As I woke up the day after the
terrorist incident in Manchester I turned to a song that I turned to when I
heard the news about Orlando in June last year: “Hands” by Jewel. It’s not
particularly surprising considering the song was performed a lot following
9/11. Hands is a song that speaks about mortality, vulnerability and the
resilience of the human spirit in ‘times like these.’ What I also remember from
that time is that less than two weeks later Jo Cox was murdered. Following this
there was a suspension of all campaigning activities in the Brexit referendum
until the start of the following week, and in the interim there was a cross
party outpouring of public sympathy, paying respects and commemorating of Jo
Cox. In this period there was a time to reflect on the way we conduct politics,
the way we speak of our MPs and the way that we debate and argue with one
another. Unfortunately once campaigning resumed all that seemed to be forgotten
with the Jeremy Paxman TV debate I remember being particularly hostile and
unpleasant. Once the Brexit result happened Labour then proceeded to fight
amongst themselves and it was as if Jo Cox had been forgotten about and people
on both sides of the Labour party were now resorting to dehumanizing and
personal attacks.
Now that General Election campaigning
has resumed, through analysisng Jewel’s song “Hands,” I would like to explore
ways of relating to one another that do not have to be so hostile. After
Manchester people across political parties came together to show kindness and
support one another. They were able to recognize even within political
opponents and those they strongly and even morally disagree with a kind of
common humanity enough to come together and pick up the pieces after a
terrorist attack.
So I turn to Jewel. Jewel is an
American singer songwriter, who, like many of the singers I listen to is close
to country music. She came to great attention, especially in the US during the
mid 1990s female singer-songwriters with the emphasis on self-expression such
as Tori Amos, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morrisette and Sarah McLachlan gained
mainstream critical and commercial success. After suffering an unstable
childhood, Jewel focused on her singing and songwriting and her debut album Pieces of You (1995), which she
described as ‘imperfect, full of mistakes and guitar flubs, but it is honest’ (Jewel,
2015: 173) went on to sell 12 million copies in the US alone. Her second album Spirit (1998) was also successful, if
not at the same scale as her first, and it is from this album from which
“Hands” is taken.
The song presents the protagonist in a
scene of desperation, although we are never told exactly what the situation she
is in. The song’s video features a collapsed house with people digging through
rubble to rescue people – music videos often use imagery for evocative rather
than literal purposes. This focus on the emotion of the situation, rather than
the specifics enables this song to resonate and connect across different
circumstances and still be just as poignant. What is notable about the
protagonist is that even at the very beginning she is calm and resolved:
‘If
I could tell the world just one thing,
it
would be that we’re all OK.
And
not to worry ‘cause worry is wasteful
And
useless in times like these.’
Although the first line could be just a
brave face to try and keep things calm, it is clear from the following lines
that Jewel putting on a brave face is not because she is in denial of the
situation. Her reason to ‘not worry’ is not that there is nothing to worry
about, but that ‘worry is wasteful and useless.’ In fact the reason Jewel is
putting on a brave face is a more mature acknowledgement of how serious and
desperate the situation is that there is not time to worry, to waste and for
things not to work. In putting a brave face on and telling the world ‘all ok’
is a conscious attempt to keep the situation and the people around her calm so
that a better resolution can come about.
Jewel continues this idea that worry
and panicking is ‘useless’ and that the situation requires her to be the best
person she can be:
‘I
will not be made useless
I
won't be idled with despair
I
will gather myself around my faith
For
light does the darkness most fear.’
Worry is intensified into ‘despair’ and
similarly the frailty of uselessness becomes closer to a moral fault or sin as
it relates to being ‘idled.’ Jewel recognizes the potential and even compulsion
to crumble in this situation and yet she resolves to be a stronger and better
person: ‘I will gather myself around my faith.’ In this personal resolve, Jewel
is able to salvage what she can, the ‘light;’ rather than let the desperate
situation (‘the darkness’) completely claim her.
The song now reaches an almost euphoric
chorus as Jewel’s resolve enables her to have complete control over herself. As
the powerlessness of her situation, the feeling which can often come after a
terrorist incident, is replaced as she reaffirms her control and agency over
herself, her actions, her reactions, her ‘hands’:
‘My
hands are small, I know,
But
they're not yours they are my own
But
they're not yours they are my own
And
I am never broken.’
Jewel acknowledges that this is not
enough to change the situation, it cannot take away the destruction her hands
are just her hands, they’re ‘small.’ However they are a step to make a positive
change and keep her resolved. As a result she refused to be broken by this: ‘I
am never broken.’ In these small steps she is able to move towards a bigger
change. By the end of the song the individual declaration ‘I am never broken’
becomes a ‘we’: ‘we are never broken.’ Collectively, people, communities and
society are able to salvage a better way.
The middle eight of the song is the
first step to Jewel transitioning from her own, individual resolve to a more
community or collective resolve and change. The middle eight is simply the
line: ‘in the end only kindness matters’ repeated. However the tempo of this
line is fairly slow allowing the sentiment to sink gradually into the
listener’s mind. When meaningless acts of terror happen, it doesn’t matter who
you are, or what previous disagreements or grievances you had with one another,
when people need to pull together, they need to support one another small acts
of kindness can mean a great deal. In these desperate moments when we see our
vulnerable and basic humanity: ‘only kindness matters.’ This kindness
melodically is presented as intense and thereby a seemingly simple act is
presented as being so powerful. In devastating acts of terror, small acts of
kindness can mean the world. However, there is a tragic irony that this
fundamental human kindness is only acknowledged at times of raw desperation,
and it appears that as soon as we are out of the immediate danger or aftermath
of a tragedy we forget what potential for compassion and humility we are
capable of.
The coda of the song unties the
community, the individual Jewel’s ‘hands’ and God with the repetition: ‘We are
God’s hands.’ In discarding common human weaknesses of worrying and idleness
that prevents action and people working to come together, Jewel is able to hold
herself together and help transform the community around her from one of
disintegration, hopelessness and divison, into one of hope, selflessness and
compassion.
The religious element of this song may
be off putting to some and perhaps both my reading and the song is too
sentimental. However there is an acknowledgement of the struggle, suffering and
hard work to reach this state: the struggle to abandon idleness and worry and
keep resolved. Further following terrorist acts the outpouring of international
prayers can sometimes be scoffed at as at best a substitute for acting and at
worst ‘what got us in this situation in the first place. However genuine
prayers are rarely a substitute for action. Prayers bring resolve, bring
clarity to a situation that can help people cope and strive towards change, at
least for me, I don’t know anywhere near enough about theology to describe the
significance or purpose of prayer for anyone else. However in the case of this
song when Jewel sings before the final chorus: ‘I will get down on my knees and
I will pray’ this act of prayer is placed in a context of being resolved enough
to take meaningful action to salvage a desperate situation. Considering Jewel
rejected any human tendency that did not help the situation as ‘useless’ and
she vehemently refused to be made useless, if prayer would not help in any way
then Jewel would not be doing it. Further, this process of coming together
starts with how the individual comes to terms and processes the tragic situation.
If prayer is part of how someone is able to be useful and help, then that
prayer should be taken seriously.
“Hands” demonstrates that the vulnerability
exposed after a tragic situation has the potential to reveal what humanity
could be capable of, the compassion and kindness with how we could treat one
another. I do fear that people will forget the cross-party and cross-community
solidarity and compassion they demonstrated during this time; however I do hope
(and pray) that some day we might be able to conduct politics and interact with
one another in a way that does not forget the things we discover about each
other when it matters the most.
Sources:
Jewel. 2015. Never Broken: Songs are Only Half the Story. New York: Blue Rider
Press
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