Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la
Mmm
Uh huh
I was down at the New Amsterdam
Staring at this yellow-haired girl
Mr. Jones strikes up a conversation
With a black-haired flamenco dancer
You know she dances while his father plays guitar
She's suddenly beautiful
And we all want something beautiful
Man, I wish I was beautiful
So come dance the silence down through the morning
Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la, yeah
Uh huh, yeah
Cut up, Maria
Show me some of them Spanish dances
Pass me a bottle, Mr. Jones
Believe in me
Help me believe in anything
'Cause I wanna be someone who believes
Yeah
Mr. Jones and me
Tell each other fairy tales
And we stare at the beautiful women
She's looking at you
Ah, no, no, she's looking at me
Smilin' in the bright lights
Coming through in stereo
When everybody loves you
You can never be lonely
Well, I'm gon' paint my picture
Paint myself in blue and red and black and gray
All of the beautiful colors are very, very meaningful
Yeah, well, you know gray is my favorite color
I felt so symbolic yesterday
If I knew Picasso
I would buy myself a gray guitar and play
Mr. Jones and me
Look into the future
Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women
She's looking at you
I don't think so
She's looking at me
Standing in the spotlight
I bought myself a gray guitar
When everybody loves me
I will never be lonely
I will never be lonely
Said I'm never gonna be lonely
I wanna be a lion
Yeah, everybody wanna pass as cats
We all wanna be big, big stars
Yeah, but we got different reasons for that
Believe in me
'Cause I don't believe in anything
And I wanna be someone to believe, to believe, to believe
Yeah
Mr. Jones and me
Stumbling through the barrio
Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women
She's perfect for you
Man, there's got to be somebody for me
I wanna be Bob Dylan
Mr. Jones wishes he was someone just a little more funky
When everybody loves you, ah son
That's just about as funky as you can be
Mr. Jones and me
Staring at the video
When I look at the television, I want to see me
Staring right back at me
We all wanna be big stars
But we don't know why, and we don't know how
But when everybody loves me
I wanna be just about as happy as I can be
Mr. Jones and me
We're gonna be big stars
Mmm
Uh huh
I was down at the New Amsterdam
Staring at this yellow-haired girl
Mr. Jones strikes up a conversation
With a black-haired flamenco dancer
You know she dances while his father plays guitar
She's suddenly beautiful
And we all want something beautiful
Man, I wish I was beautiful
So come dance the silence down through the morning
Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la, yeah
Uh huh, yeah
Cut up, Maria
Show me some of them Spanish dances
Pass me a bottle, Mr. Jones
Believe in me
Help me believe in anything
'Cause I wanna be someone who believes
Yeah
Mr. Jones and me
Tell each other fairy tales
And we stare at the beautiful women
She's looking at you
Ah, no, no, she's looking at me
Smilin' in the bright lights
Coming through in stereo
When everybody loves you
You can never be lonely
Well, I'm gon' paint my picture
Paint myself in blue and red and black and gray
All of the beautiful colors are very, very meaningful
Yeah, well, you know gray is my favorite color
I felt so symbolic yesterday
If I knew Picasso
I would buy myself a gray guitar and play
Mr. Jones and me
Look into the future
Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women
She's looking at you
I don't think so
She's looking at me
Standing in the spotlight
I bought myself a gray guitar
When everybody loves me
I will never be lonely
I will never be lonely
Said I'm never gonna be lonely
I wanna be a lion
Yeah, everybody wanna pass as cats
We all wanna be big, big stars
Yeah, but we got different reasons for that
Believe in me
'Cause I don't believe in anything
And I wanna be someone to believe, to believe, to believe
Yeah
Mr. Jones and me
Stumbling through the barrio
Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women
She's perfect for you
Man, there's got to be somebody for me
I wanna be Bob Dylan
Mr. Jones wishes he was someone just a little more funky
When everybody loves you, ah son
That's just about as funky as you can be
Mr. Jones and me
Staring at the video
When I look at the television, I want to see me
Staring right back at me
We all wanna be big stars
But we don't know why, and we don't know how
But when everybody loves me
I wanna be just about as happy as I can be
Mr. Jones and me
We're gonna be big stars
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When they are standing from a distance to an attractive girl they talk amongst themselves that she is looking at each of them but then when they address the women, the focus is quickly directly to mr jones because the narrator doesnt think hes really beautiful and funky enough to get the girl that he had the confidence that she was looking at him from a distance.
Loneliness is a very important phrase that Adam uses. The fear of being lonely keeps us all from being lions and chasing our dreams. We all want to be loved by everyone and will prevent ourselves from being lions to protect that. The only way you can be loved by everyone is to be ultra confident and funky, unlike society wants you to be, and what the narrator is desperately seeking.
songfacts.com/facts/counting-crows/…
where an adam says what the song is actually about himself!
Have you ever heard someone say they were "jonesing" for something. Like, you're REALLY craving some ice cream, so you say you're "jonesing for some ice cream." I think that is the reference here. Mr. Jones is Adam's craving for fame and popularity. Read through the lyrics and picture it that way, it just makes perfect sense. For example, Adam is down at the New Amsterdam staring at a yellow haired girl, but he'd really rather be striking up a conversation with a black haired flamenco dancer (which would not be in New Amsterdam).
With this theory in mind, I think it makes the VH1 Storytellers performance take on a whole darker, sadder tone. "Mr. Jones and me, we don't see each other much anymore" -- meaning now that he's got everything he use to want he never finds the time to sit back and fantasize about all of the great things he wants. This is just a brilliant song.
songfacts.com/facts/counting-crows/…
where an adam says what the song is actually about himself! and explains who mr jones is the flamenco dancer maria etc etc
dont read too much into the song he also adds
songfacts.com/facts/counting-crows/…
where an adam says what the song is actually about himself! and explains who mr jones is the flamenco dancer maria etc etc
dont read too much into the song he also adds
jones /jÅnz/
Noun: A fixation on or compulsive desire for someone or something, typically a drug; an addiction.
Verb: Have a fixation on; be addicted to.
with this, a possible reading can be extrapolated where two personalites from the same person, one being the speaker in active addiction, the other being the real person, both staring at their lives, concerned with the future, and engaging in battle between who is more worthy of beauty and happiness.
W.
People compete and fight amongst each other for what they were told they should find beautiful, without ever thinking of what they find beautiful ...
"Lions don't lose sleep over the opinions of sheep" - Imam Al-Shafi'i