Lyrics for 3x5 as interpreted by boilingptlver311

3x5 Lyrics
I'm writing you to catch you up on places I've been
You held this letter probably got excited,
But there's nothing else inside it

Didn't have a camera by my side this time
Hoping I would see the world with both my eyes
Maybe I will tell you all about it
When I'm in the mood
To lose my way
With words

Today skies are painted colors of a cowboy's cliche'
And strange how clouds that look like mountains
In the sky are next to mountains anyway

Didn't have a camera by my side this time
Hoping I would see the world with both my eyes
Maybe I will tell you all about it
When I'm in the mood
To lose my way but let me say

You should have seen that sunrise
With your own eyes
It brought me back to life
You'll be with me next time I go outside
No more 3x5's

Guess you had to be there
Guess you had to be with me
Today I finally overcame
Tryin' to fit the world inside a picture frame
Maybe I will tell you all about it
When I'm in the mood
To lose my way but let me say

You should have seen that sunrise
With your own eyes
It brought me back to life
You'll be with me next time I go outside
No more 3x5's
Just no more 3x5's

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forever_searching
11-05-2006

Rated 0 
this song is amazing. Its so true and the imagry is great. Im always taking pictures so the line
"Didn't have a camera by my side this time
Hoping I would see the world with both my eyes"

It makes me think of a guy that's moved away from a girl that he still loves and anythime he sees soemthing beautiful he wishes she was there. normally he takes pictures but it was too pretty to take his eyes off of. He's planning on taking her there whenever he gets her back.

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lackofcolor
11-06-2006

Rated 0 
I love this John Mayer song, it's what made me love his music. Because sometimes things just cannot be captured in words or photographs, and why would you want to ruin them by attempting to? I listen to this song and think of my boyfriend when I wish I could have him with me when I see that beautiful sunset, or those gorgeous stars.

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tamtom
12-14-2006

Rated 0 
There are a few points in this song (ie: instrumental before "guess you had to be there," "oh, today I finally overcame," and especially "brought me back to life" in the last verse") at which i just feel the insurmountable urge to close me eyes and let the music and his beautiful voice just...i don't know... sort of envelop me.

When I was just getting into John Mayer I met my first serious boyfriend, and for a long time afterwards I would be on the verge of tears whenever I heard this song.

The way I see it, this is not one of those songs that tells a distinct story about certain characters (which can be great too). It is the type that lets you reflect on your own life and brings to the surface really powerful emotions.

When I hear this song, I often picture sitting alone on the top of a huge grassy hill, looking out at far-off mountains and smelling the nature around me. And I am not in any way a hippy, in fact I am a complete city girl, so this says a lot about what this song can do!

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byebyebirdie58
02-10-2007

Rated 0 
This song is amazing. By far my favorite John Mayer song. It's just got something in it that makes me feel so good and layed back. Beautiful.

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kiahcaitlin
06-19-2007

Rated 0 
um john mayer is the best..pretty much. who wouldn't love him?? this song is one of my favorites!!

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ontheinside
06-21-2007

Rated 0 
This song is amazing

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rockerpoet
07-01-2007

Rated 0 
This one reminds me of my trip to Panama City Beach, on the Gulf of Mexico.......the sunrise just brought me back to life!

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JCruz0587
08-09-2007

Rated 0 
John is not overrated to whoever said he was... we need more people like him in the music scene. He IS the truth! He plays the guitar so well, he's not the best singer, but all his songs are speaking from his experiences. The reason why people like him so much is because so many people can relate to him.

This song is perhaps about his loneliness on the road with no one to experience it with, ex. his girlfriend. It is an experience that could only be seen through a person's eyes and not by a picture or words.

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JCruz0587
08-09-2007

Rated 0 
Just to add he seems to be UNDERRATED..

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missmayerxo
08-13-2007

Rated 0 
I feel this is about someone who wishes theyre loved one was with them and want to tell them all about an experience but it was just to amazing

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lalala22
11-05-2007

Rated 0 
okay no one has commented on this and i can't believe it...yes, it is a fantastic song but what about "maybe i will tell you all about it when i'm in the mood to lose my way with words"? i love how it's about him keeping such incredible beauty to himself. to me, it refers to the beauty of things and it's a memory that he's keeping and will only share when he's ready to get lost in the memory. favorite jm song ever.

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JMDIOR-08
01-18-2008

Rated 0 
I think the song is about starting to live outside the box, the 3x5 if you like, and getting out there and seeing things with your own eyes.

