In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
I got myself a new axe
For chopping all this wood that's
Goin' in that fire
It's gonna keep us warm tonight
Tonight
Tonight
It's cold out that window
There's cards on this table
The kids are making magic and
Only thing that matters tonight
Is tonight
Is tonight
And all our loved ones all around us
All our loved ones watching down on us
On us
It's warm in that window
I'm outside in the morning glow
And just before the sunrise
Morning bird sings a song
Just for the light
For the light
For the light
For the light
For the light
For the light
And all our loved ones all around us
All our loved ones watching down on us
On us
For chopping all this wood that's
Goin' in that fire
It's gonna keep us warm tonight
Tonight
Tonight
It's cold out that window
There's cards on this table
The kids are making magic and
Only thing that matters tonight
Is tonight
Is tonight
And all our loved ones all around us
All our loved ones watching down on us
On us
It's warm in that window
I'm outside in the morning glow
And just before the sunrise
Morning bird sings a song
Just for the light
For the light
For the light
For the light
For the light
For the light
And all our loved ones all around us
All our loved ones watching down on us
On us
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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its '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.
this song is so sad...but it is so true.
"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.
so 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
ya'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?
i 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).
From 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
Diagetic / Diegetic - As a follow up to BigEd's comment, a good resource would be the following site: ncte.org/lists/ncte-talk/mar99/msg02034.html. It's just another example of Jack's film background.
i 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.
i 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.