh, I don't seem to mind ♪

♪ Ooh, don't go telling everybody and ♪

♪ Overlook this supposed crime ♪

♪ We'll fast forward to a few years later and ♪

♪ No one knows except the both of us ♪

♪ And I have honored your request for silence ♪

♪ And you've washed your hands clean of this ♪

♪♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
maturity /məˈtʃʊr.ə.ti/ B2	noun - state of being fully developed emotionally/intellectually
wise /waɪz/ B1	adjective - having experience/knowledge and good judgment
control /kənˈtroʊl/ A2	verb - exercise restraint or direction over
successful /səkˈses.fəl/ A2	adjective - achieving desired results or status
messy /ˈmes.i/ B1	adjective - complicated, disordered, or embarrassing
overlook /ˌoʊ.vɚˈlʊk/ B2	verb - ignore or disregard intentionally
crime /kraɪm/ A2	noun - illegal or morally wrong act
silence /ˈsaɪ.ləns/ A2	noun - complete absence of sound or disclosure
wash /wɑːʃ/ A1	verb - clean with water (often symbolically)
clean /kliːn/ A1	adjective - free from guilt or wrongdoing
depend /dɪˈpend/ B1	verb - rely on for support or existence
protégé /ˈproʊ.tə.ʒeɪ/ C1	noun - person guided/influenced by a mentor
sexualize /ˈsek.ʃu.ə.laɪz/ C2	verb - attribute sexual character to someone
guardian /ˈɡɑːr.di.ən/ B2	noun - protector or defender
reinvented /ˌriː.ɪnˈvent/ C1	verb - recreate or reinterpret differently
selective /sɪˈlek.tɪv/ B2	adjective - choosing carefully or intentionally omitting
pretty /ˈprɪt.i/ A1	adjective - attractive in a delicate way
marry /ˈmer.i/ A2	verb - enter into marriage

Key Grammar Structures

• If it weren't for your maturity none of this would have happened

  ➔ Second Conditional

  ➔ The phrase 'If it weren't for' is a form of the second conditional, used to talk about hypothetical situations in the past or present with an unlikely or impossible outcome.

• You're essentially my employee and I like you having to depend on me

  ➔ Present Continuous after 'like'

  ➔ The phrase 'I like you having to depend on me' uses the present continuous after 'like' to express a general preference or feeling about an ongoing situation.

• And you've washed your hands clean of this

  ➔ Present Perfect

  ➔ The phrase 'you've washed your hands clean of this' uses the present perfect to indicate an action that occurred in the past but has results that are relevant in the present.

• What part of our history's reinvented and under rug swept?

  ➔ Passive Voice with 'be reinvented'

  ➔ The phrase 'reinvented and under rug swept' uses the passive voice to emphasize the action rather than the doer, focusing on what happened to 'our history'.

• Just make sure you don't tell on me especially to members of your family

  ➔ Emphatic Structure with 'especially'

  ➔ The phrase 'especially to members of your family' uses 'especially' to emphasize a specific group within a broader context, highlighting the importance of not telling them.