Lyric discussion by tracker888 

Cover art for Adrift lyrics by Jack Johnson

I think this song is a dialogue between two people - a parent and their child, a mentor and their mentee, or someone who's time has come and has to say goodbye (maybe it has something to do with the passing of Johnson's cousin-in-law who passed recently and reportedly who this album was dedicated to). It is a dialogue between two people where one is dependent on the other for guidance and support.

In the first two verses, the person who is dependent on the "Sun" ( the guidance figure) acknowledges that this teacher/parent has others who they must also tend to, and that he cannot be a burden forever to this role model and must learn to let go and grow on his own.

The last two verses is the role model figure responding to the first speaker and letting them know that they will always be there for that person, although that person will ultimately have to branch out and find their own way. And he lets that person know that they have always had what it takes: "your ideas have always been your own"

The middle third verse is the verse that's kind of tricky. It appears to be a melding of both voices at once, although i'm not sure of what to make of "you planted me in my own body....but somehow it just feels so wrong." Also in other versions of the lyrics that I have read, I have seen the "when you said I will be lonely" transcribed as "when you're sad I will be lonely." If anyone can contribute a clearer interpretation for this middle verse, i'm all ears!

In the book i have, it's said as " When you set, i will be lonely " ... but i'm not a native english so i just don't really understand the meaning of that. Hope you do and it could help :)

to me, I agree with you but it seems more like a passing of a parent. and a child who may feel like they didn't do enough for that parent or do as expected like "when will my weight be too much for you?" How I took the middle verse was this:

"this was a scene worth waking up for when i woke up" like I should have realized when you were alive how much you really meant to me but i was "sleeping"

"planted me in my own pot, but somehow it just...