| Jack Johnson – Ones and Zeros Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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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. |
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| Third Eye Blind – About to Break Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Ah, It's: "Weapons hot, sinking this world" I think... |
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| Third Eye Blind – About to Break Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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This is one my favorites of the album! This song hits the soul pretty deep, the feeling changes a few times. But I seem to be partial to laid back, slower tempo songs, Along with Why Can't You Be. His voice is amazing in these songs. At the start the feeling is definitely tense. Think about talking one of those walks when your just sick of everything. And the fever is about to break, which I think is a great analogy. The obvious people we think of as being stressed, the social worker, drug addicts, poverty... these people are having a hard time with life. And I think generally as a whole we all are feeling a little worn out. But I love the bittersweet that comes when these lyrics are mixed with the music. And thats where this hope feeling comes in that the fever is about to break. "Break like a fever" when he sings that the supporting music is awesome! But also on the inside, I would assume most people have feeling of insecurity about life itself. "People looking for themselves inside of mirrors For not knowing why you're here" And him personally having to live in public spotlight. Which isn't always easy. But I wouldn't know :) It should go right to, "Stand up and let me get a look at you Can we all take a wider view" I think it makes a big difference that he dosen't say: ""When I see your face I want to be in the human race" hes does later but thats when the fever breaks...all about the building of tension. More bad, the evangelist with bad intentions, weapons that want to explode. But heres where it all changes!! The lyrics should be "we won't make them follow orders", and the drums come in, slowly getting louder. " We won't make them follow orders For doctors without borders" And it turns around with a little bit of hope. Let the people be free, the example being doctors that just really wan't to help people and aren't going to subscribe to some country's selfish bullshit. Traveling the globe helping people, a beautiful image. The music is building still and he shouts "its about to break"! Ohhh it's coming!! ;) AND IT BREAKS!! "break like a fever" Listen to the chorus singing behind him! It's beautiful! And simultaneously he says: "When i see your face, I wanna be in the human race" Think about going about day to day life...mundane. And then you see that one persons face, and your whole outlook changes. The feeling of love comes over "I wanna be with the human race". Such a change from the beginning when he hated his fellow man. The fever broke and hope has taken over! oh yay! :) He's seeing how beautiful life can be! So this great feeling must be spread, to the "teenage mother with the baby asleep", and "africa where life is cheap". These two situations I would imagine being hard, and he wan'ts the fever to break for them. But then he drops the bomb.... "for losing faith in who your going with". And the music quiets down. So basically his universal love is only accesed in partnership with a new love. Which I think we can understand. And like that the whole hope feeling drops out. But it was there, and all things must come to an end. After awhile sometimes you just get tired of hoping and give up. So the next line, "America fades into myth," I think thats pretty powerful. He basically saying the hopeful dreams of our forefathers is turing into a myth, a story of what was long ago. But things change and now we have 300 million people to look after everyday in this country, and more adding to it everyday. Stress. |
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| Jack Johnson – Traffic In The Sky Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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As with most Jack Johnson songs, he uses heavy metaphors. I think that this song has nothing to do with 9/11. Instead I think that climbthestars interpretation that this song is philosophical is right on. He seems to me, to be talking about the metaphysical world, and materialism. Here's what I think: "Traffic in the sky" this could be a metaphor for the human mind, "sky" being the mind, and "traffic" being all the physical world and desires clogging up our ability to think clearly. A lot of religions/belief systems, ect., say that we need to quiet our minds to find true peace, tranquility and happiness. Getting away from desires instilled in us since we were children is a big goal, to see that we don't need material possessions to make us happy. "there's kids playing games on the pavement drawing waves on the pavement shadows of the planes on the pavement" Children are born to the world pure, their minds are a clean slate to be filled in by society, parents, school, ect. The shadows of the planes over them as they play is a metaphor for them getting older and developing their own "traffic" in their minds forced onto us from society. Jack see's this and it makes him sad and angry for what their future holds. "it's enough to make me cry but that don't seem like it would make it feel better maybe it's a dream and if I scream it will burst at the seams this whole place will fall into pieces" I don't think he's specifically saying that reality is a dream in this song, he definitely does in others. Here i think he just wants it to be a bad dream that he can wake up from, and make people realize the state of their own minds, and what controls them. "Well how could we have known? I'll tell them it's not so hard to tell if you keep adding stones soon the water will be lost in the well" Keep adding to the clutter and non-necessities in your life, your true self will be buried and lost. If we just take a little time to analyze how the mind works, its not so hard to see whats going on. Instead of always worrying about other people or your job or your car, take time to dig into yourself and find out how you really feel. Most people just want to make more and more money, and buy and buy and believe that their living a good life and they will be rewarded in heaven after they die. But Jack is saying RIGHT NOW, we can be in heaven with our mindset and live a fulfilling life , rather than using a promised heaven as security to feel good. "Puzzle pieces in the ground But no one ever seems to be digging instead they're looking up towards the heavens with their eyes on the heavens the shadows on the way to the heavens it's enough to make me cry but that don't seem like it would make it feel better the answers could be found we could learn from digging down but no one ever seems to be digging" We are too busy with the complications of modern life to relax, and trust ourselves enough to see that this isn't necessary. Its a lot of busy work with empty promises that only fulfill desires of greed. We could have all we need if we realize happiness and tranquility are within our own hearts and minds RIGHT NOW! It just takes time to break up all the "traffic" in our minds that has built up over years and years of lies to make us believe in materialism. But beneath all that, we are still there, the children in us all playing and drawing waves, waiting to be rediscovered. We just have to clear the traffic first... but it can be done! The wisdom and teachings are out there to help us, we just have to listen. :) "Words of wisdom all around but no one ever seems to listen they're talking about their plans on the paper building up from the pavement there are shadows from the skyscrapers on the pavement it's enough to make me sigh but that don't seem like it would make it feel better the words are all around but the words are only sounds and no one ever seems to listen instead they'll say Well how could we have known? I'll tell them it's really not so hard to tell if you keep adding stones soon the water will be lost in the well, lost in the well... " |
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| Jack Johnson – Monsoon Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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"And if the moon can turn the tides It can pull the tears and take ‘em from our eyes And turn ‘em into monsoons And make ‘em into monsoon-er or later they’ll weep their way back to the sea" Amazing. He's talking about the progression of time, and how it will keep moving forward. Crazy things can happen, and unexpected things as we "stumble through the day". But water always returns to the sea in the end. And life, what a journey it can be. We are the one drop of the ocean waiting to go home. And when we finally return to sea, we'll be free. But he says "free for a while until they break like waves of sorrow always break". Maybe this could also be about a specific troubling time in life? ...as well as life in general. This is my favorite song on this album. I love it. :) |
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