Post authIt is that time again, #SongLyricsSunday! This week’s prompt is “Ankles/Hands/Feet/Fingers/Toes/Wrists”. However, my pick also ties into last week’s prompt of making a choice. And this tune is very dear to my heart as it was one of my favorites growing up. This week’s song choice is “Hands” by American singer-songwriter and my birthday mate Jewel.
(This is part of #SongLyricsSunday, a weekly song lyrics prompt hosted by. Anyone is free to join. The rules on how to join are at the bottom of this post)
The Story Behind Jewel’s “Hands”
Jewel is the third female songwriter I have featured this week (The other two were, Jewel wrote “Hands” with veteran songwriter Patrick Leonard. This Michigan-born songwriter has written and produced for a lot of artists and bands. But, it is with 80s and early 90s discography that made him well-known.
The message that I get from “Hands” is a simple yet powerful one: “We have the power to make our own decisions”. Of course, Jewel wrote about her hands as she had struggled with shoplifting while she was poor. She could’ve taken the beautiful sundress off the rack and run away with it, but then that would lead her to jail. But that would be her choice, a choice she avoided as she put her hands to better use: writing songs.
Sometimes we make choices out on a whim, without thinking about the outcomes or other possibles. We always think that there is only one choice in certain moments of our lives. For example, when we think about to change our lives, we think about different choices on how to. However, we are defeated to change our lives as we are conditioned to think there is only one way of living life, according to society and the people surrounding us.
We need a certain type of phone or car because it is the only way to be cool or be liked by others. Or, we need to live a certain lifestyle or way of thinking because that is what our parents or society taught. We struggle on making choices because we don’t want to go against the grain and/or make our own choices because we are scared to get rejected, be a failure, and seen weird by others.
But, we all have the power to choose. We can choose to change our lives and make a different impact on our lives. Some choices are harder than others but we hope they are for the better. Overall, we all make the choice to change our lives: quitting our job, dedicating more time to self-care or our kids, eating healthy, and etc.
What choices are you making today that will change (or is changing) your life?
Final Thoughts
There are many other themes that are found in Jewel’s “Hands”: poverty, surviving after a loss or disaster, being part of God’s body, and the importance of hope, kindness, and prayer. But the main theme is choices.
Listen to the song below and tell me what you think in the comments!
