I hope this old train breaks down
Then I could take a walk around
See what there is to see
Time is just a melody

With all the people in the street
Walking as fast as their feet can take 'em
I just roll through town
And though my window's got a view
Well, the frame I'm looking through
Seems to have no concern for me now
So for now I

I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown

Well, this engine screams out loud
Centipede gonna crawl westbound
So I don't even make a sound
'Cause it's gonna sting me when I leave this town

And all the people in the street
That I'll never get to meet
These tracks don't bend somehow
And I got no time that I got to get to
Where I don't need to be, so I

I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown
I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown

I wanna break on down
But I can't stop now
Let me break on down

But you can't stop nothing if you got no control
Of the thoughts in your mind that you kept and you know
You don't know nothing, but you don't need to know
The wisdom's in the trees, not the glass windows
You can't stop wishing if you don't let go
The things that you find and you lose and you know
You keep on rolling, put the moment on hold
The frame's too bright, so put the blinds down low and

I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown
I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown

I wanna break on down
But I can't stop now


Lyrics submitted by AllStarMe

Breakdown Lyrics as written by Daniel M. Nakamura Jack Johnson

Lyrics © Bubble Toes Publishing, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Breakdown song meanings
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46 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    The way Jack Johnson sings it just makes me realize how quickly life spins out of control...and by the time you realize you're going too fast, all you can do is beg for something to go wrong and force it all to come to a halt, hence the chorus: "I need this old train to breakdown"...

    yello_museon March 29, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I find a totaly different meaning to this and even though i know that it is prolly about what Nonsterp says it is about my idea could still kinda work bere with me here....ok i think it is about a relationshit that hes in and he loves the person he with but for some reason or another the relationship needs to end like in the part where it says "i hope this old train breaks down then i could take a walk around and see what there is to see " he could be saying i want to take a break and see whos out there cuz we have been together so long...then "and though my windows got a view well the frame i'm looking through seems to have no concern for me now" he could be saying that his window has a view of so many other girls that are beautiful and that he could have but he chooses to only look at the girl hes with but sadly she doesnt see him in the same way anymore and its like shes lost intrest in their relationship..so he says i need this old train (relationshipt) to break down and hes says "please" just let me break down because he does love the person and if it does end the please is supposed to signify that he wants out on good terms as friends so that there is always a way back in..."this engine screams out loud saying the beat gonna crawl westbound so i don't even make a sound cause it's gunna sting me" this part the engine screams out loud could be that the relationship is a reck and everyone can see it even him but he loves the girl so much he knows if he ends it he will end up hurt so he doesnt want it to end as much as he knows it needs too..."and all the people in the street that i'll never get to meet if these tracks don't bend somehow " here hes saying hes been with her so long that they have never had a chance to meet anyone else and he thinks they should "bend the tracks" (explore) new people to see if he and his girl are really what eachother want in a person.. and the whole last vers does it for me "but you can't stop nothing if you got no control of the thoughts in your mind that you kept in," becuase even though hes asking for the relationship to break down hes saying he cant make it happen on his onwn cuz he doesnt have that kind of control cuz all the thoughts in his mind are telling him not only that it needs to end but how much he loves his girl..."you can't stop wishing if you don't let go but things that you find and you lose, and you know you keep on rolling" see here he cant stop wishing for the relationship to get better if he cant find the things that they had in the begining that made it so strong and he knows this but he keeps looking and keeps "rolling" on in the relationship any ways.."put the moment on hold the frames too bright so put the blinds down low" then when they find a great moment in the relationship when they are both so in love with eachother and happy he holds on to that moment as a reason not to get out of the bad relationship untill the thought of leaving is just to hard "the frames too bright" so he "pulls the blinds down" and ignores their problems which just puts him right back where he started...wishing for it all to end..thats just what i got from it but im really weird and it could be cuz i was kind of going through this kind of situation myslef and i'm stilll pulling my blinds down?

    LETIGREBABE151on April 17, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    WOW, LETIGREBABE151, i love your interpretation! i don't know if it's what jack meant but who cares! I think if i were a great artist like jack i would understand that people are going to draw their own interpretations and i would just hope that everyone could get something meaningful and useful out of a song instead of wanting to force my exact meaning on everybody! The point is, if it means something to you, and if it helps you, then that is more important than what the artist originally wrote it about...and i thing the great artists would agree that they would rather keep their personal lives personal and let fans find their own meanings!

    snarkfeatherson May 01, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    You seem pretty intelligent, Spellchamp. Your user name is pretty ironic, seeing as how you mispelled a fourth of the words in your comment.

    Great song. I also think that it can be interpreted to be about a relationship that has you locked down.

    JimmyKaneon December 19, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I too enjoy Jack Johnson as well as his music.

    danielroxmysoxoffon September 19, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song. wow. good. where's his guitar? uh oh. the song is still good. even guitarless.

    dmomo2on February 10, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i actually like this version better than the one on his new cd. it's a bit faster and i really like the beat.

    jessthinkon March 09, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Great tune from the new disk...this song is just about stopping and looking around to enjoy your surroundings and enjoying the moment. We are on the "train" of life and everything is just passing us by, so sometimes we need to just stop and take a look around.

    Notserpon March 10, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    ya.. i like what handsome boy modeling school did with it.

    good song guitarless or not, just depends on what ur mood it.

    its such a true song tho, considering how many things we run thru everyday without even giving it a second glance.

    im madly in love with jack johnson

    AllAboutThoseWordson March 20, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    BEST SONG! both with handsome boy and by himself. In Between Dreams in my opinion is a great cd. It blends a little too much but every few songs there is a fresh sound and its just beautiful. I think that this song is amazing and shouldve been his single along with sitting,waiting,wishing. Better Together should have also.

    bigmanoncampuson March 29, 2005   Link

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