Jack Johnson – To The Sea

General CommentThe album 'To The Sea' is dedicated to Jack's father, Jeff Johnson, who I believe died before the production of the album. Many of the songs from this album seem to centre on parenthood and fitting in with people, and I believe this is because Jack was reflecting on his father's death as he wrote the songs.

I'm not certain about "Bring all your hunters, It's me that you've wanted", but I think he might be referring to death, 'hunting down' either himself? or his father. "I've been here all along" referring perhaps to how he has been on the ‘side of the living’ since birth, as death approaches to take him to whatever is next.

"Bring all your buckets, we've got some dreams to drain". Is he saying that the death of his father has 'drained his dreams' about what they would do in the future? Is this what death does, 'draining' our dreams and aspirations by taking away the ones we love?

The chorus is my favourite part of this song, and this is mainly where my interpretation comes from. "Run my dear son, until we get to the trees, then keep on going all the way, we've gotta get right down to the sea". I think this has two interpretations. Firstly, it is a memory of him and his Dad going surfing when Jack was a boy. They leave the house, go past the trees on the way to the beach.

The second meaning ties in with the theme of death. These lyrics sound to me like commands, coming from a desperate father. I feel this part of the song is a sort of dream, in which Jack’s memory of him and his father going to the beach becomes a run from death itself. In this dream, death is chasing his father. His father starts running to the sea. Jack, panicked by this, doesn’t know what to do. His father tells him where to go: “Run to the sea!” They run past the trees to the sea, like old times, only this time in a dramatic chase with death. Now, they’re at the sea. I believe Jack uses the Sea to mean the ‘afterlife’, or whatever you believe happens after death. His Dad passes into the sea (afterlife), as he can no longer run from death. Jack tries to follow his father, but his father calls back “Don’t touch the water!” It is not Jack’s time to pass over. “If you see yourself looking back at you, you’re gonna have to leave”. Jack is still alive in a physical body, hence he can see himself looking back, due to the reflection in the water. As he can see himself looking back (he is alive), he has to leave, as only spirits (his dead father) can pass over here.

That’s what I think anyway! You might think it sounds a bit gruesome, but I think it’s a very powerful and emotive way of dealing with death. Basically, this song to me is one of Jack’s early memories of him and his father, corrupted by the knowledge that his father is now dead - and all to a rocking tune. Keep it up, Jack!

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  @ShakeyB

General Comment“It’s about a father leading his son to a place where he can dive deeper and try to understand himself,” says Johnson. “The ocean is deep so it has that representation of the subconscious in my life.”
It's from an article on The Music Network. =)

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  @aprilshower

My InterpretationShakeyB asked in his comment,

"Bring all your buckets, we've got some dreams to drain". Is he saying that the death of his father has 'drained his dreams' about what they would do in the future? Is this what death does, 'draining' our dreams and aspirations by taking away the ones we love?
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If this part of the song is relating to his father's death, then I imagine "Bring all your buckets" is in reference to crying. "Drain the dreams" could mean letting the tears fall for all the future times that will never happen. multiple buckets = a *lot* of tears.

On a different level, if looked at from the perspective of what aprilshower commented, "Bring all your buckets, we've got some dreams to drain" might represent a father sharing wisdom with his son, in the form of a day at the beach together. A happy memory from the artist's own childhood maybe. A carefree time when imagination runs free and you can build anything in the sand with your buckets and dreams. A metaphor for life and how to live it.

Maybe "dreams to drain" means you shouldn't keep your dreams all bottled up, you need to live them- let them flow.

"Get to the sea"- Rediscover inspiration, purpose, joy when you're lost and need to heal. Maybe there's also a comforting sense of a lost loved one being there with you in spirit at the sea (or anywhere you had a meaningful time together.)

Another way of thinking about it concerns actual dreams you have when you're sleeping, when "Walls have no meaning".

For me, most of the song sounds like it's about the artist's dead father being able to meet and talk with his son, literally through dreams.

In these dreams, being with his dad feels real and wonderful, but he always has to wake up (leave). I like the idea that the dream realm has the potential of allowing us to reconnect with our lost loved ones in a way that's impossible during waking life.

I've had dreams like this, being with my parents, being able to speak with them, hear their voice, tell them I love them, have a laugh together. These dreams are amazing. As soon as I wake up and remember they're gone it makes me cry with a pain that's impossible to describe. Maybe I need to unlock that.

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  @destiny116