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Looking Into You Lyrics
Well I looked into a house I once lived in
Around the time I first went on my own
When the roads were as many as the places I had dreamed of
And my friends and I were one
Now the distance is done and the search has begun
I've come to see where my beginnings have gone
Oh the walls and the windows were still standing
And the music could be heard at the door
Where the people who kindly endured my odd questions
Asked if I came very far
And when my silence replied they took me inside
Where their children sat playing on the floor
Well we spoke of the changes that would find us farther on
And it left me so warm and so high
But as I stepped back outside to the grey morning sun
I heard that highway whisper and sigh
Are you ready to fly?
And I looked into the faces all passing by
It's an ocean that will never be filled
And the house that grows older and finally crumbles
That even love cannot rebuild
It's a hotel at best, you're here as a guest
You oughta make yourself at home while you're waiting for the rest
Well I looked into dream of the millions
That one day the search will be through
Now here I stand at the edge of my embattled illusions
Looking into you
The great song traveler passed through here
And he opened my eyes to the view
And I was among those who called him a prophet
And I asked him what was true
Until the distance had shown how the road remains alone
Now I'm looking in my life for a truth that is my own
Well I looked into the sky for my anthem
And the words and the music came through
But words and music can never touch the beauty that I've seen
Looking into you -- and that's true
Around the time I first went on my own
When the roads were as many as the places I had dreamed of
And my friends and I were one
Now the distance is done and the search has begun
I've come to see where my beginnings have gone
And the music could be heard at the door
Where the people who kindly endured my odd questions
Asked if I came very far
And when my silence replied they took me inside
Where their children sat playing on the floor
And it left me so warm and so high
But as I stepped back outside to the grey morning sun
I heard that highway whisper and sigh
Are you ready to fly?
It's an ocean that will never be filled
And the house that grows older and finally crumbles
That even love cannot rebuild
It's a hotel at best, you're here as a guest
You oughta make yourself at home while you're waiting for the rest
That one day the search will be through
Now here I stand at the edge of my embattled illusions
Looking into you
And he opened my eyes to the view
And I was among those who called him a prophet
And I asked him what was true
Until the distance had shown how the road remains alone
Now I'm looking in my life for a truth that is my own
And the words and the music came through
But words and music can never touch the beauty that I've seen
Looking into you -- and that's true
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This is, as the lyrics suggest, about the house Jackson Browne grew up in. According to him (at the 2002 Appel Farms music festival in southern NJ) it was a house that had been built by his grandfather, and his family moved there when he was a teenager. It was a huge and bizarre stone house - including a dungeon in the basement - and it held a lot of nostalgia for him. Like a lot of Jackson Browne songs, there's not a ton of hidden meanings in here. Most of the sentiments are obvious. But that's a little background on the house itself.
this is my personal analysis of the song which i completely relate to, though i think it can mean many things...
the song starts out with the scene of his old family house which has now been sold or let out to another family. he travels a long way there looking for his roots, for something concrete in his life... he's sick of roaming around aimlessly, the distance is done, the possibilities are too many and he just needs to find something firm to build his future upon. the family invites him in and gives him a taste of what stable home life is...children, predictable future, warmth and love, togetherness....it leaves him high and hopeful, yet when he steps outside this warm familial environment he is again immediately confronted with his need to be free...and his need for something bigger, more meaningful...
he looks at the faces passing by..."it's an ocean that will never be filled" to me is about people's desperate search for happiness, stability, etc. but the impossibility of ever achieving it in this world. the house that grows older finally crumbles - the life and love he witnessed within his old house is temporary, as is everything in this world, it is constantly changing. i also think of the house as a metaphor for the body, which inevitably grows older and dies, something we have no power over. we are in this world as guests, mortal, and all we can do is try to feel at home while we are here.
...his search for a home then becomes a deeper search, for truth and meaning in existence, the same thing the "millions" of people search for. but it is impossible to be certain of it, so it's always an illusion to some degree...he loses hope in finding a universal truth, which even a prophet couldn't give him, as it's his task to search for his own truth. he finds his truth in the beauty of music.. but mostly in his beloved... her soul so to speak, the significance of looking "into" rather than "at". he's come to a point where the only thing that's certain for him is love...and that seems to give him enough meaning in life, he doesn't need to have anything more concrete, or any absolute philosophy or religion...love in its simplicity is better and greater than anything.
