No Other Way

It is so beautiful reading all of the meanings this song has to everyone! A good artist puts together artwork that means something to them but is expressed in a way that everyone can relate to, you are all right in what the song is about. It's about love, death, birth, re-birth. It has to be a good song to touch so many people in so many ways! I just discovered Jack Johnson about a year ago and I fell in love instantly! He is so eloquent with his words and the music is perfectly placed to add the right element of emotion to the song. I love his stuff! I did a bit of research though and the song is actually about two people who are in love but can't make thier relationship work, he says just take comfort in knowing that I care so much that if I did have the answers I would make this work but I don't and it's not either of our's fault, so rest easy we're still okay. So they are breaking up but remaining friends, I think it's awesome and it shows a huge amount of emotional maturity to have that level of understanding about humaness. Jack knows that humans are limited to their brains limits and thier emotional limits, he can't solve everything, but he can make a choice not to be resentful and bitter, and still care about her, what an amazing guy, good music and a good boyfriend, breaking up or not. But still it is wonderful to know that so many people are effected by this song because it is so powerful, it is a song about transition from the old to the knew and unknown and that is what everyone is writing about, just beautiful!

aww i love this song its soo pretty. i think its about knowing that a relationship is over..but it hurts so much letting go..and theyre just laying in bed thinking about all their problems together..drifting away from each other..

Good song.. I'm going through this with a girl, and the only reason I ran across this song is because she put it in her MySpace profile... I'm pretty much the reason.

To me, this song is about insomnia. He's worried too much about the things that he's said, or the things that have been said by another person. It's not just himself that he's worrying about, and he's not the only one losing sleep. He really wants to stop worrying. "when your mind is a mess so is mine i can't sleep cause it hurts when i think my thoughts aren't at peace with the plans that we make chances we take they're not yours and not mine there's waves that can break all the words that we said and the words that we mean words can fall short can't see the unseen"

I think he's talking about a really oblique relationship here--he can't name any names, he's almost secretive in tone. I think this song is about infidelity. In interviews about this album, he said one of the things that went into its composition was trying to get back down to earth after touring, trying to get back into life and its everyday relationships. I think this song is about something that happened when he was not in that everyday life. A beautiful connection with someone that he met and a connection that ended up taking him somewhere he didn't want to be. "Resolve is as dead as the leaves"--he didn't mean to cheat. But he's been forced into a new season in his manhood and relationship with his wife. This song is about knowing that he still loves his wife and that the connection he has had with this other woman can't go anywhere--"there's no other way"--he's a family man. He's been listening to this other woman talking all night, and I think he likes listening to her, but there's no point now, there's nowhere their connection can go, it can only exist in oblique space and only be talked about obliquely.

To me, the real focus of this song isn't on the person he is talking to; rather, its the message he's getting across. In a nutshell, I think he's relating that people think themselves silly struggling to find and/or apply meaning and reason to everything, and he's using the situation described in the song to get this across. Sometimes, we just don't need to think so much (go to sleep), and instead maybe relax a little and enjoy life because we never really know anything for sure.

I feel like it's just about a long distance relationship. Maybe they're drifting away because every day they have less and less to talk about because they're so far apart. Drifting as a couple is something you can't really change from far away. Maybe they just couldn't take it anymore and there was no other way but to end things.

..Although couldn't tell you what the end of the song means.

Alright everybody... I just read an interview with Jack Johnson from HARP magazine, and this is straight from the horse's mouth. He explains every one of his tracks on the album, and here's what he had to say about this one:

“No Other Way“

"That one starts out, “When your mind is a mess, so is mine/I can’t sleep because it hurts when I think.” I think anybody who has been with the same person for a long time-whether it’s a girlfriend or boyfriend, or if they’re married-and when you care about somebody enough, if they’re going through something heavy in their life, you can’t just block it out of your mind and be happy and go about your day. When they’re sad, the waves affect you as well."

So, most everyone was right. except for you outliers who thought it was about cancer or death or pregnancy. But that's the great thing about this song. It means whatever you need it to mean. Jack is especially gifted in that particular area.

This song is very personal to me. I have been on both sides of this struggle. And then there's this weird little scenario... One of my closest friends had just gotten out of a kinda messy break up. He had the first verse of this song up on his away message for days after the break up... i guess just dealing with it. processing it. When I read over the lyrics, it seemed so perfect... this girl was horrible.

She was manipulative and dramatic.... so the part "for somebody's sake, please close your eyes woman, please get some sleep"
was kinda showing his frustration with her but at the same time, he loved her more than anything even for all that she was. It took him a long time to get over that girl... but he finally did. It just kinda had to happen... sometimes there is "no other way".

I recently rediscovered this song after a couple years, and it has taken on a whole new meaning for me now. Jack Johnson's songs have always been special to my husband and I, and now this one seems to be describing the divorce that we're currently going through.

"All the words that we said and the words that we mean Words can fall short, can't see the unseen..."

Like all the promises we made to each other that seem to be falling short.

"We don't really need to find a reason Cause out the same door that it came, well it's leaving It's leaving. Leaving like a day that's done..."

I am inclined to agree with the others who think that this song describes the inevitable end of a deep relationship. Like us, it sounds like the couple in the song love each other very much but feel that at this point there's no other way.

I can listen to this song forever. And it really hits home because it's about me and my ex boyfriend.

It's about a couple that drifted apart. They were very much in love, and still are but things can't work out at the present moment.. and there is no other way.

The couple has just separated. They're lying in bed and their head is a mess because they are wondering if they made the right decision to break up. They're reflecting upon the promises made but are no longer going to happen.. they're just words in the past.

If either knew life's answer to be happy.. they would share it with each other. This shows how they still love each other and deeply care for one another.

In the end, they can't pinpoint it on any specific thing... they just know in their hearts that its over.

However, time heals and there will be a day where both can once again go to sleep without their thoughts keeping them awake.

"but at least we can sleep its all that we need when we wake we will find our minds will be free to go to sleep"

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