What do these lyrics mean?: Hand in Pocket

[Biggirl]

My hubby swears she's talking about masturbating (apparently because that's the only reason he'd put his hand in his pocket) that's why everything is fine even though she's poor and works to hard. Me, I don't know what Alanis means exactly but I don't think it would be that easy to play the piano with one hand while masturbating with the other.

Plus, unlike guys, it really isn't that easy for women to masturbate through their pockets unless they had some really awkwardly placed pockets.

Still, I can't come up with a better explanation for the lyric than the one hubby has.

[silenus]

Nah. I think she's just using the "hand in pocket" as a contrast. Look at the other lyrics: all polar opposite pairs. Same with the pairings with "hand."

[ivan astikov]

Unless she was wearing dungarees. Then she might well have been fiddling with herself.

[pulykamell]

Masturbation? Nah. To me the image of somebody with one hand in their pocket is just a way of showing them to be relaxed, laid-back, "everything's going to be all right."

[ulfhjorr]

I think a pairing with the ideas of silenus and pulykamell may be the right track. There are the opposites throughout the song, and this may be a combination of them. There's the opposition of the hand in the pocket doing nothing versus the actions of the other hand, and there's also the opposition of the laid-back, relaxed feeling of the hand in the pocket with the sort of closed-off, leave me alone vibe it can give out (also, then, opposing the giving of a peace sign, etc.).


Masturbation? I never even considered that reference.