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.
The horizon has been defeated
By the pirates of the new age
Alien casinos
Well maybe its just time to say
The things can go bad
And make you want to run away
But as we grow older
The troubles just seems to stay
Future complications
In the strings between the cans
But no prints can come from fingers
If machines become our hands
And then our feet become the wheels
And then the wheels become the cars
And then the rigs begin to drill
Until the drilling goes too far
Things can go bad
And make you want to run away
But as we grow older
The horizon begins to fade, fade, fade
Fade away
Thingamajigsaw puzzled
Anger don't you step too close
Because people are lonely
And only animals with fancy shoes
Hallelujah zig zag nothing
Misery it's on the loose
Because people are lonely
And only animals with too many tools
That can build all the junk that we sell
Oh sometimes man, make you want to yell that
Things can go bad
And make you want to run away
But as we grow older
The horizon begins to fade away
Fade away
Fade, fade, fade
Fade, fade, fade
By the pirates of the new age
Alien casinos
Well maybe its just time to say
The things can go bad
And make you want to run away
But as we grow older
The troubles just seems to stay
Future complications
In the strings between the cans
But no prints can come from fingers
If machines become our hands
And then our feet become the wheels
And then the wheels become the cars
And then the rigs begin to drill
Until the drilling goes too far
Things can go bad
And make you want to run away
But as we grow older
The horizon begins to fade, fade, fade
Fade away
Thingamajigsaw puzzled
Anger don't you step too close
Because people are lonely
And only animals with fancy shoes
Hallelujah zig zag nothing
Misery it's on the loose
Because people are lonely
And only animals with too many tools
That can build all the junk that we sell
Oh sometimes man, make you want to yell that
Things can go bad
And make you want to run away
But as we grow older
The horizon begins to fade away
Fade away
Fade, fade, fade
Fade, fade, fade
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its about the encroachment of industrialism and its consequences on the environment. because everything becomes mass produced and commercialized we ultimately cannot identify who has caused all the damage. we realize this and just hope that things go better, but they instead become worse as the horizon (our very own beautiful mother earth) slowly dies (the natural resources become consumed!) ouch. long live the jack.
I don't think it's just the environment, it's he's saying we've discovered almost everything and conquered every horizon, and we've gone so far with technology that it's now starting to hurt us more than it's helping us, both us as the human race and the physical world.
can anyone explain what this song means
This song is just Jack's way of interpreting how technology now dominates everything that humans do and its negative consenquences. Humans are actually animals and are part of nature but we are destorying nature by building machines that do all the work for us.
wow this is a great jack johnson song. i love the deeper meaning of all of us being animals and not paying attention to nature at all. also the part about machines becoming our hands. so true jack, so true.
wow this is a great jack johnson song. i love the deeper meaning of all of us being animals and not paying attention to nature at all. also the part about machines becoming our hands. so true jack, so true.
it refers to all the oil rigs that are located off the shore in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. It is one of the most georgeous views around but these nasty-ass oil rigs dot the horizon...
dont really understand the song completley, but i still thik its a great song.
^^sorry but if you take a look at the lyrics "and then the rigs begin to drill, until the drilling goes too far "-obviously hes talking about oil rigs. its also what you said, but i dont think you can say its NOT about pollution/other stuff like that. jacks talkin about back in the day where you could just chill on the beach and there not be any trash..the worlds becoming polluted...by things and ideas..its about materialism taking over our lives..
yeah, i agree with kellenwright, this song is about the environment and stuff i guess, but mainly about how modern technology has gone so far that we now know everything there is to knwo and there is nothing tor each for anymore. the horizon has been defeated - the horizon can theoretcially never be reached but we've now reached it. thats just what i think anyway. great song by a great man.