The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)

I have a different theory, that Jim refers to their best friend from high school, Jim McIntyre, to whom they dedicated their first album (check the liner notes). The 3 of them hung out together after school, talked music and politics, and all wrote controversial stuff for their school newspaper.

After high school, John & John went into creating music, and Jim went to work at radio stations. Jim died in 1986, at the age of 25, just as John and John were gaining popularity. John & John travelled to Virginia to be with Jim in the hospital just days before he died.

Jim was a Leo, born in early August, thus, the "lion" reference would make sense.

Being in a spaceship could be a metaphor for a spirit travelling in the heavens. Hushing to hear faint sounds over the phone, or of a distant guitar, and the lion "taking control", could all refer to Jim's spirit trying to communicate to his friends, via electronic equipment, as a way of "waving goodbye" to them.

It would explain why they would want to "turn it up" to hear what it's saying.

(Note: I am a relative of the abovementioned Jim McIntyre, so if you want to blame me for personal bias, I won't blame you, but that's how I know all of this.)

GREAT SONG

i really dout there's much meaning to this song, but Jim that they mention is probably Jimi Hendrix.

Rodan2000

I agree with both of you.

I thought I heard a rumour somewhere that 'the lion' was some refference or other to a character in a sci-fi movie or tv show. Not sure how acurate the rumour was, but it would fit....

This song is clearly about an acid trip.

Though there's not a whole lot of evidence for it, this sounds to me like a critique of the music industry.

The silver spaceship is the record label's corporate headquarters, perhaps in a large building pointing high into the sky. The lion represents the head of the company, or maybe the band's agent, as he "takes control", is "on the phone" (spoken condescendingly to the inquirer by his secretary), and eventually "waves goodbye".

Additionally, the song begins and ends wondering who the guitar player is, a question to which no one has the answer, perhaps representing the anonymity fame/marketing brings. The middle refrain of "Turn it up / I can't hear the guitar", though it sounds like an energetic middle section to a dance tune, could in fact be alluding to how the music eventually becomes swallowed by corporations.

Anyway, that's just my take.

My brother and I were always convinced it was a reference to Jim Morrison's guitar-like vocalisations on 'The Cars Hiss By My Window'. He was, apart from being the 'Lizard King', known as the young lion...but that's stretching it:)

Jim=Jimmi Hendrix. Hendrix used drugs. Drugs make you see lions and and spaceships. Done. Your welcome.