Sweetness

To me, this song sounds alot like a guy who is in love with a girl who doesn't love him back, but he trying to get her to. In the opening lines: "If you're listening, whoa. Sing it back, whoa." It sounds like he is trying to get her to hear hime out and give him a chance. All he wants is for her to say it back.

"String from your tether unwinds (string from your tether unwinds), whoa, whoa, Up and outward to bind (up and outward to bind), whoa, whoa." Here, it's almost as if, what he is seeing, or even thinking in his own mind, is that, her life is going fall apart or shes going to get hurt by someone and he wants to save her and protect her.

"I was spinning free, whoa, With a little sweet and simple numbing me." But then he realizes that it's all in his head, he was so in love that he got crazy. He took a sweet simple girl and the love numbed his perception of reality.

"So tell me what do I need (tell me what do I need), whoa, whoa. When words lose their meaning (when words lose their meaning), whoa, whoa." If she keeps rejecting him, he will give up, he just wants to know what he needs to do to prove himself worthy of her time.

"Stumble till you crawl, whoa. Sinking into sweet uncertainty. (oooh)" Maybe he sees her (In his mind) at a party, drinking heavily and he's worried she'll end up sleeping with somone she'll regret.

"I'm still running away, I'm still running away, I won't play your hide and seek games, your hide and seek games... whoa, whoa." Trying to run away from the thoughts (or her) and he's tired of being forced to hide his feelings for her.

"What a dizzy dance, whoa. The sweetness will not be concerned with me. No, the sweetness will not be concerned with me. No, the sweetness will not be concerned with me." He sees that she'll never beable love him, or be as concerned for him as he is for her.

These are just my thoughs... I know how this is. But it's a song, it's meant to have a different meaning to everyone.

I heard this song was about drugs but i think its total BS because its too pretty to be about drugs. anyway, in my opinion this song is about liking someone but not being able to be with them. or them not feeling the same way. in the begining, its like they met, and had a connection. and you know, all the "sweet and simple" is that totally happy feeling you get when your in love and nothing else matters. and then when "words lose their meaning" means when you talk and nothing makes sense. or no words describe what you feel. the "sweet uncertainty" part is still being happy, but uncertain about whats actually going to happen. by the end of the song, whatever connection the2 people had is gone, so "the sweetness will not be concerned..." at least this is my thoughts here. sorry that was kinda long...

Yeah I think it has something to do with a girl... But not a girlfriend. I think it's about a girl that like to play games... Like most girls do. And he's telling her to stop it or screw off... Or it is a girlfriend that's playing games... and she better stop or he's gonna leave here... She's the sweetness.

this song could mean anything and i don't think the people who made this site had a goal of people trying to figure out what the songs ment to the ARTIST, i think the goal was for people to tell each other what this song ment to THEM and share ideas and stories, i hope you all understand that.

this song (to me) means a deeper feeling with life than all the small, shallow things that you deal with during the time your here, and to focus on the more important things, and you'll be happier, which is a good message, and i doubt its about drugs, but who cares! you get what you want from a song, weather good or bad. enjoy the music.

I saw in an interview that this song is a break-up song, he feels like he's spiraling out of control feeling and heartbroken and feeling numb

This is my absolute favourite song of all time, I've listened to it hundreds of times and pretty much analysed every word in my head.

In my opinion, this song is about a (probably unsuccessful) search for happiness again following a sad/painful event in someone's life. And for me it's all summed up in the final line, "the sweetness will not be concerned with me", which seems to speak about that feeling you get where it just seems like everything is hopeless and that it's almost impossible to find happiness again.

bootiful

Honestly, it's a pretty open-minded song for people to interpret. Personally, i like the Clarity demo better.

The song starts out with "are you listening" which is call to God. The reason I say this is, usually people do not start a conversation with another person by asking "are you listening". If the artist is upset, though, I could easily see this being the start of a prayer. Then "sing it back" might refer to the idea that literally everything in existence is a vibrational frequency produced and sustained by God. In other words, the belief that God is constantly singing all of creation into existence. "String from your tether unwinds, Up and outward to bind" refers to how we, as human beings, tend to form attachments throughout life. We become attached to people, places, relationships, etc... Buddhism warns that worldly attachments ultimately lead to suffering. And I think the artist is suffering because next, he talks about the experience of spinning free from these attachments. He accomplishes this sense of spinning freedom by taking a "sweet and simple" substance that apparently numbs him. My guess would be alcohol because it fits the description. "Tell me want do I need, When words lose their meaning" might be referring to his personal loss of faith. Then we have "Stumble 'till you crawl, Sinking into sweet uncertainty". This is clearly another drinking reference. I think he is feeling uncertain about God or existence, possibly even the meaning of life, and using alcohol to cope. "I'm still running away" supports my losing faith in God theory. And "I won't play your hide and seek game" is yet another spiritual reference. There is a Hindu belief that basically all of existence is a huge game of hide and seek that God is playing with Him/Her/Itself. This concept requires an additional explanation I won't get into here. I recommend checking out Alan Watts on YouTube if this stuff interests you though. The line "What a dizzy dance" has duel meaning for me. The artist is referring to literally being drunk. He is also metaphorically describing the dizzy dance of life, possibly between spirit and matter, or maybe the alternating perspectives we experience of God being something outside ourselves, as well as the realization that we ourselves are God. Last but not least, we have "This sweetness will not be concerned with me". Despite what the artist is currently going through, and physically doing to himself with alcohol, he ultimately understands all of creation, or all "this sweetness", will continue to carry on beautifully regardless. Perhaps he realizes God is listening... And singing back.

this has been a jimmy eat world song for a long long time.. even before clarity.. i think the billie joel thing is a lie.