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.
Woke up in the '20s and there were flappers and fruits in white suits
And it was right before the crash, we got thrashed throughout the '30s
Queuing up for soup with scabby sores
Then they sent us off to war
We came back in the '40s and there were wheelchairs, guns and tickertape
We poured it on the floor and we made love to the interstates
We got shiftless in the '50s, holding hands and going steady
Twisting into dark parts of the large midwestern cities
Tripped right through the '60s with some blissful little hippie
Some Kennedy's got shot while you were screwing San Francisco
And the '70s got heavy, we woke up on bloody carpets
Got tangled up in gas lines, and I guess that's where it started
The '80s almost killed me, let's not recall them quite so fondly
Some Kennedy OD'ed while we watched on MTV
And in the '90s we were wired and well connected
Put it all down on technology and lost everything we invested
We gotta start it off with a positive jam
We gotta start it with a positive jam, man
Gotta start it with a positive jam
All the sniffling indie kids, hold steady
And all you clustered-up clever kids, hold steady
And I got bored when I didn't have a band
And so I started a band, man
We're gonna start it with a positive jam
Hold steady
And it was right before the crash, we got thrashed throughout the '30s
Queuing up for soup with scabby sores
Then they sent us off to war
We came back in the '40s and there were wheelchairs, guns and tickertape
We poured it on the floor and we made love to the interstates
We got shiftless in the '50s, holding hands and going steady
Twisting into dark parts of the large midwestern cities
Tripped right through the '60s with some blissful little hippie
Some Kennedy's got shot while you were screwing San Francisco
And the '70s got heavy, we woke up on bloody carpets
Got tangled up in gas lines, and I guess that's where it started
The '80s almost killed me, let's not recall them quite so fondly
Some Kennedy OD'ed while we watched on MTV
And in the '90s we were wired and well connected
Put it all down on technology and lost everything we invested
We gotta start it off with a positive jam
We gotta start it with a positive jam, man
Gotta start it with a positive jam
All the sniffling indie kids, hold steady
And all you clustered-up clever kids, hold steady
And I got bored when I didn't have a band
And so I started a band, man
We're gonna start it with a positive jam
Hold steady
Lyrics submitted by leonperkin
Positive Jam Lyrics as written by Craig Finn
Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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he got bored when he didn't have a band, so he started a band, man. and god damn am I glad he got bored. this song almost killed me.
HAHA WERE GONNA START IT WITH A POSITIVE JAM!
great little history lesson there. 'mazin lyricism as usual.
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