The initial impulse behind McMahon’s new project Jack’s Mannequin was "Locked Doors", a song he recorded in December 2003, which he felt was too different from previous Something Corporate material to be one of their songs. He realized that, if he would ever decide to release it, it would be on a solo album rather than a Something Corporate record. The idea seemed to be off the table, until in late summer 2004 both McMahon and his band mates were exhausted from months of touring. They decided to take a temporary break. During his time off, McMahon started writing songs, knowing they would not see the light of day as Something Corporate songs. These songs were a more therapeutic approach McMahon took, and therefore a more personal and intimate testament of his songwriting.
Over the next couple of months, McMahon began recording the newly written songs with producer Jim Wirt, who would play guitar and bass over sampled drum tracks, while McMahon contributed vocals and piano. They later brought in additional musicians such as Bobby Anderson (formerly of River City High) and Tommy Lee to add to the mix. In March 2005, Jack’s Mannequin (now consisting of McMahon, Jon Sullivan on bass, Anderson and Jacques Brautbar on guitar and Jay McMillan on drums) played their first live show at Molly Malone’s Irish pub in Los Angeles, California.
Their debut album, Everything in Transit, was released on August 23, 2005 debuting at #37 of the Billboard 200 with over 22,000 copies scanned within its first week.
Everything in Transit received a positive response from fans and critics alike. A summer tour was scheduled to support the record release, but was canceled after McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and had a bone marrow transplant. The band began recording their second album in the summer of 2007. In August 2007, McMahon posted the lyrics to the song “Cellular Phone” on his blog,which the band played live at several shows in 2007 and 2008. Also, in February 2008, videos of live performances of two songs off the new record (“Caves” and “Suicide Blonde”) were uploaded onto YouTube for public viewing. McMahon appears on the cover of Alternative Press’s January 2008 issue, which contains an interview with him.
Their second album, The Glass Passenger, was released on September 30th, 2008, and is their first album with Sire Records. Despite numerous delays (the album was originally slated for release in April 2008) it has been well-received, and debuted #8 on the Billboard 200.
Previously, in August of 2008, The Ghost Overground EP was released exclusively on iTunes to promote the album, containing the songs "The Resolution", "Bloodshot", and two live performances of tracks from Everything in Transit. After the release of the EP, "The Resolution" topped the Billboard "Hot Singles Sales" charts.
Songfacts reports that "My Racing Thoughts," the first single from their third album People and Things, was released on August 2, 2011. People and Things was released October 4, 2011.
On the evening of the 24th August 2012, the official Jack's Mannequin website & official Twitter account were changed to www.andrewmcmahon.com & "amslingshots" respectively. A blog post on the official Andrew McMahon website confirmed that Jack's Mannequin were no longer & that Andrew would be working on solo material.
Caves
Jack's Mannequin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somewhere in between
Alive
And living a dream
No peace
Just clicking machines
In the quiet of compazine
The walls caved in on me
And she sings
My bird dressed in white
And she stings
My arm in the night
I lay still
Still I'm ready to fight
Have my lungs
But you can't take my sight
The walls caved in
Tonight
And out here
I watch the sun circle the earth
The marrows collide in rebirth
In God's glory praise
The spirit calls out from the caves
The walls fell and there I lay
Saved
The walls are caving in
As far as I can see
The walls are caving in
The doors got locked for sure
There's no one here but me
Beat my body like a rag doll
you stuck the needles in my hip
Said 'we're not gonna lie
Son, you just might die
Get you on that morphine drip, drip
The walls are caving in
As far as I can see
The walls are caving in
The doors got locked for sure
There's no one here but me
I fought a war to walk a gang plank
Into a life I left behind
Windows leading to the past
Think it's time I broke some glass
Get this history off my mind
And what if we were married forever?
Like the past never happened
And time did not exist for us at all
I still think we'd still be traveling together
Through all kinds of weather
Everything's a piece of everyone
As far as I can see
Walls are caving in
Doors got locked for sure
But I see these doors have keys
The walls are caving in
As far as I can see
The walls are caving in
The doors got locked for sure
There's no one here but me
There's no one here but me
No one here but me, yeah
There's no one here but me
No one here but me
The song “Caves” by Jack’s Mannequin is a powerful reflection on the time of uncertainty and isolation, as its verses describe the feeling of being trapped in a solitary space, caught between life and a dream. The singer is unable to find peace among the endless machine-like sounds that surround them, until they hear a voice of hope and salvation.
The song then shifts into a dreamy state of consciousness, where the singer watches the sun circle the earth and meditates on the idea of rebirth and spirituality. This section of the song is like a sudden release from the previously harsh and confined reality, a feeling of being set free.
