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Guitarist Greg Hetson explains the song as such:
“We knew the lyrics would either not make sense or be taken as a racial thing. Greg was just being pessimistic and sarcastic about deals in general.”
– The Bad Religion Page – The Handshake
[Verse 1]
Every time you shake someone's hand
And it feels like your best friend
Could it be that it's only superficiality?
Without regard to well-being
Without an inkling of compromise
Handshakes are nothin' but a subtle "fuck you"
And contracts determine the best friendships
[Chorus]
This is the way of the modern world
Everyone's vying for patronage
This is the way of the modern world
And something's gotta give
[Verse 2]
Every time you shake someone's hand
And you share neither color nor creed
Got to overcome the obstacles of history
There is restrained passion
Mistrust, and bigotry
And these have created the new foundations of society
There's no harmony, just class and race
[Chorus]
This is the way of the modern world
Everyone's fighting for dominance
This is the way of the modern world
And something's gotta give
[Bridge]
Now, I believe in unity
And I am willing to compromise
But I'm not gonna lie or sell my soul
[Guitar Solo]
[Verse 3]
Every time you shake someone's hand
It determines where you stand
And if you won't uphold your side, it's better to...
[Outro]
Fend for yourself, fend for yourself
Fend for yourself, and shun the handshake
Fend for yourself, fend for yourself
Fend for yourself, and shun the handshake
(I believe in unity)
Fend for yourself, fend for yourself
Fend for yourself, and shun the handshake
(And I am willing to compromise)
Fend for yourself, fend for yourself
Fend for yourself, and shun the handshake
(I believe in unity)
Fend for yourself, fend for yourself
Fend for yourself, and shun the handshake
(But I'm not gonna lie or sell my soul)
Fend for yourself, fend for yourself
Fend for yourself, and shun the handshake
Someone's gotta give!
The Handshake was written by Brett Gurewitz & Greg Graffin.
The Handshake was produced by Bad Religion & Andy Wallace.
Bad Religion released The Handshake on Tue Sep 06 1994.