I love Jack Johnson, but have never found his lyrics to be very spiritual, but this song seems to be so. Before going on, I must say that I love how "family friendly" his music generally is - something that I can play in the car and not edit or skip with my kids listening in. I know his fans like to smoke the ganja, but his mellowness also appeals to tired souls like myself. That being said, I think this song's chorus speaks or alludes to to possibility of God mysteriously making his way into Jack's life... From the disillusionment of our world and the devolving of the species to being consumers, gadget addicts and destroyers of the planet's resources, Jack seems to sense that God might be reaching out to him...
"There's this vine trying to climb into my window into my life..." In the gospel of John chapter 15 Jesus refers to himself as the true vine and how his people are the branches. Connection to Jesus is critical to discover any meaning or purpose and ultimately to live a life "bearing fruit". I wonder (not sure) if Johnson is referring mystically to Jesus the vine gradually entering his life...
Second, Johnson sings about this "wine making its way from the bottle into my life" - it could be a poetic way of saying he's getting drunk or is succumbing to alcoholism in response to the hopelessness of the world around him... OR it could be another reference to Jesus the one who turns water into wine and celebrates with the "sinners and tax collectors and harlots" of the world revealing the grace and love of God to reach out to the lost, broken and disillusioned. In another reference, Jesus refers to the need for new wine to enter into new wineskins as perhaps a reference to his messianic presence filling the lives of his people.
Each verse depicts sadness, questions and rumors of who God might be vs. the chorus which speaks of a kind of surrender to this vine creeping into his life and this wine sealing into his mind...and he doesn't seem to mind it happening. The Christian in me wants to think it's his own person coming to a place of gradual trust and surrender to God vs. a turn towards cynicism, addiction and loss of hope.
Regardless, I love Jack Johnson's music and will always be a fan of his and I find this song to be one of his deepest and sincerest.
I love Jack Johnson, but have never found his lyrics to be very spiritual, but this song seems to be so. Before going on, I must say that I love how "family friendly" his music generally is - something that I can play in the car and not edit or skip with my kids listening in. I know his fans like to smoke the ganja, but his mellowness also appeals to tired souls like myself. That being said, I think this song's chorus speaks or alludes to to possibility of God mysteriously making his way into Jack's life... From the disillusionment of our world and the devolving of the species to being consumers, gadget addicts and destroyers of the planet's resources, Jack seems to sense that God might be reaching out to him...
"There's this vine trying to climb into my window into my life..." In the gospel of John chapter 15 Jesus refers to himself as the true vine and how his people are the branches. Connection to Jesus is critical to discover any meaning or purpose and ultimately to live a life "bearing fruit". I wonder (not sure) if Johnson is referring mystically to Jesus the vine gradually entering his life...
Second, Johnson sings about this "wine making its way from the bottle into my life" - it could be a poetic way of saying he's getting drunk or is succumbing to alcoholism in response to the hopelessness of the world around him... OR it could be another reference to Jesus the one who turns water into wine and celebrates with the "sinners and tax collectors and harlots" of the world revealing the grace and love of God to reach out to the lost, broken and disillusioned. In another reference, Jesus refers to the need for new wine to enter into new wineskins as perhaps a reference to his messianic presence filling the lives of his people.
Each verse depicts sadness, questions and rumors of who God might be vs. the chorus which speaks of a kind of surrender to this vine creeping into his life and this wine sealing into his mind...and he doesn't seem to mind it happening. The Christian in me wants to think it's his own person coming to a place of gradual trust and surrender to God vs. a turn towards cynicism, addiction and loss of hope.
Regardless, I love Jack Johnson's music and will always be a fan of his and I find this song to be one of his deepest and sincerest.