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.
He's in love with rock'n'roll, whoa
He's in love with gettin' stoned, whoa
He's in love with Janie Jones, whoa
He don't like his boring job, no
He's in love with rock'n'roll, whoa
He's in love with gettin' stoned, whoa
He's in love with Janie Jones, whoa
He don't like his boring job, no
And he knows what he like to do
He knows he's gonna have fun with you
You lucky lady
And he knows when the evening comes
When his job is done, he'll be over in his car for you
He's in love with rock'n'roll, whoa
He's in love with gettin' stoned, whoa
He's in love with Janie Jones, whoa
He don't like his boring job, no
In the in-tray, lots of work
But the boss at the firm always thinks he shirks
But he's just like everyone, he's got a Ford Cortina
That just won't run without fuel
Fill her up, Jacko
He's in love with rock'n'roll, whoa
He's in love with gettin' stoned, whoa
He's in love with Janie Jones, whoa
He don't like his boring job, no
And the invoice it don't quite fit
No payola in his alphabetical file
'Cept for the government, man
And he's just gonna really tell the boss
He's gonna really let him know exactly how he feels
It's pretty bad
He's in love with rock'n'roll, whoa
He's in love with gettin' stoned, whoa
He's in love with Janie Jones, whoa
He don't like his boring job, no, no, no
Let them know, let them know
He's in love with gettin' stoned, whoa
He's in love with Janie Jones, whoa
He don't like his boring job, no
He's in love with rock'n'roll, whoa
He's in love with gettin' stoned, whoa
He's in love with Janie Jones, whoa
He don't like his boring job, no
And he knows what he like to do
He knows he's gonna have fun with you
You lucky lady
And he knows when the evening comes
When his job is done, he'll be over in his car for you
He's in love with rock'n'roll, whoa
He's in love with gettin' stoned, whoa
He's in love with Janie Jones, whoa
He don't like his boring job, no
In the in-tray, lots of work
But the boss at the firm always thinks he shirks
But he's just like everyone, he's got a Ford Cortina
That just won't run without fuel
Fill her up, Jacko
He's in love with rock'n'roll, whoa
He's in love with gettin' stoned, whoa
He's in love with Janie Jones, whoa
He don't like his boring job, no
And the invoice it don't quite fit
No payola in his alphabetical file
'Cept for the government, man
And he's just gonna really tell the boss
He's gonna really let him know exactly how he feels
It's pretty bad
He's in love with rock'n'roll, whoa
He's in love with gettin' stoned, whoa
He's in love with Janie Jones, whoa
He don't like his boring job, no, no, no
Let them know, let them know
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No Surprises
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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.
Blue
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“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Actually Janie Jones was a famous madam of the 70s - which means she ran a social escort (prostitution) service. The other explanations are right. Of course, in the 70s in Britain the shitty jobs were the only ones available, so letting your employers know how you really felt about your job was widely discouraged. But listening to a song that implies it's a good idea is pretty liberating.