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Watch you when you say
What you are and when you blame
Everyone, You broken king
Watch you change the frame or
Watch you when you take your aim
At the sum of everything
Cause you and your heart
shouldn't feel so far apart
You can choose what you take
Why you gotta break and make it feel so hard
You lay there in the street
Like broken glass reflecting pieces of the sun
But you're not the flame
You got the people passing by
Because you know what you don't like
It's just so easy, it's just so easy
But you and your heart
Shouldn't feel so far apart
You can choose what you take
Why you gotta break and make it feel so hard
Oh and you and your heart
Shouldn't feel so far apart
You can choose what you take
Why you gotta break and make it feel so hard
You draw so many lines in the sand
Lost the fingernails on your hands
How you're gonna scratch any backs?
Better hope that time will take our lines away
Take all our lines and
Hope that time will take our lines and
Hope that time will take our lines away
Take all our lines away
What you are and when you blame
Everyone, You broken king
Watch you change the frame or
Watch you when you take your aim
At the sum of everything
Cause you and your heart
shouldn't feel so far apart
You can choose what you take
Why you gotta break and make it feel so hard
You lay there in the street
Like broken glass reflecting pieces of the sun
But you're not the flame
You got the people passing by
Because you know what you don't like
It's just so easy, it's just so easy
But you and your heart
Shouldn't feel so far apart
You can choose what you take
Why you gotta break and make it feel so hard
Oh and you and your heart
Shouldn't feel so far apart
You can choose what you take
Why you gotta break and make it feel so hard
You draw so many lines in the sand
Lost the fingernails on your hands
How you're gonna scratch any backs?
Better hope that time will take our lines away
Take all our lines and
Hope that time will take our lines and
Hope that time will take our lines away
Take all our lines away
Lyrics submitted by ChityBangBang
Track duration: 03:13
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The idea of drawing lines in the sand as a way of trying to send a message or to mark territory or just simply to say "I was here", while none of it actually lasts because the tide will always wash it away. The next line talks about how when we're so busy doing these futile things for ourselves, we lose the chance to help others (scratch someone's back). And this all ties into another recurring idea about hypocrisy (to others and to yourself) and not acting on truth of the heart- having your heart so far apart from you.
I also love the whole ocean theme of this album. (well, it's Jack Johnson).
Just want to also say people definitely have different concepts/ideas about what "heart" is. Kings suck... Well, at least if you're talking about a singular king. Nobody wants one person ruling over their lives. Kings are by definition at least somewhat totalitarian so yeah, they would suck. I'm glad we don't live in that kind of society. ;) Trying not be a douche here but I feel like Jack can sometimes come off subtly indignant or self-righteous. But, I mean, can't we all?
Jam on... Wanna go to Hawaii so badly. Much love!!
I'm starting to think blame is a precursor to amending a situation. If I'm way off base, which I often am.... would love to hear other viewpoints.
"Watch you when you say
What you are and when you blame
Everyone"
Nobody is perfect, so why do you have to blame other people to make it look like you think you are?
"You broken king"
Nobody beileves you when you blame something else, and you need to be careful and watch out for when you do happen to come accross this.
"Watch you change the frame or
Watch you when you take your aim
At the sum of everything"
The narrator (Jack) is hanging at a local beach with other surfers. One of them (King) is an aging surf champion no longer at the top of his game, who is narcissistic, loud and bitter at the world. The narrator is listening to this guy go on and on with his negativity about everything and everyone, and is really resenting his energy. I can empathize as I happen to be ultra sensitive to this dynamic and find a really hard time not taking this type of behavior personally.
1st Verse
"King" is going on about his surfing prowess, his women, his money. Making racist remarks, territorial complaints (surfing), and bad-mouthing rivals. Use of "broken" foreshadows "why you gotta break", and relates to "heart breaking" or "having a broken spirit".
2nd Verse
More of the same--he re-frames all conversations towards his agenda.
Chorus
You aren't struggling for survival, all of your basic human needs are met, yet you're still bitter. Your disconnectedness from your heart is breaking from what it means to be human. You're lacking compassion, and are stuck in this view that you need to relentlessly protect yourself by tearing others down.
3rd Verse
People cherish the flame of the sun, and you could reflect the same energy in the world. But for you, it's "just so easy" to hurt people, as if it's part of your nature and you've been doing it your whole life.
Bridge
King, if you stay the way you are, you'll be lonely. Perhaps time will ease the bitterness for you, because by connecting with your heart, you'll be able to experience other people in a more fulfilling way.
Outro
Narrator broadening the theme, acknowledging that we all have lines, and that humanity is in trouble with "all our lines" between nations, races and cultures.
Great song Jack! I'll ride it's tide to soften our lines.
According to this song, racists shoudn't feel so much diferent from the rest because they are just humans, just like everyone else (shouldn't feel so far apart). Also, no matter how much money they have and how much "light you refect fromt he sun", at the end of the day you're just another human.
"You got the people passing by
Because you know what you don't like
It's just so easy, it's just so easy"
Racists reject people and don't even talk to other races, but they really don't know what they are missing out. Try to accep others, "it's so easy".
"You draw so many lines in the sand
Lost the fingernails on your hands
How you're gonna scratch any backs?
Better hope that time will take our lines away"
You separate so much from others that no one will be willing to help help you on the day you are in need. When that day comes, and it will come, you better hope that people forget how racists you were.
Because you know what you don't like."
Drawing a line in the sand often means creating an artificial boundary and implying that crossing it will cause trouble - issuing ultimatums. Some people draw so many lines in the sand they metaphorically wear their fingernails away. Such behavior not only separates us from each other, but causes estrangement from our own heart, our ability to love. We can only hope the tide washes away the divisive and destructive lines that we've drawn.
Great song.
Sorry that I am misunderstood. I don't believe the song is contemptuous, but could be a testament to wanting so bad for him to lead us to the self determination many American's so desperately need. Instead they sit by being full of cynicism and therefore complacency, because they think there's too much they're up against so they might as well not bother. So soooo many of Jack's songs are about this, and I'm sure his hopes for what Obama could accomplish on the level of getting people's attention that YES WE CAN, are just as high as mine, and many other people's. And Obama seems to have stopped! You can't tell me the person in that Yes we can video, can't still motivate people like that! He can! Where'd it go?
"All at once,
The world can overwhelm me
There's almost nothin' that you could tell me
That could ease my mind
Which way will you run
When it's always all around you
And the feelin' lost and found you again
A feelin' that we have no control
Around a sun
Some say
There's gonna be the new hell
Some say
It's still too early to tell
Some say
It really ain't no myth at all
Keep askin' ourselves are we really
Strong enough
There's so many things that we got
Too proud of
We're too proud of
We're too proud of
I wanna take the preconceived
Out from underneath your feet
We could shake it off
and instead we'll plant some seeds
We'll watch em' as they grow
And with each new beat
From your heart the roots grow deeper
The branches will they reach for what
Nobody really knows
But underneath it all
There's this heart all alone
What about when it's gone
And it really won't be so long
Sometimes it feels like a heart is no place to be singin' from at all
There's a world we've never seen
There's still hope between the dreams
The weight of it all
Could blow away with a breeze
If you're waiting on the wind
Don't forget to breathe
Cause as the darkness gets deeper
We'll sink until we reach for love
At least somethin we can hold
But I'll reach to you from where time just cant go
What about when it's gone
And it really won't be so long
Sometimes it feels like a heart is no place to be singin' from at all "