Here is how I interpret this song, I guess based upon my own experience:
It's about how nothing is permanent, but that people, places, or things can have meaning that can last your whole life. The house, for instance. He goes back to visit this house that represents a golden time for him. Lots of experiences and memories during the time he lived there. But he has moved on and so has the house... new owners, etc. And as he says, eventually the house won't even exist any more. But that past time holds a meaning in his life he can look back on and appreciate. The line where he says he is 'looking into you' might mean all these same feelings about a person. A relationship that ended in the past but he can still feel what it meant to him then, and what it means to him now. The later part about the song traveler... I agree that sounds like Bob Dylan. It brings up a theme common to many peoples' lives, probably more in the 60s than now. Dylan was one of a few musicians I can think of who drew a following by voicing freedoms and lifestyle choices that weren't really condoned before that. A lot of people got carried away and really did treat such people as prophets, hanging on their every word. As time passed, most realized that not everything in those lyrics was gospel truth. Most who were 'following' these cultural leaders took some of what they said and left the rest, essentially going on their own search for where they fit in this world. 'Until the distance had show how the road remains alone' sort of sums this up.
i just love how this song is so literal and yet so meaningful. so beautiful, i have this song on tape(old school lol) and i rewind and listen to this song over and over.
@findsomepeace yes! Literal and meaningful, its called a metaphor.
@findsomepeace yes! Literal and meaningful, its called a metaphor.
@findsomepeace yes! Literal and meaningful, its called a metaphor.
@findsomepeace yes! Literal and meaningful, its called a metaphor.
I love the line "Words and music will never touch the beauty I see looking into you."
I think "the great songed traveler" is Bob Dylan. Many people have called him a prophet. Sounds like Jackson must have met him.
I wonder if the person he is talking about is David Crosby. Will Jackson ever reveal who it is?
I wonder if the person he is talking about is David Crosby. Will Jackson ever reveal who it is?
Is it about the time he spent in California, before his first album, and could the "great song traveller" be Neil Young? I may be wrong, but I think he stayed with Neil Young when CSNY got together, but don't take this as gospel.
My interpretation, The house is a metaphor for your life, Jackson has said but its also a true story of returning to his former home when he began his adult life and career. I am also going to explain how this song fits my own personal interpretation on events my life because we all have our own journey thus our own interpretation. Thats the genius of this beautiful song. Hes looking at his past because the journey is done in his life up this point at least. The jouney is done but the search has begun. What is he searching for? The things that have changed in his life. The walls and windows are still standing and the music could be heard at the door. Hes still alive and still writing and playing music. Its simple but it means a lot. The music represent life and living his dreams that he had at the begining of his journey. Where the people kindly endured my odd questions? In his music he questions life and peopke are kind enough to listen and search for answers ourselves with him. When they ask if he has come far he is silent, that is a hard question to answer, its not just his journey to the house pysically but the journey in his life so far, life is a difficult journey, a long one, and is personal. His silence is enough to lnow it has been. They spoke of the changes that would find us further on and left him warm and high? Hes looking at all the changes in his life since then, that made him feel happy and good but then he steps back outside, no longer reminiscing about the past the highway whispers and sighs, are you ready to fly? Hes looking forward on his journey and to higher heights, because the sky is the limit. The faces are passing by on the highway, an ocean that will never be filled? Other people are on their life journeys with you on this highway and never ends. The house will grow old and crumble? I think could represent our bodies wlll grow old and our life will end and no matter how much we are loved, not even that can give us another life. We are like travelers here in this body and our life is just temporary so make the best of it and enjoy it. Hes looked and seen millions dreeaming and searching for meaning in life and hoping someday to find it. His embattled illusions? He struggle to make his dreams reality and hes looking into his life. The great song traveler he calls a prophet? Hes speaking of himself and his journey. His music speaks truth hes discovered in his own life. Now hes looking into his life for a truth that is his own. In other words, hes looking in his life to find its meaning, its own truth. He looked in sky for his anthem, and words and music came through? He can write songs out of the air but words and music that speak truth come from looking inside your own life, words and music are fine but words and music looking into you is beautiful because Thats true. I wonder where much of this music today comes from. The most beautiful songs tell a story. I will expand on this with telling story from this song in my life and its interpretation personally. How i feel and what i hear when i listen, its different for everyone, find your own truth
@rob1173285 thats what i believe Jackson was trying to say in Looking into You. What we hear in songs is dependant on our own experiances and we relate to it. This is what hear when i hear Looking into you. The House is just a metaphor for our life. When i was 16 i was in a car accident, it left me with a spinal cord injury and in a wheelchair. We moved to a small town a couple towns away and at 17 i met my first love. She was young, to young but very mature for 13. I...
