Jackie and Wilson
Hozier Lyrics
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No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight
So deep in the swirl with the most familiar swine
For reasons wretched and divine
She blows out of nowhere, roman candle of the wild
Laughing away through my feeble disguise
No other version of me I would rather to be tonight
'Cause with my mid-youth crisis all said and done
I need to be youthfully felt, 'cause God I never felt young
She's gonna save me, call me baby, run her hands through my hair
She'll know me crazy, soothe me daily, but yet she wouldn't care
We'll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride round pickin' up clues
We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson, 'raise em on rhythm and blues
Lord it'd be great to find a place we could escape sometime
Me and my isis growing black irises in the sunshine
Every version of me dead and buried in the yard outside
Sit back and watch the world go by
Happy to lie back, watch it burn and rust
We tried to work, good God it wasn't for us
She's gonna save me, call me baby, run her hands through my hair
She'll know me crazy, soothe me daily, but yet she wouldn't care
We'll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride round pickin' up clues
We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson, raise 'em on rhythm and Blues
Cut clean from the dream that night, let my mind reset
Looking up from the cigarette, she's already left
I start thinking of the art for what's left of me and our little vignette
For whatever poor soul is coming next
She's gonna save me, call me baby, run her hands through my hair
She'll know me crazy, soothe me daily, but yet she wouldn't care
We'll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride around pickin' up clues
We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson, raise 'em on rhythm and Blues
The song "Jackie and Wilson" by Hozier is a tale of a man living his mid-youth crisis and struggling to find his identity while surrounded by chaos. The singer admits his faults, stating that there is no better version of himself that he could pretend to be. He sings about being stuck in the "swirl" with the "most familiar swine," in other words, being surrounded by negative influences.
In the midst of this chaos, he encounters Jackie, who enters his life like a "roman candle of the wild." Jackie is the savior he needs, as she understands his craziness and is willing to soothe him daily. They go on an adventure together, picking up clues as detectives, stealing her Lexus and naming their hypothetical children Jackie and Wilson. The song suggests that with Jackie, he is creating his own safe place, where they can "escape" from the world and live their lives freely.
Line by Line Meaning
So tired trying to see from behind the red in my eyes
Exhausted from attempting to see past my bloodshot eyes
No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight
I cannot fake being someone else tonight
So deep in the swirl with the most familiar swine
In the company of familiar, yet detrimental individuals
For reasons wretched and divine
Motives that are both terrible and sacred
She blows out of nowhere, Roman candle of the wild
She appears out of nowhere like a wild firework
Laughing away through my feeble disguise
Seeing through my weak facade with amusement
No other version of me I would rather to be tonight
I want to be myself tonight and no one else
Lord she found me just in time
Thank goodness she found me when she did
'Cause with my mid-youth crisis all said and done
Having gone through a mid-life crisis
I need to be youthfully felt, 'cause God I never felt young
I want to feel young once again
She's gonna save me call me baby run her hands through my hair
She will care for me and make me feel loved
She'll know me crazy, soothe me daily, but yet she wouldn't care
She'll understand all of my quirks and still love me unconditionally
We'll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride round pickin' up clues
We'll go on road trips and solve mysteries in her car
We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson, 'raise em on rhythm and blues
We'll name our future children after our musical passions
Lord it'd be great to find a place we could escape sometime
It would be wondrous to find a place to get away
Me and my Isis growing black irises in the sunshine
Me and my significant other growing flowers in the sun
Every version of me dead and buried in the yard outside
All of my past selves are gone and forgotten
Sit back and watch the world go by
Observe the world as it passes
Happy to lie back, watch it burn and rust
Fine to lounge and let everything crumble
We tried to work, good God it wasn't for us
We attempted to strive for normality, but it wasn't meant to be
Cut clean from the dream that night, let my mind reset
Awoke from the dream and cleared my mind
Looking up from the cigarette, she's already left
She's gone by the time I look up from my smoke
I start thinking of the art for what's left of me and our little vignette
Contemplating creating something out of our brief relationship
For whatever pour soul is coming next
For whoever is unlucky enough to come in contact with me next
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrew Hozier Byrne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marencoffelt2277
So tired trying to see from behind the red in my eyes
No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight
So deep in the swirl with the most familiar swine
For reasons wretched and divine
She blows out of nowhere, roman candle of the wild
Laughing away through my feeble disguise
No other version of me I would rather to be tonight
Lord she found me just in time
'Cause with my mid-youth crisis all said and done
I need to be youthfully felt, 'cause God I never felt young
She's gonna save me call me baby run her hands through my hair
She'll know me crazy, soothe me daily, but yet she wouldn't care
We'll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride round pickin' up clues
We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson, 'raise em on rhythm and blues
Lord it'd be great to find a place we could escape sometime
Me and my isis growing black irises in the sunshine
Every version of me dead and buried in the yard outside
Sit back and watch the world go by
Happy to lie back, watch it burn and rust
We tried to work, good God it wasn't for us
She's gonna save me, call me baby, run her hands through my hair
She'll know me crazy soothe me daily but yet she wouldn't care
We'll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride round pickin' up clues
We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson, raise 'em on rhythm and Blues
Cut clean from the dream that night, let my mind reset
Looking up from the cigarette, she's already left
I start thinking of the art for what's left of me and our little vignette
For whatever pour soul is coming next
She's gonna save me, call me baby, run her hands through my hair
She'll know me crazy soothe me daily but yet she wouldn't care
We'll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride around pickin' up clues
We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson, raise 'em on rhythm and Blues
@julievictoria6781
I love that when he’s taking pictures with a large group of fans he always stands in the back like the tall kids had to for the class photo
@artius2993
He's definitely that tall kid.
@sarahjames5638
Doesn't hog the limelight, gentleman.
@gracerogerz
@@sarahjames5638 also he's 6'6" lol
@asmimazumder5550
@@gracerogerz he's almost 2 me,am 4 ft 10 ahahahhaha
@gracewhaley3945
I can relate. Was always put in the back for the group photos 😅❤
@damienbrnch
He seems like he's the nicest person in the world
@well_as_an_expert_id_say
Damien Joy never even met the guy and I feel like we're best friends lmao 😂
@8Anedonia8
Damien Branche yep, thats make him seems even more handsome 😍
@toology55
I saw him live and he took a good amount of time to thank his whole crew by first & last name and where they were from; lighting, sound, backup singers, manager, I mean every single person, plus he thanked the opening act several times throughout the show. Also not a single profanity spoken, dave grohl also seems like a really nice guy but he dropped the F bomb like 850 times in a show.