Ones and Zeros

This is my favorite song on this new album. Contrary to Jacks typical happy and positive vibe, this song is sort of sad, but nonetheless beautiful and a great use of non standard tuning.

To me this is one of those "big picture" songs, to put life in perspective. He see's the back of his own sins, Jack is getting older, looking at his life in retrospect understanding the root of sins he's committed in the past. Looking at humanity as a whole, we think we are so advanced now, looking with condescension at old mythologies of mystery and gods. But look at what we are doing! We will be revealed as fools in the coming ages. We're destroying the planet, and we have the intelligence and technology to turn that around, but we are too obsessed with consumerism to look at ourselves. And nothing will ever stop time...and that will reveal us to ourselves. The vine coming in the window, and he doesn't mind. This is very symbolic to me. Our houses separate us from the earth environment, and here he has a natural intruder, but doesn't mind, and welcomes a blending of earth and human habitat. The wine finding its way into his mind, probably to ease his thoughts, or take the edge off, from the unbalance that he sees us living in. He has memories of being young, laying on the ground, feeling the breeze, watching the sun setting. If you can imagine this in Hawaii, its a beautiful thought. Contrasting with what children do today, stuck to electronic devices, completely ignoring the world around them, except for whats on facebook. Sadly the children today have a very serious problem with the environment they will have to face when they're older, but now they are children and have no idea. It the parents and older generations that should be teaching and helping to make things right. A few do, but the majority of the adult population is a lost cause.
We used to read about heros in books, now everything is digitized, along with all the distractions that come with that.
Heros have turned to crooks. Almost every large corporation, or any company, is out to get the dollar. Anything to get another dollar, morals aside. This is a sad sad reality of our culture. We've destroyed the wholesome image, and have let advertising of pop and fashion corrupt young minds. These people in control care about nothing but taking everything they can, getting every dollar they can, with no regards to the future. "Stole the sunlight from the future, took a sip, drained half the glass, and put it back" Gluttony as a stong grip on our culture.

We want to eat meat, but nobody thinks how those packages get there.
Oil drilling continues because people keep driving. We create the demand for evil industries.

It seems like this is all only going one way with increasing momentum. Civilization is spiraling down a hole.
But we have to continue to find peace in our lives. ie., the vine coming in the window, only growing towards the light. The earth will live on without humans. And sometimes a little wine helps to ease the mind.

I love Jack Johnson, but have never found his lyrics to be very spiritual, but this song seems to be so. Before going on, I must say that I love how "family friendly" his music generally is - something that I can play in the car and not edit or skip with my kids listening in. I know his fans like to smoke the ganja, but his mellowness also appeals to tired souls like myself. That being said, I think this song's chorus speaks or alludes to to possibility of God mysteriously making his way into Jack's life... From the disillusionment of our world and the devolving of the species to being consumers, gadget addicts and destroyers of the planet's resources, Jack seems to sense that God might be reaching out to him...

"There's this vine trying to climb into my window into my life..." In the gospel of John chapter 15 Jesus refers to himself as the true vine and how his people are the branches. Connection to Jesus is critical to discover any meaning or purpose and ultimately to live a life "bearing fruit". I wonder (not sure) if Johnson is referring mystically to Jesus the vine gradually entering his life...

Second, Johnson sings about this "wine making its way from the bottle into my life" - it could be a poetic way of saying he's getting drunk or is succumbing to alcoholism in response to the hopelessness of the world around him... OR it could be another reference to Jesus the one who turns water into wine and celebrates with the "sinners and tax collectors and harlots" of the world revealing the grace and love of God to reach out to the lost, broken and disillusioned. In another reference, Jesus refers to the need for new wine to enter into new wineskins as perhaps a reference to his messianic presence filling the lives of his people.

Each verse depicts sadness, questions and rumors of who God might be vs. the chorus which speaks of a kind of surrender to this vine creeping into his life and this wine sealing into his mind...and he doesn't seem to mind it happening. The Christian in me wants to think it's his own person coming to a place of gradual trust and surrender to God vs. a turn towards cynicism, addiction and loss of hope.

Regardless, I love Jack Johnson's music and will always be a fan of his and I find this song to be one of his deepest and sincerest.

One important addition to the meaning of this song - The title "Ones and Zeros", and the repetition of "Ones and Zeros" throughout the song. I think this refers to the binary code used in our modern day world, which ties into Jack's message about humanity's addiction to technology and the presence technology has in this world.

I like your thoughts insidemusic! The only thing that I wanted to add, but it is in line with what you relayed is that I think that he takes a shot at the GMO's that are being used, right after talking about the land that man plunders, I think that he talks about creating a seed that is resistant to greed because we are jeopardizing are food for $$. Great song and one of my favorites of JJ already!

One important addition to the meaning of this song - The title "Ones and Zeros", and the repetition of "Ones and Zeros" throughout the song. I think this refers to the binary code used in our modern day world, which ties into Jack's message about humanity's addiction to technology and the presence technology has in this world.

The user insidemusic definitely hit most of what I felt about the song. One important thing though is the black hole line in the beginning. This line is essentially the thesis of this song as I see all of the issues and topics he touches upon are a part of this black hole sucking everything in relentlessly, which works with the symbolism of the vine and him trying to find his way back from the cold world we know today. I also love the line where he talks about "a plan that goes boom when it's stamped and we can understand". For me this line hinted to how it seems everyone knows there are these huge problems but are just waiting for some amazing plan, person or idea that will "change it all" and so we are stuck in this anti-revolutionary lull in society where change is needed but is put off.