Goodbye
Jack Johnson Lyrics


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This is a true story.....

I think it was a sign
When your cell
Phone fell
Into the toilet
And then it spelled
The word
Goodbye

Backstage at the shell
It was nice enough of it to tell
You farewell
Before

It went
Off to Hell

Well maybe it will see
Our two computers
Down there
That were stolen
On New Years Day




I never really liked them
Anyway

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jack Johnson's "Goodbye" appear to be written as a tongue-in-cheek reflection on the various ways in which technology fails. The opening lines describe a cell phone falling into a toilet and displaying the word "goodbye" as it malfunctions. This is followed by a reference to a backstage event at the "shell," which may mean a concert or performance venue. Here, it's suggested that something (presumably some type of electronic equipment) was being fickle, breaking or malfunctioning just as it was time to say goodbye.


The final lines of the song bring together the various threads of humorous frustration with failed technology, as the singer reflects on two computers that were stolen on New Year's Day. Despite this loss, the singer seems to shrug it off, stating that he never really liked them anyway. Overall, the song seems to be pithy commentary on the way in which modern technology both enables and occasionally thwarts human interaction.


Line by Line Meaning

I think it was a sign
I believe this event happened for a reason


When your cell
When your cellphone


Phone fell
Accidentally dropped into the toilet bowl


Into the toilet
Landed in the water-filled basin of the toilet


And then it spelled
Display screen showed


The word
Displayed the text


Goodbye
A farewell message, indicating a final end


Backstage at the shell
Behind the concert venue


It was nice enough of it to tell
Considerate of the phone to give a heads up


You farewell
Bid you a final goodbye


Before
Prior to


It went
Cellphone's final fate


Off to Hell
Broken beyond repair


Well maybe it will see
Perhaps the phone will encounter


Our two computers
The two computers we owned


Down there
In the same place, i.e., Hell


That were stolen
That were taken unlawfully


On New Years Day
The day of the theft


I never really liked them
I didn't have much affection for them


Anyway
Regardless of their theft and ultimate fate




Contributed by Alexis B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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