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Hands

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Hands
By Phil Ochs, Arrangements & lyric changes by Jim Glover
GI've seen the hands of Bmlaborers that Clifted all the Dloads
And the Ggranite stuck to their finBmgers as they Cdug the canalDs and the roads
Now Emthey're cleared and the Bmbridges span
CThe river paused for a poweDr dam
And Gnow the hand of the Bmlaborer Cis reaching out to Dyou
Chorus:
Oh the Ghands hands Emhands Cthat Dworked to buGild land, laEmnd, your land
The Dlabor of the Gwoman and Emthe CmDan workin' wGith their hands
Hands, hands, hands a-workin' with their hands
I've seen the hands of the miners digging out the coal.
The black dust stuck to their fingers as they lived their life in a hole.
The rocks they're still under the ground, and now their mine is a-closin'
down.
And now the hand of the miner is reaching out to you. (Chorus)
Well I've seen the hands of the lumberjacks; forests swaying in the breeze.
And the splinters stuck to their fingers as lumber was torn from the trees.
And the wood that came from the timber tall built your buildings from
wall to wall.
And now the hand of the lumberjack is reaching out to you.
And I've seen the hands of the farmers plowin' across the fields.
And the topsoil stuck to their fingers as the land was split by the steel.
Just growing all they could grow, to fill your tables row after row.
And now the hand of the farmer is reaching out to you.
Oh the hands, hands, hands were working on the land, your land.
The labor of the woman and the man working with their hands.
Hands, hands, working with their hands.
Notes:
This song and the following commentary was pubished in SingOut magazine.
"Hands" comes to these pages through Sonny Ochs, Phil's sister. A friend of hers, Peter
Benson, gave her a tape of Phil's concert at the Gaslight in New York City on June 3,
1964. It,along with about 13 other songs rediscovered in a similar fashion, was never 
recorded by Phil. Jim Glover, of Middlebury, Ct, transcribed this song and is working on the
remaining songs. Upon transcribing this song Jim recalled being there that evening. Jim 
writes: "The only thing that bothered me about the song, when I first heard it at the 
Gaslight and later when I listened to the tape, was that it never mentined or gave credit
to women while it told the story of the people who built America. So, I changed the lyrics
accordingly...it's been getting wonderful reactions from live audences." Once again, we 
have the folk process in action. A song that makes a valid statement, and appeals to a 
wide audience, can remain relevant for years without losing its original impact. We are planning
to publish more of Phil's previously unreleased material in the future; but if you 
can't wait, the December, 1983 issue of Broadside contains a whole body of work by and about
Phil--songs, letter, articles, etc.
Copyright 1983

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Hands

by Phil Ochs

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Hands

By Phil Ochs, Arrangements & lyric changes by Jim Glover

G Bm C D

I've seen the hands of laborers that lifted all the loads

G Bm C D

And the granite stuck to their fingers as they dug the canals and the roads

Em Bm

Now they're cleared and the bridges span

C D

The river paused for a power dam

G Bm C D

And now the hand of the laborer is reaching out to you

Chorus:

G Em C D G Em

Oh the hands hands hands that worked to build land, land, your land

D G Em C D G

The labor of the woman and the man workin' with their hands

Hands, hands, hands a-workin' with their hands

I've seen the hands of the miners digging out the coal.

The black dust stuck to their fingers as they lived their life in a hole.

The rocks they're still under the ground, and now their mine is a-closin'

down.

And now the hand of the miner is reaching out to you. (Chorus)

Well I've seen the hands of the lumberjacks; forests swaying in the breeze.

And the splinters stuck to their fingers as lumber was torn from the trees.

And the wood that came from the timber tall built your buildings from

wall to wall.

And now the hand of the lumberjack is reaching out to you.

And I've seen the hands of the farmers plowin' across the fields.

And the topsoil stuck to their fingers as the land was split by the steel.

Just growing all they could grow, to fill your tables row after row.

And now the hand of the farmer is reaching out to you.

Oh the hands, hands, hands were working on the land, your land.

The labor of the woman and the man working with their hands.

Hands, hands, working with their hands.

Notes:

This song and the following commentary was pubished in SingOut magazine.

"Hands" comes to these pages through Sonny Ochs, Phil's sister. A friend of hers, Peter

Benson, gave her a tape of Phil's concert at the Gaslight in New York City on June 3,

1964. It,along with about 13 other songs rediscovered in a similar fashion, was never

recorded by Phil. Jim Glover, of Middlebury, Ct, transcribed this song and is working on the

remaining songs. Upon transcribing this song Jim recalled being there that evening. Jim

writes: "The only thing that bothered me about the song, when I first heard it at the

Gaslight and later when I listened to the tape, was that it never mentined or gave credit

to women while it told the story of the people who built America. So, I changed the lyrics

accordingly...it's been getting wonderful reactions from live audences." Once again, we

have the folk process in action. A song that makes a valid statement, and appeals to a

wide audience, can remain relevant for years without losing its original impact. We are planning

to publish more of Phil's previously unreleased material in the future; but if you

can't wait, the December, 1983 issue of Broadside contains a whole body of work by and about

Phil--songs, letter, articles, etc.

About Hands Chords by Phil Ochs

Learn how to play Hands by Phil Ochs with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Hands chords”, “Hands guitar chords”, or “Phil Ochs Hands chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Hands chords and for experienced players who want accurate Hands lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include G, Bm, C, D, Em, A.

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