Hands Open – English Lyrics

• By: Snow Patrol
• Album: Final Straw 20th Anniversary Edition

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw emotional landscape of Snow Patrol's "Hands Open," a song that masterfully blends vulnerability with a yearning for connection. Through its honest lyrics about self-sabotage and the desperate hope for reciprocated love, you can explore expressions of complex human emotions in English, making it a perfect track to understand heartfelt pleas and introspective storytelling in contemporary rock music.

[English]

It's hard to argue when

You won't stop making sense

But my tongue still misbehaves and it

Keeps digging my own grave with my

Hands open,

and my eyes open

I just keep hoping

That your heart opens

Why would I sabotage

The best thing that I have

Well, it makes it easier to know

Exactly what I want with my

Hands open, and my eyes open

I just keep hoping

That your heart opens

It's not as easy as willing it all to be right

Gotta be more than hoping it's right

I wanna hear you laugh like you really mean it

Collapse into me, tired with joy

It's not as easy as willing it all to be right

Gotta be more than hoping it's right

I wanna hear you laugh like you really mean it

Collapse into me, tired with joy

Put Sufjan Stevens on

And we'll play your favorite song

"Chicago" bursts to life and your

Sweet smile remembers you, my

Hands open,

and my eyes open

I just keep hoping

That your heart opens

It's not as easy as willing it all to be right

Gotta be more than hoping it's right

I wanna hear you laugh like you really mean it

Collapse into me, tired with joy

It's not as easy as willing it all to be right

Gotta be more than hoping it's right

I wanna hear you laugh like you really mean it

Collapse into me, tired with joy

It's not as easy as willing it all to be right

Gotta be more than hoping it's right

I wanna hear you laugh like you really mean it

Collapse into me, tired with joy

It's not as easy as willing it all to be right

Gotta be more than hoping it's right

I wanna hear you laugh like you really mean it

Collapse into me, tired with joy

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
argue /ˈɑːrɡjuː/ B1	verb - to express disagreement
sense /sens/ A2	noun - the ability to understand
tongue /tʌŋ/ A2	noun - the muscular organ in the mouth
grave /ɡreɪv/ B1	noun - a place of burial adjective - serious or solemn
hands /hændz/ A1	noun - the part of the body at the end of the arm
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - the organs of sight
hope /hoʊp/ A2	verb - to want something to happen noun - a feeling of expectation
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood
sabotage /ˈsæbəteɪdʒ/ B2	verb - to deliberately destroy or damage
willing /ˈwɪlɪŋ/ B1	adjective - ready, eager, or prepared
laugh /læf/ A1	verb - to make sounds of amusement
collapse /kəˈlæps/ B2	verb - to fall down suddenly
tired /ˈtaɪərd/ A2	adjective - needing sleep or rest
joy /dʒɔɪ/ A2	noun - a feeling of great pleasure
smile /smaɪl/ A1	noun - a facial expression indicating happiness verb - to form a smile
remember /rɪˈmembər/ B1	verb - to recall to the mind

Key Grammar Structures

• It's hard to argue when you won't stop making sense

  ➔ Present continuous tense

  ➔ The phrase "won't stop making sense" uses the present continuous tense to describe an ongoing action, emphasizing that the action of 'making sense' is continuous and uninterrupted.

• Keeps digging my own grave with my hands open

  ➔ Present continuous tense with 'keeps'

  ➔ The verb 'keeps' is used with the present continuous tense to emphasize the repetitive and ongoing nature of the action 'digging my own grave'.

• I just keep hoping that your heart opens

  ➔ Present continuous tense with 'keep'

  ➔ The phrase 'I just keep hoping' uses the present continuous tense with 'keep' to express an ongoing state of hope, emphasizing its continuity.

• Gotta be more than hoping it's right

  ➔ Modal verb 'gotta' (informal form of 'got to')

  ➔ The modal verb 'gotta' is an informal contraction of 'got to' and is used to express necessity or obligation in a casual manner.

• I wanna hear you laugh like you really mean it

  ➔ Modal verb 'wanna' (informal form of 'want to')

  ➔ The modal verb 'wanna' is an informal contraction of 'want to' and is used to express desire or wish in a casual manner.

• Collapse into me, tired with joy

  ➔ Past participle as adjective ('tired')

  ➔ The word 'tired' is a past participle used as an adjective to describe the state of being exhausted, here associated with joy.

• Put Sufjan Stevens on and we'll play your favorite song

  ➔ Future tense with 'will'

  ➔ The phrase 'we'll play' uses the future tense with 'will' to indicate a planned action in the future.

• Sweet smile remembers you, my hands open

  ➔ Personification

  ➔ The phrase 'sweet smile remembers you' uses personification, attributing the human ability to remember to a smile.