In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Well, today a friend told me this sorry tale
As he stood there trembling and turning pale
He said each day's harder to get on the scale
Sort of like Jacob Marley's chain.
But it's not like life's such a veil of tears
It's just full of thoughts that act as souvenirs
For those tiny blunders made in yester-years
That comprise Jacob Marley's chain.
Well, I had a little metaphor to state my case
It encompassed the condition of the human race but to my dismay,
It left without a trace except for the sound of Jacob Marley's chain.
Now there is no story left to tell so I think
I'd rather just go on to hell where there's a snowball's chance
That the personnel might help to carry Jacob Marley's chain.
As he stood there trembling and turning pale
He said each day's harder to get on the scale
Sort of like Jacob Marley's chain.
But it's not like life's such a veil of tears
It's just full of thoughts that act as souvenirs
For those tiny blunders made in yester-years
That comprise Jacob Marley's chain.
Well, I had a little metaphor to state my case
It encompassed the condition of the human race but to my dismay,
It left without a trace except for the sound of Jacob Marley's chain.
Now there is no story left to tell so I think
I'd rather just go on to hell where there's a snowball's chance
That the personnel might help to carry Jacob Marley's chain.
Lyrics submitted by alexandra_
Jacob Marley's Chain Lyrics as written by Aimee Mann
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Well this is just very clever and great to listen to in the car. Like a lot of Aimee Mann's lyrics it suggests the most pessimistic conclusions and then invites you to come to terms with them and see them as less tragic. Life is a tragedy, we forge chains for ourselves all the time and end up being punished by carrying these chains around....and then it ends with jokes about snowballs in hell and the idea that even in Hell we would help each other....maybe.