Wagner’s been working the New York club scene for several years and has garnered enough of a fan base to release several EP’s. The limited edition, fan-only 1999 acoustic release Legend of the Evening Star, a compilation of unreleased demos and rarities, prompted R.E.M. front man Michael Stipe to dub Wagner a “future superstar.” Notable releases include 2010's "Forever Young," 2008's "The Invention Of Everything Else," and ” 2004’s “Love & Other Indoor Games."
“My father worked for the EPA, so I moved around like the stereotypical army ‘brat’,” Wagner says. Born in Iowa City, Iowa, Wagner lived in Washington D.C., Indianapolis, and Chicago, before his tenth birthday. After his parents divorce, Wagner, his brother and mother moved to Philadelphia. Growing up in the 80s, he vividly recalls getting his first transistor radio and listening, transfixed, to top forty radio stations in Chicago and Philly, loving everything from Hall and Oates to Phil Collins. But like James Joyce’s Stephen Daedalus, Wagner finally had his defining, life-changing musical epiphany.
“My big brother brought R.E.M.’s Reckoning home from college which immediately woke me up and snapped me out of my Phil Collins stupor,” Wagner laughs. “Hearing ‘So. Central Rain’ for the first time changed everything.”
Reveling in bands like the Replacements and the Pixies (Wagner even does a “twisted” cover of the Pixies’ “Here Comes Your Man”), the young songwriter strapped on a Martin acoustic and began playing in bands in high school and later, at Syracuse University. There, Wagner fronted the funky — and popular — local alt.pop band Smoky Junglefrog, opening for majors like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the Samples and Dada. Following the bands’ demise, Wagner moved to New York City and began playing a wide array of clubs like Mercury Lounge, Rockwood Music Hall, Arlene Grocery, Sin-e, and Brownie’s.
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Benjamin Wagner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm ready to go
I'm standin' here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin'
It's early morn
The taxi's waitin'
He's blowin' his horn
I could die
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go
There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've played around
I tell you now, they don't mean a thing
Ev'ry place I go, I'll think of you
Ev'ry song I sing, I'll sing for you
When I come back, I'll bring your wedding ring
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go
Now the time has come to leave you
One more time
Let me kiss you
Then close your eyes
I'll be on my way
Dream about the days to come
When I won't have to leave alone
About the times, I won't have to say
Oh, kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go
But, I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go
The lyrics to Benjamin Wagner's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" depicts a bittersweet farewell between the singer and his loved one. The song opens with the singer proclaiming his readiness to go as he stands outside his lover's door. He expresses regret at having to wake her up to bid her goodbye, but he has to leave as the dawn is breaking, and a taxi is waiting for him. He is already feeling lonely and morose, knowing that he might not return anytime soon. He implores his lover to kiss him, smile for him, and hold him tightly as he leaves, promising to return soon with a wedding ring.
The chorus is a hauntingly beautiful refrain that expresses the singer's conflicting emotions. He is leaving on a jet plane, but he doesn't know when he'll be back. He knows he has to go, but he hates to leave his lover behind. In the second verse, the singer admits to having let his lover down many times before, but he assures her that all those betrayals aren't significant. He promises to think of her every time he goes to a new place and to sing every song for her. The bridge builds up the emotional intensity, with the singer pleading with his lover to close her eyes while he kisses her one last time before he goes away. He asks her to dream about the days when he won't have to leave her alone because he'll always be there by her side.
Line by Line Meaning
All my bags are packed
I am ready to leave and have packed all my belongings
I'm ready to go
I am prepared to depart on my journey
I'm standin' here outside your door
I am outside your doorstep, about to leave
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
I do not want to disturb your sleep to bid farewell
But the dawn is breakin'
The sun is rising and it is time for me to leave
It's early morn
It is the early hours of the morning
The taxi's waitin'
The taxi is ready and waiting for me
He's blowin' his horn
The taxi driver is honking the horn to hurry me up
Already I'm so lonesome
I am already feeling lonely without you
I could die
The feeling of loneliness is overwhelming and unbearable
So kiss me and smile for me
Please give me a farewell kiss and smile to make our departure less sad
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Promise me that you will wait for my return
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Embrace me tightly, making it difficult for me to leave
'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
I am departing on a plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
I am unsure of when I will return
Oh babe, I hate to go
I do not want to leave you, it hurts me to go
There's so many times I've let you down
I have disappointed you numerous times before
So many times I've played around
I have engaged in casual relationships with others in the past
I tell you now, they don't mean a thing
I confess that those past betrayals were meaningless and hold no importance compared to our relationship
Ev'ry place I go, I'll think of you
I will be reminded of you wherever I go
Ev'ry song I sing, I'll sing for you
Every song I hear or sing will be dedicated to you
When I come back, I'll bring your wedding ring
I will return with an engagement ring proposing to make our relationship more permanent
Now the time has come to leave you
It is now the moment for me to depart from you
One more time
One last embrace and kiss before leaving
Let me kiss you
Please allow me to give you a goodbye kiss
Then close your eyes
Please close your eyes and imagine me still here with you
I'll be on my way
It is time for me to leave and embark my journey
Dream about the days to come
Think positively about our future together
When I won't have to leave alone
When we will be able to travel together in the future
About the times, I won't have to say
Reflect on the times where I won't have to say goodbye to you anymore
But, I'm leavin' on a jet plane
I am departing on a jet aircraft
Don't know when I'll be back again
The return date is unknown
Oh babe, I hate to go
It is difficult for me to leave you
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: John Denver
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind