"It’s a wake-up-in-the-morning-and-make-breakfast-with-your-family kind of song. It started when my wife was busy doing something and I wanted to distract her. So I just started playing ‘You hardly even notice/When I try to show you this/Song it’s meant to keep you/From doing what you’re supposed to.’ I’d play her that every time she’d get sidetracked and I wanted to just hang out. Later, it just shaped into a real song. I started playing it live on the last tour we did before it was finished, and just kind of filled in parts with ‘Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah’ to get the crowd laughing. It’s just a real feel-good song and kind of silly.
But I try not to discard the silly love songs. I mean, it’d be easy just to say, ‘This one is too silly. I’m not gonna put it out there.’ But for me, it’s part of what I like to do — just make people have a good time and sing and get in a good mood. So I like to put a couple of those sort-of just straight love songs on there."
Banana Pancakes
Jack Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There ain't no need to go outside
But baby
You hardly even notice
When I try to show you this
Song is meant to keep you
Doin' what you're supposed to
Maybe we could sleep in
Make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now
We could pretend it all the time
Can't you see that it's just rainin'?
There ain't no need to go outside
But just maybe
Halaka ukulele, mama made a baby
Really don't mind the practice
'Cause you're my little lady
Lady, lady love me
'Cause I love to lay here lazy
We could close the curtains
Pretend like there's no world outside
Then we could pretend it all the time
And can't you see that it's just rainin'?
There ain't no need to go outside
Ain't no need, ain't no need
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Can't you see, can't you see?
Rain all day and I don't mind
But the telephone's singing, ringing
It's too early, don't pick it up
We don't need to
We got everything we need right here
And everything we need is enough
Just so easy when the whole world fits inside of your arms
Do we really need to pay attention to the alarm?
Wake up slow
Mmm-mmm, wake up slow
But baby
You hardly even notice
When I try to show you this
Song is meant to keep you
From doin' what you're supposed to
Wakin' up too early
Maybe we could sleep in
Make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now
We could pretend it all the time
Can't you see that it's just rainin'
There ain't no need to go outside
Ain't no need, ain't no need
Rain all day and I really, really, really don't mind
Can't you see, can't you see?
We gotta wake up slow
In "Banana Pancakes," Jack Johnson paints a picture of a lazy, rainy day where he and his loved one are cuddled up in bed, enjoying each other's company as the world goes on without them. He encourages his partner not to worry about the outside world or their obligations, but just to relax and enjoy the moment. Johnson suggests making banana pancakes and pretending it's the weekend, perhaps hinting at a desire to escape the tedium of day-to-day life.
The chorus repeats the message of the song: that it's raining and therefore there is no need to go outside. Johnson seems to be promoting a sense of self-care and slowing down. He asks his partner to "wake up slow" and enjoy the simple pleasures of being together.
Overall, "Banana Pancakes" is a sweet, romantic song that celebrates slowness and the beauty of the present moment. It encourages listeners to slow down, breathe deeply, and appreciate life's simple pleasures.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, can't you see that it's just rainin'?
I want to show you that it's just raining outside.
There ain't no need to go outside
We don't have to go outside in the rain.
But baby
You hardly even notice
When I try to show you this
Song is meant to keep you
Doin' what you're supposed to
Wakin' up too early
Sometimes I feel like my efforts go unnoticed, but this song is meant to remind you to keep doing what you need to do and not wake up too early.
Maybe we could sleep in
Make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now
We could pretend it all the time
Can't you see that it's just rainin'?
Let's stay in bed and have a relaxing morning, pretending it's the weekend. We can pretend all the time, don't you see it's just raining outside?
But just maybe
Halaka ukulele, mama made a baby
Really don't mind the practice
'Cause you're my little lady
Lady, lady love me
'Cause I love to lay here lazy
I don't mind us practicing making a baby, because I love being lazy with you.
We could close the curtains
Pretend like there's no world outside
Then we could pretend it all the time
And can't you see that it's just rainin'?
Let's close the curtains and imagine there's no world outside. We can do this all the time, especially when it's just raining.
Ain't no need, ain't no need
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Can't you see, can't you see?
Rain all day and I don't mind
There's no need to go out in the rain, I don't mind it raining all day.
But the telephone's singing, ringing
It's too early, don't pick it up
We don't need to
We got everything we need right here
And everything we need is enough
The phone is ringing, but it's too early, we don't have to answer it. We have everything we need here with each other.
Just so easy when the whole world fits inside of your arms
Do we really need to pay attention to the alarm?
With you in my arms, it's so easy to forget about the outside world. Do we really need to pay attention to the alarm clock?
Wake up slow
Mmm-mmm, wake up slow
Let's wake up slowly, without any rush or urgency.
We gotta wake up slow
We need to remember to wake up slowly and take things easy.
Lyrics © Bubble Toes Publishing, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: Jack Hody Johnson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind