Jack Johnson – The News

"The News" as written by and Jack Johnson....
A billion people died on the news tonight
But not so many cried at the terrible sight
Well mama said
It's just make believe
You can't believe everything you see
So baby close your eyes to the lullabies
On the news tonight

Who's the one to decide that it would be alright
To put the music behind the news tonight
Well mama said
You can't believe everything you hear
The diagetic world is so unclear
So baby close your ears
On the news tonight
On the news tonight

The unobtrusive tones on the news tonight
And mama said
Mmm

Why don't the newscasters cry when they read about people who die
At least they could be decent enough to put just a tear in their eyes
Mama said
It's just make believe
You can't believe everything you see
So baby close your eyes to the lullabies
On the news tonight


Lyrics submitted by omoyaw

"The News" as written by Jack Hody Johnson

Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

The News song meanings
Add your thoughts

60 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    Song Meaningits 'diegetic'. and he didn't make it up. diegesis is a film term, and it means a narration or recitation, as opposed to the action taking place.

    i guess what jack johnson means when he says 'the diegetic world is so unclear' is that events dont really have meaning until they are represented/reported. it's not about the actual events, but the way theyre delivered, which makes sense since hes talking about newscasters.
    diamondprincss02on May 14, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Commentthis song is so sad...but it is so true.
    metina808on April 18, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment"Why don't the newscasters cry when they read about people who die" ---- good question. why does it seem like all news is bad news.
    SpecialKon May 04, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Commentso true. it seems that theres no good news today. i mean all thats on the news is murders, car wrecks, war, and the list goes on. whats happening to the world? is there no more good news to report?i dunno. but its all screwed.
    zach
    dispatchrockson May 11, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Commentya'll are only scratching the surface... there is truth in ya'lls statments, but this song goes so much deeper. its a critique of not only the newscasters but all people. we dismiss what we see on the news off hand, we hardly notice when death is reported. I have a question though, does anyone know what diagetic mean?
    pablo_joe_jingyon May 16, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Commenti have come to the conclusion that jack johnson made up the word diagetic. i looked in two dictionaries. lol
    but anyhoo... pablo- you are SO right. i love the line at the end "why don't the newscasters cry when they read about people who die? at least they could be decent enough to put just a tear in their eye" it's SO powerful when he sings it. sometimes i just skip to that part of the song cause it's so amazing. i think everyone should hear that line because it's kind of a slap in the face when he sings it. it makes ya go yeah why not? jack is a genious (except for the diagetic part).
    pomegranatesROCKon May 25, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General CommentFrom the internet:
    DIAGETIC sound: Sound that is produced by the narrative such as dialogue, as opposed to non-diagetic sound such as background mood music
    BigEdon June 12, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General CommentDiagetic / Diegetic - As a follow up to BigEd's comment, a good resource would be the following site: ncte.org/lists/ncte-talk/mar99/…. It's just another example of Jack's film background.
    t-dub22on June 13, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Commenti think that this is a great song. it has a lot of meaning in it. i dont get it either, y dont the newscasters cry when they read about people who die? even on 9.11.01 i didnt see 1 crying, i even cryed.
    IlOvEjAcKjOhNsOnon June 29, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Commenti really liked this song because my whole life i've hated the news since it's just so depressing. it's always bothered me how all the stories are so sickening, and i feel like jack johson understands that too. i think it's great that he made a point to write a song about what the world has come to, because it is a really interesting and important subject.
    kmb13on July 09, 2002   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain