This song uses an imagined scene of a speakeasy to depict one person’s love for another.

If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say

“Left Hand Free” has been described as the “least alt-J song ever.” At least, that’s what the members of the band had to say about it.

The track was the sophomore single on the “This is All Yours” album. Some have called alt-J out, saying the song was only made to keep the record label happy. While this might be true, it seems to have kept plenty of fans genuinely pleased as well.

Some critics point to a label that was hungry for another hit after “Hunger of the Pine” didn’t make the cut. These naysayers believe Infectious, the indie label owned by BMG, wanted something more commercial and “Left Hand Free” was merely the result of that push.

None of the band members seemed to have anything nice to say about the song in an interview with The Guardian. Joe Newman remarked, “And I say, ‘Gee whiz,’ which I’m not sure is a phrase I’ve ever uttered before. I can imagine it appealing to American truckers with ‘Good Riddance To Bin Laden’ stickers!”

The offending line in question is:

“Gee whiz, girl, you’re the one for me”

The band would later change their tune and walk back their statements. They admitted that the label didn’t actually force their hand with the song. Whether or not that’s true or if it was a misunderstanding on the reporter’s part is still open to interpretation.

Gun Unger-Hamilton was quick to tell Stereogum, “No, no, no, it was something we came up with spontaneously. It was the product of having fun one afternoon in the writers’ studio and enjoying ourselves.” Gun continued definitively, “It was definitely not written in any way for the label, to please the label or to piss the label off, or whatever people have been saying. No.”

From Speakeasies to the Matrix

In an interview with Stingray Music, alt-J explains, “It’s kind of about an imagined bar brawl in a sort of Prohibition-era speakeasy bar. It’s kind of setting the scene and it’s not necessarily writing it from the heart, from personal experience, obviously, but it’s kind of a nice, made up a little fantasy world.”

“Speak easy” can even be heard in the backing vocals at the end of the third verse. It forms a double meaning as both a reference to this imagined speakeasy or, more literally, a plea to use gentle words or even to be furtive.

“N-E-O, O-M-G / Gee whiz, girl, you’re the one for me”

“N-E-O” refers to “The Matrix” multimedia series and its central character, Neo, who is referred to as The One in the franchise’s lore.

Newman makes use of the oldest internet slang in the book with “O-M-G” for “oh my God,” just to underline how shocked he is that he’s found the one for him.

Biblical References and Schoolyard Rhymes

It’s usually alt-J’s writing style to spend ample time on each song. This one was reportedly banged out in as little as twenty minutes. Still, the lyrics contain ample layers of hidden significance.

“Ain’t shady, baby, I’m hot”

This line simply and effectively expresses his passion by juxtaposing the coolness of shade with the heated-up quality of his current state.

He then suddenly drops a Biblical reference with “Like the prodigal son.” This comes from Luke 15, the Parable of the Prodigal Son. When paired with the previous line, “son” takes on a double meaning with its homophone: the sun, one of the hottest things imaginable.

“Pick a petal: eeny, meeny, miny, moe, and flower / You’re the chosen one”

These lines show the narrator’s lack of decisiveness in using schoolyard rhymes to make his decisions. He ties it all together at the end of the line by referring to her as “flower,” a common term of endearment in Yorkshire, England, where the band is from.

The titular line is repeated three times in the chorus:

“Well, my left hand’s free”

This is likely an allusion to his marital status, meaning that he is unmarried and thus single, ready to mingle.

Lyrics

Ain’t shady baby, I’m hot
Like the prodigal son
Pick a petal, eenie meenie minie mo, and flower
You’re the chosen one

Well, your left hand’s free
And your right’s in grip
With another left hand
Watch his right hand slip
Towards his gun
Oh, no

I tackle, we tussle, and, oh
My days, we’re rolling
My right hand’s gripped on his Colt single-action army
Oh, no

Well, your left hand’s free
And your right’s in grip
With another left hand
Watch his right hand slip
Towards his gun
Oh, no

N-E-O, O-M-G
Gee whiz, girl, you’re the one for me
Though your man’s bigger than I am
Oh, my days, he disagrees
Oh, no (Speak easy)

Well, my left hand’s free
Well, my left hand’s free
Well, my left hand’s free
Oh, no

Ain’t shady baby, I’m hot
Like the prodigal son
Pick a petal, eenie, meenie, minie, mo
And flower you’re the chosen one

Well, your left hand’s free
Well, my left hand’s free
Well, my left hand’s free
Well, my left hand’s free
Well, my left hand’s free
Oh, no

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Joe Newman / Augustus Unger Hamilton / Thomas Green

Left Hand Free lyrics © Kobalt Music Copyrights Sarl