The final part of the song lyrically ruminates on the idea of breaking free from the past and moving forward with renewed purpose, an idea exemplified by the lines “I still think we'd still be traveling together / Through all kinds of weather / Everything's a piece of everyone.” In essence, the song encapsulates the feeling of overcoming adversity and finding hope in the face of isolation and struggle.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm caught
Somewhere in between
Alive
And living a dream
I am in a state of uncertainty, living in a state where I am physically alive, but my mental presence is dreaming, causing my mind to be stuck in a state of confusion between the two.
No peace
Just clicking machines
In the quiet of compazine
The walls caved in on me
There is no relaxation here, just the sound of machines causing my mind to drift. In the absence of sound, my mind caves in on itself, causing a sense of restlessness.
And she sings
My bird dressed in white
And she stings
My arm in the night
I lay still
Still I'm ready to fight
Have my lungs
But you can't take my sight
The walls caved in
Tonight
She sings while dressed perfectly in white, causing a beautiful sensation, but her love also causes pain. I am lying here, with my body still while my mind is ready to fight. Although you might harm my lungs, my sight will live on. The walls caved in on me tonight.
And out here
I watch the sun circle the earth
The marrows collide in rebirth
In God's glory praise
The spirit calls out from the caves
The walls fell and there I lay
Saved
As I stand out here, I watch the sun circle the Earth as I witness the beauty of life in God's glory. The marrows of my soul are crashing into each other, resulting in a renewal of life. My spirit has been saved from the caves, as the walls have fallen, and I lay here saved.
The walls are caving in
As far as I can see
The walls are caving in
The doors got locked for sure
There's no one here but me
Beat my body like a rag doll
you stuck the needles in my hip
Said 'we're not gonna lie
Son, you just might die
Get you on that morphine drip, drip
The walls are all collapsing, leaving me with a narrow path to escape. The doors are locked, trapping me inside. There's no one here but me, and they are beating my body, causing me to feel helpless. They are also stuck with needles inside my flesh, trying to save my life, but the situation is dire, and I might not make it through without morphine.
I fought a war to walk a gang plank
Into a life I left behind
Windows leading to the past
Think it's time I broke some glass
Get this history off my mind
I prepared for war to walk the gangplank and make a life that I have left in the past. Now, as I seek to advance forward, I see windows leading to my past that keep me from making progress. It's about time I break that glass and move on, leaving history behind.
And what if we were married forever?
Like the past never happened
And time did not exist for us at all
I still think we'd still be traveling together
Through all kinds of weather
Everything's a piece of everyone
What if we were bonded together forever? As though the past had never happened and time did not exist for us at all, I still believe that we would travel together through different kinds of weather, as we see that each piece makes up the whole.
The walls are caving in
As far as I can see
The walls are caving in
The doors got locked for sure
There's no one here but me
There's no one here but me
No one here but me, yeah
There's no one here but me
No one here but me
The walls are closing in, and it seems that there's no way out of this situation. I'm locked inside with no one else around, causing me to feel like I am the only one here. There's no one here but me, and I am the only one around in this situation.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANDREW ROSS MCMAHON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rabbitruler44
Even though this song is about Andrew's battle with Leukemia, I feel like anyone who deals with depression can relate. It's really beautiful.
xxKursteexx
This song is certainly my favourite off of the new album. You can honestly feel Andrew's pain, he speaks to you. I find myself tearing up at certain parts in the song. I remember when Andrew was diagnosed with cancer and everyone was sending postcards to him :). I also remember how worried I was for him, I couldn't imagine a world without my favourite music. That's back when I first got into SoCo. I still love everything he does. What a trooper. I'm so proud of him. Lovely album, Andrew.
VicFirthkid22
Jack's Mannequin music is an acquired taste. The more you hear it, the more you grow to love it. This song, as well as the entire Glass Passenger album, is the epitome of the point i'm making. If it doesn't please you, give it time to grow. :) This will be your favorite song before long.
jmonta21
"The marrows collide in rebirth" gets me every time.
Dominic Weston
This song conveys the despair yet hope that can come from such a horrific disease and Mr McMahon shows how you can take something positive from the worst situation. While a song cannot heal, it can provide those in need with the sense that they can make it through. I have never had Leukemia and hope to god I never do but to anyone who has had it and drawn strength from this song (and to those who have never even heard it) good luck to you. There is a family behind you...
LucyInTheSky88
I simply adore this song. When I heard it for the first time I was like wow ... so much emotions I especially love this part: And what if we were married forever? Like the past never happened And time did not exist for us at all I still think we'd still be traveling together Through all kinds of weather Everything's a piece of everyone
silverpistola
I seriously can't get enough of this song. It is as close to perfect as anyone can get.
Audrey
this is very pretty...it calms me down and is my lullaby and will remain my lullaby for the rest of my life.
Chela Lavilla
I love this song so much. Words can't express how much I love it.
Karley
my brother had leukemia a while ago and this song just makes me wanna cry, in a good way ;-) andrew is so strong for continuing with his music after that and i just looooove this song!