The Best Jack Johnson Lyrics

Jack Johnson keeps me company most every night. My tiny kitchen has no room for a dishwasher, so I am the dishwasher. To entertain myself as I do dishes each night, I usually either listen to Jack Johnson’s Sleep Through The Static, or The Beatles’ White Album.

I had heard the occasional Jack Johnson song before I became a fan, and I always liked his style. He really caught my attention when my children received the Curious George movie that featured Jack Johnson songs. I found myself actually enjoying the songs from a children’s movie, which is rare.

My husband bought the 2008 album Sleep Through The Static for me when it was released, and this is the album that turned me into a hardcore Jack Johnson fan. Anyone who only considers music worthwhile if it contains mind-blowing guitar solos (such as my husband) may not recognize the value of Jack Johnson’s work, but if meaningful lyrics are what you find appealing – Jack Johnson is the guy for you.

One of my favorite songs on the album is “Sleep Through The Static”, which seems to be an obvious statement about the war in Iraq. According to Wikipedia, Jack Johnson has implied that the song is in fact about the war. Lyrics such as “we went beyond where we should have gone” make it clear that Jack Johnson shares the same opinion that many Americans hold regarding the war. The song has an interesting style in which the last word of one phrase carries over to hold a different meaning in the next line.

For instance –

“Shock an awful thing to make somebody think

that they have to choose pushing for peace, supporting the troops

and either you’re weak or you use brute force-

feed the truth

is we say not as we do…”

The song “All At Once” is another one of my favorite songs on the album. In this song, Jack Johnson sings about the disturbing feelings associated with our lack of control over our lives. On the temporary nature of our existence, he sings, “What about when it’s gone? It really won’t be so long. Sometimes it feels like a heart is no place to be singing from at all…”.

There isn’t a song on the album that I don’t enjoy. Other lyrical gems from the album include:

“If I had eyes in the back of my head I would have told you that you looked good as I walked away.”

“I’ve been losing lots of keys lately – I don’t know what that means but maybe I’d be better off with things that can’t be locked at all.”

“She can make angels, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. You’ve got to be careful when you’ve got good love ’cause them angels will just keep on multiplying.”

Jack Johnson’s mellow, thoughtful style has won me over. There are only a select few musicians who keep me coming back to purchase all of their albums, and Jack Johnson is definitely the latest addition to that list. Thanks for helping me with the dishes, Jack!