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Dead Man
Jars of Clay Lyrics


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January One
I got a lot of things on my mind
I'm looking at my body
Through a new spy satellite

I try to lift a finger
But I don't think I can make the call
So tell me if I move
'Cause I don't feel anything at all

So carry me
I'm just a dead man
Lying on the carpet
Can't find a heartbeat

Make me breathe
I wanna be a new man
Tired of the old one
Out with the old plan

I woke up from a dream
About an empty funeral
But it's better than the party
Full of people I don't really know

Well, they've got hearts to break and burn
Dirty hands to feel the earth
There's something in my veins
But I can't seem to make it work
It won't work

So carry me
I'm just a dead man
Lying on the carpet
Can't find a heartbeat

Make me breathe
I wanna be a new man
Tired of the old one
Out with the old plan

Can you find a beat inside of me?
Any pulse, getting worse
Any pulse, getting worse
Inside of me, can you find a beat?

Carry me
I'm just a dead man
Lying on the carpet
Can't find a heartbeat

Make me breathe
I wanna be a new man
Tired of the old one
Out with the old plan

Carry me
I'm just a dead man
Lying on the carpet
Can't find a heartbeat

Make me breathe
I wanna be a new man
Tired of the old one
Out with the old plan

Overall Meaning

The song "Dead Man" by Jars of Clay is a melancholic reflection on the emptiness of life and the desire for something more. The lyrics describe a person who feels as though they are already dead, lying on a carpet and unable to feel anything. They long to be carried away and made new, tired of the old life they've been living.


The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer stating that they have a lot on their mind and looking at their body through a "new spy satellite." This line suggests that the singer feels disconnected from their own body and unable to control it. They try to move, but can't feel anything at all. The chorus repeats the phrase "carry me," emphasizing the singer's desire to be taken away from their current situation.


The second verse adds to the feeling of emptiness by describing a dream about an empty funeral. The singer would rather be alone than surrounded by people they don't really know. The final lines of the song ask if there is any life left in the singer, any pulse left to be found inside of them.


Overall, "Dead Man" is a reflection on the search for meaning and the desire to be made new. The singer feels stuck in their old ways and desires something more, something that will make them feel alive again.


Line by Line Meaning

January One
The beginning of a new year and a new start.


I got a lot of things on my mind
The singer is preoccupied with thoughts and worries.


I'm looking at my body
The singer is introspective and examining themselves.


Through a new spy satellite
Using a metaphor for seeing themselves from a new perspective.


I try to lift a finger
The artist is attempting to move or take action.


But I don't think I can make the call
Feeling unsure or unable to take action.


So tell me if I move
Asking for help or guidance, unsure of their own situation.


'Cause I don't feel anything at all
Feeling emotionally numb or disconnected from their own body.


So carry me
Asking for assistance and support.


I'm just a dead man
Using a metaphor for feeling spiritually or emotionally dead.


Lying on the carpet
Facedown, unable to move or take action.


Can't find a heartbeat
Feeling disconnected from their own body and emotions.


Make me breathe
Asking for help or intervention to revive their spirit or energy.


I wanna be a new man
Expressing the desire for change and transformation.


Tired of the old one
Feeling stagnant or dissatisfied with their current state.


Out with the old plan
Rejecting their old way of life and making a fresh start.


I woke up from a dream
Having a symbolic or metaphorical experience that feels significant.


About an empty funeral
Using a metaphor for feeling alone or isolated.


But it's better than the party
Preferring solitude to superficial social situations or shallow connections.


Full of people I don't really know
Feeling disconnected or alienated from others.


Well, they've got hearts to break and burn
Reflecting on the pain and conflict of human relationships.


Dirty hands to feel the earth
Using a metaphor for the physical and emotional work of life.


There's something in my veins
Feeling a desire or drive to live and connect with others.


But I can't seem to make it work
Feeling stuck or unable to fulfill this desire.


Can you find a beat inside of me?
Asking for someone to help them find their own energy and motivation.


Any pulse, getting worse
Feeling increasingly disconnected or numb inside.


Inside of me, can you find a beat?
Asking for someone to help them find their own internal vitality.




Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: CHARLIE LOWELL, DAN HASELTINE, MATT ODMARK, STEPHEN DANIEL MASON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Rick Beam

There is nothing I can give you which you have not got;
but there is much, very much, that, while I cannot give it,
you can take.
No Heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it
today.
Take Heaven!
No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present little instant.
Take peace!

The gloom of the world is but a shadow.
Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy.
There is radiance and glory in the darkness, could we but see;
and to see, we have only to look.
... I beseech you to look.

Life is so generous a giver,
but we,
judging its gifts by their covering,
cast them away as ugly or heavy or hard.
Remove the covering,
and you will find beneath it a living splendour,
woven of love, by wisdom, with power.
Welcome it, grasp it, and you touch the Angel’s hand that brings it to you.
Everything we call a trial, a sorrow, or a duty: believe me,
that angel’s hand is there;
the gift is there,
and the wonder of an overshadowing Presence.
Our joys, too:
be not content with them as joys,
they too conceal diviner gifts.

Life is so full of meaning and of purpose,
so full of beauty—beneath its covering—
that you will find that earth but cloaks your heaven.
Courage, then to claim it: that is all!
But courage you have;
and the knowledge that we are pilgrims together,
wending through unknown country,
home.

And so, at this Christmas time, I greet you;
not quite as the world sends greetings,
but with profound esteem,
and with the prayer that for you, now and forever,
the day breaks and the shadows flee away.
.
ATTRIBUTION: FRA GIOVANNI, A Letter to the Most Illustrious the Contessina Allagia Dela Aldobrandeschi, Written Christmas Eve Anno Domini 1513
.



Rick Beam

you will be my kingdom of priests
Exodus 19:6
.
be a holy priesthood,
to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ
1 Peter 2:5
.
you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood
1 Peter 2:9
.
You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God
Revelation 5:10
.
I will raise up for myself a faithful priest,
who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind.
And I will build him a sure house,
and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever.
1 Samuel 2
.
there is neither male and female;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28
.

according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
in the sanctification of the Spirit,
for obedience to Jesus Christ
and for sprinkling with his blood:
Peter 1
.
you have come to...
the sprinkled blood
Hebrews 12
.
To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours
by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 Peter 1
.
His divine power has granted to us all things
that pertain to life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him
who called us to His own glory and excellence,
by which he has granted to us
his precious and very great promises,
so that through them
you may become partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped from the corruption that is in the world
because of sinful desire.
2 Peter 1
.
Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh,
we regard him thus no longer.
2 Corinthians 5:16
.
Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession
Hebrews 3
.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,
for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
.
a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf,
having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:19
.
hold fast to the hope set before us
Hebrews 6:18
.
anchor of the soul
Hebrews 6:19
.



All comments from YouTube:

FangedHusband

I have found this song, after 7-8 years.
I use to listen to this all the time when I was a child <3

Andy [toby] Kemner

yes
same here

nope error

Me too I love this song

HistoryIsRewritten

Same here.

White Mustang

Same never knew the name or band. I was so little

Rebekah Miller

Same with me too! How crazy

4 More Replies...

Yeety Van Jeurgens

I played this song on repeat when i was eight and then suddenly forgot about it.
Now, 9 years later, I remember that there is a song I used to be obsessed with but I could only remember the lyric "January" I spent an hour looking for this song and I finally found it haha

Madison Brown

Same but I remembered dead man lying on the carpet

Stylish Buffalo

I used to literally play this repeating for like an hour when doing homeschool

Tanner Hahn

😂 seriously same thing

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