Hand In Hand




"I wrote it in fact specifically  
for Nick Lowe, who rejected it 
because at the time he was more 
into two-chord things but...well, 
that doesn't matter so much as 
the fact that at the time of  
Aim's  mixing  sessions,  Nick 
was going through this incredible  
period of misery and  depression 
as a result of the whole Rockpile 
episode with Swan Song and all that. 
Now I don't know Nick that well, 
though we work well together, but I 
don't socialize with him and I...I 
haven't seen his darker side, 
for example (laughs). But he was so 
obviously just totally cut up  by 
this experience that I wrote
'Hand In Hand' as a consequence of 
it all  NOT  simply for him but also
because  the main  figure - the Jimmy
Page type who is actually  stating
those things, and let's not beat around 
the bush here with Swan Song and
all that crap - is just the sort of 
unhuman  monster type I could become
if I let  myself go  that far.  
So the  song is  totally  given 
over to stating someone else's 
feelings with just the slightest 
tinge of...not 'fear' but 
y'know... yeah, that could just 
about be me y'know."  


[NME, 1978]




No, don't ask me to apologise
I won't ask you to forgive me
If I'm gonna go down
you're gonna come with me

You say 'Why don't you be a man about it
like they do in the grown up movies?'
But when it comes to the other way around
you say you just wanna use me
Oh you and you wonder whether
it's gonna be syndicated
You sit with your knees together
All the time your breath is baited

Hand in Hand
No, don't ask me to apologise
I won't ask you to forgive me
If I'm gonna go down
you're gonna come with me

Don't you know I got the bully boys out
changing someone's facial design
sitting with my toy room lout
polishing my precious china
Don't you know I'm an animal?
But don't you know I can't stand up steady?
But you can show me any kind of hell
that I don't know already

Hand in Hand
No, don't ask me to apologise
I won't ask you to forgive me
If I'm gonna go down
you're gonna come with me

Hand in hand