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jroubikwlls
03-09-2008

Rated 0 
one of my fave john mayer songs ever

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c.j.m
04-26-2008

Rated 0 
Well first of all.This is definatley an amazing song.
I'd like to add that this struck a chord with me since I just finished watching and reading the book Into the Wild.(which I strongly reccomend.)This song makes me think of Chris McCandless and his travelings.and even though he didn't exactly write letters or stay in touch with his family, he saw so many things, and experienced so many things.And, I might add, left self portraits on his undeveped camera film, that was the summing up of his journeys,which i'd like to to think of as the 3x5's john is mentioning.I'm not saying that's what the song is about, i'm just using this wonderful song as a background to the life of an amazing and controversial man who believed new experience was key.

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better ideals
05-10-2008

Rated 0 
I agree that it's to a loved one, but i believe there's a little more to this song than just that. I believe this song is basically saying, anything worth seeing is worth seeing in person, and not at the other end of a photo. you can only use one eye when photographing with the basic camera, and I think that's what he means when he says "Hoping I would see the world with both my eyes."

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wrigley78
05-16-2008

Rated 0 
Anoter of my guilty favorite songs. A song I hate to love, but it grasps at my own heartstrings. Its a song about someone who has moved on in their life without the person they truly love. The 3x5's are only memories that have been experienced and wishes that they could be shared with the love that is not there. By saying "No more 3x5'S" means there will me no more memories without my love to share them with me.

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gratefulfor2
05-27-2008

Rated 0 
I think there's a lot more to this song than meets the eye. To me, it's completely metaphorical.
The way I see it, the sunrise is an epiphany - a moment that where his life changed because something "dawned" on him. I think he's telling the person about it (and not necessarily in a romantic way) because he didn't know the person at the time. But he wishes he's known the person when this big event happened in his life because it made him who he is now and he truly believe he’s better for it.
I think in this case, a 3x5 would be his attempt to describe how he felt at the time of the "whatever" - he's saying it was so big and wonderful that he can't even begin to try to put it into words. So "you'll be with me next time I go outside" is his commitment to keeping this friendship/relationship strong, if only so the other person can eventually appreciate another epiphany, and this time they would experience it together.
I came up with this when I suddenly became obsessed with the song (and of course, the music is huge and epic and perfect too) after I happened to have my own epiphany. But mine did involve a few sunrises, so I guess you could say I started with the literal interpretation on my way to my metaphorical conclusion. I have yet to find the person who should've been there.

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gabacha
07-01-2008

Rated 0 
auuugh it captures the feeling you can't quite capture yourself when wanting to explain something unexplainable if one wasn't there to see it.

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brittlee4
07-24-2008

Rated 0 
he comes up with lyics that..no one else could ever think of.
he's amazing.
this song he's basicly saying you can't capture the whole world in one picture, which is easy to learn if you've ever been in the middle of a beautiful place,seen the sunset with "skies are painted colors of a cowboy's cliche'" and you just can't get that on camera.so i think he just wants to be able to share that scene or moment with a loved one but can't..he's trying to tell them that you just have to see it.

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hushie
10-17-2008

Rated 0 
i'm guessing this song is about just wanting to share the experience with someone else, and how it's always better in person than through pictures.
i could elaborate but i don't think i will haha

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ImaginaryButtons
02-02-2009

Rated 0 
"Today I finally overcame tryin' to fit the world inside a picture frame"

Wow
I've always got my camera by my side, trying to capture every moment and not miss a single thing..and sometimes it pisses me off that I can't just be in the moment and experience it rather than trying to preserve it in a piture.


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smartc00kie
02-13-2009

Rated 0 
this songs just puts a great image in your head.

simply beautiful

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crediii
04-25-2009

Rated 0 
This song is such an amazing song about capturing a moment that you want to share with someone you love and who you know would enjoy it too but you cant becasue you dont have a camera to take a picture and send it to that person. so next time.. youll just have to be there. When you see something so beautiful... its not meant to take a picture, dont get me wrong its nice to capture the moment, but its just not the same...
"Today skies are painted colors of a cowboy's cliche'
And strange how clouds that look like mountains
In the sky are next to mountains anyway"
... instead he describes it. this part reminds me of a georgeous sunset, warm weather, drink in your hand, soaking up every second of it and how amazing it looks and you dont want to take your eyes off of it ever. it almost makes you feel lucky to be alive and experiencing the moment. "so youll be with me next time, i go outside, just no more 3x5's."
I love this song so much that my sister and i got a tattoo of 3x5 and people always ask us... WHATS 3 times 5 for?

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8anos1925
11-14-2009

Rated 0 
this summer i saw the best view i've ever seen but i was completely alone:(and i wish someone...to be more accurate a specific someone had been with me....3x5!!!

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