@rob1173285 thats what i believe Jackson was trying to say in Looking into You. What we hear in songs is dependant on our own experiances and we relate to it. This is what hear when i hear Looking into you. The House is just a metaphor for our life. When i was 16 i was in a car accident, it left me with a spinal cord injury and in a wheelchair. We moved to a small town a couple towns away and at 17 i met my first love. She was young, to young but very mature for 13. I fell madly in love with her but when i turned her father, understandably banned her from ever seeing me again. My heart was broke but i was young and thought love was always that easy. A few years later i moved a couple states away. We kept in contact for a few years but eventually we lost contact for about 25 yrs. I always loved her and even dreamed of finding her again someday. One day i decided to search for her on facebook. She was married with 2 children but i did messsage her just to say hello and tell her i was happy for her. She messaged back and began messaging me regularly and it was like we never parted. She told me she wasnt happy and wanted to divorce her husband and our affair began. I visited her and it was magical. I had made plans to move back after she got divorced so we could finally be together again. I never felt love so strong and she was as beautiful as ever. Unfortunately because of the children and many other complications she eventually decided not to divorce and my heart was broken...again. thats when i rediscovered looking into you This is what i heard. The house i once lived in is my old state and town that returned to see her in. I had just become a legal adult when we parted so it was very much when i first when out on my own and i had so many dreams and thats why i left but i always dreamed of being with her again. My old friends have drifted apart when we were once always together as one and i returned to see where my beginning had gone. The walls and windows were still standing? We had grown older and changed some but we were still the same people and it was like we had never parted other then the fact it wasnt my home. And the music could be heard at the door? What sweet music it was. My love was so strong and we shared a love for good music. I would often send her songs on messenger that showed how i felt and she loved recieving them. We would talk about the changes in our lives, her children and mine and it just seemed so right and the love was so strong it seemed. We spoke of the changes that would find us further on? We made plans for her divorce and for me to return and it felt so good and i was so high on her and excited about our future together but she was never able to pull that trigger and the distance after i had retirned was a big problem. Eventually she decided she couldnt leave her husband because of the kids and many other factors came into play. I had to step back outside into that grey morning sun, broken hearted but i had to move on and i heard the highway whisper and sigh, are you ready to fly? It wasnt my home anymore, soneone else lived there now but i had so many great memories there. I looked into the faces of all passing by, its an ocean that will never be filled? So many people looking for that kind of love that i had for her but i felt empty inside. This house of mine is growing but that house was crumbling and even though my love was so strong for her it couldnt rebuild what we once had and dreamed of. Its a hotel at best? The best we got and the time we spent there was amazing, when we made love it was amazing, the magic was so strong and hearts were as one it seemed but it was all temporary. It was never meant to be but i tried to make the best of the short time we had together and even when i returned home i continued to get to get to her all over again untill the writing was on the wall. I still love her but i look at the millions who are still searching for that kind of love. Now here i stand at the edge of my embattled illusions looking at you? That dream was crushed and and the struggle is hard when i think about her. Waa it all an illusion? Was there ever a chance? Will i ever feel love like that again? Then i hear these words to this beautiful song, the great song traveler passed through here, and he opened my eyes to the view, and i was among them who called him a prophet, and i asked him what was true, until the distance had shown, how the road remains alone, now im looking into my life, for a truth that is my own. Im thankful for what ive had and what ive felt with her, its a love i never knew i was capable of both in my youth and as an older man. Now im looking into you, this old house that even love cannot rebuild, my life, my experiance, her beauty, my memories, my dreams, and my search continues. But words and music will never touch the beauty ive seen looking into you, and thats true. As difficult as this experiance has been i have no regrets because it has been an amazing journey. Thank you Jackson Browne, for reminding us that we should know everything is temporary and to just enjoy the view and make the best of our time here.