Mama You've Been On My Mind / A Fraction of Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie
Jack Johnson Lyrics


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Perhaps it's the color of the sun cut flat
An' cov'rin' the crossroads I'm standin' at
Or maybe it's the weather or somethin' like that
But mama, you been on my mind

I don't mean trouble, please don't put me down or get upset
I am not pleadin' or sayin', "I can't forget you"
I do not walk the floor, bowed down an' bent but yet
Mama, you been on my mind

And even though my mind is hazy and my thoughts they might be narrow
Where you been don't bother me or bring me down in sorrow
It don't even matter where you're wakin' up tomorrow
Just mama, you will be on my mind

Well, I am not askin' to you to say words like 'Yes' or 'No'
Please understand me, I have no place I'm calling you to go
Just whisperin' to myself so I can pretendin' that I don't know
But mama, you'll be on my mind

When you wake up in the mornin', baby, look inside your mirror
You know I won't be next to you, you know I won't be near
I'd just be curious to know if you can see yourself as clear
As someone who has had you on his mind

It's when your head gets twisted with your mind grows numb
You think you're too old, too young, too smart, too dumb
Laggin' behind though you're losin' your pace
In the slow-motion crawl of life's busy race

No matter whatcha doin' if you start givin' up
If the wine don't come to the top of your cup
Winds got you sideways, one hand holdin' on
The other starts slippin' and the feelin' is gone

And your train engine fire needs a new spark to catch it
Wood is easy findin' but you're lazy to fetch it
Lonesome comes up as down goes the day
And tomorrow's mornin' seems so far away

And you could feel the reins from your pony are slippin'
And your hand are a-slidin', ropers are a-drippin'
Your sidewalk starts crawlin' and the street gets too long
And you start walkin' backwards but you know that this is wrong

Sunny deserts and your evergreen valleys
Turn to broken-down slums and trash can alleys
Your sky cries water and your drain pipes are pourin
Lightnin's a-flashin' and the thunder's a-crashin'





Windows are rattlin' and breaking and your roof top's will it start a-shakin'
And your whole world's a-slammin' and bangin'

Overall Meaning

"Mama You've Been On My Mind / A Fraction of Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie" is a cover song by Jack Johnson, originally written by Bob Dylan. The song is split into two parts; the first part, "Mama You've Been On My Mind," is a love song that describes the singer's constant thoughts about his lover. The second part, "A Fraction of Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie," is a tribute to the folk singer Woody Guthrie, discussing the challenges of life and finding inspiration in music.


In the first part, the singer describes how his thoughts continually return to his lover, even though they are no longer together. He does not want to cause any trouble or plead with her, but he cannot help but think of her. He acknowledges that his mind may be hazy, but he still carries her with him.


The second part of the song takes a more philosophical tone, with references to Woody Guthrie, who famously wrote about the struggles of working-class people in America. The singer discusses the difficulties of life, from feeling like you're losing your pace to experiencing natural disasters. However, he finds comfort in music and the ability to express oneself through song.


Line by Line Meaning

Perhaps it's the color of the sun cut flat
Maybe it's the brightness of the sun that reminds me of you


An' cov'rin' the crossroads I'm standin' at
And it brings back memories of standing at this crossroads


Or maybe it's the weather or somethin' like that
Or it could just be the general atmosphere or mood


But mama, you been on my mind
But regardless, I've been thinking about you lately


I don't mean trouble, please don't put me down or get upset
I don't mean any harm, I just want to express my feelings without causing any problems or offense


I am not pleadin' or sayin', "I can't forget you"
And I'm not begging or saying that I'm incapable of forgetting you


I do not walk the floor, bowed down an' bent but yet
I'm not pacing anxiously or depressed, but still


Mama, you been on my mind
Mother dearest, you've been occupying my thoughts


And even though my mind is hazy and my thoughts they might be narrow
Even though I'm feeling uncertain and my thoughts may be limited


Where you been don't bother me or bring me down in sorrow
Where you've been or what you've been doing doesn't upset or sadden me


It don't even matter where you're wakin' up tomorrow
It doesn't matter where you'll be waking up tomorrow


Just mama, you will be on my mind
I'll still be thinking of you, Mama


Well, I am not askin' to you to say words like 'Yes' or 'No'
I'm not asking you to give me a definitive answer


Please understand me, I have no place I'm calling you to go
Please try to comprehend that I don't have any specific destination in mind for you


Just whisperin' to myself so I can pretendin' that I don't know
Just muttering to myself so I can pretend that I'm not aware of my feelings


But mama, you'll be on my mind
But Mother, you'll still be in my thoughts


When you wake up in the mornin', baby, look inside your mirror
When you wake up in the morning, my dear, take a good look at yourself in the mirror


You know I won't be next to you, you know I won't be near
You already know I won't be by your side or in close proximity


I'd just be curious to know if you can see yourself as clear
I'm just wondering if you have a clear self-image


As someone who has had you on his mind
As someone who's been thinking of you a lot lately


It's when your head gets twisted with your mind grows numb
It's when your thoughts become confused and your mind goes blank


You think you're too old, too young, too smart, too dumb
You feel like you're either too old or too young, too intelligent or not smart enough


Laggin' behind though you're losin' your pace
Falling behind and moving too slowly despite trying to keep up with the rest


In the slow-motion crawl of life's busy race
In the painfully slow progression of life's rushing race


No matter whatcha doin' if you start givin' up
No matter what you're doing, if you start feeling defeated


If the wine don't come to the top of your cup
If you're not achieving the success you hoped for


Winds got you sideways, one hand holdin' on
Life's unexpected twists and turns have you feeling off-kilter and barely holding on


The other starts slippin' and the feelin' is gone
While the other hand starts slipping and the feeling of control washes away


And your train engine fire needs a new spark to catch it
You need some new inspiration or motivation to reignite your passion


Wood is easy findin' but you're lazy to fetch it
Solutions may be easy to find, but you're too lazy to pursue them


Lonesome comes up as down goes the day
Loneliness arises as the day comes to an end


And tomorrow's mornin' seems so far away
And the next morning seems incredibly far away


And you could feel the reins from your pony are slippin'
Losing control of your situation


And your hand are a-slidin', ropers are a-drippin'
Losing grip and losing control of the ropes you're holding on to


Your sidewalk starts crawlin' and the street gets too long
Even your own sidewalk seems never-ending and the street seems endless


And you start walkin' backwards but you know that this is wrong
You start moving in the wrong direction, even though you know it won't help


Sunny deserts and your evergreen valleys
The bright and lush landscapes of sunny deserts and green valleys


Turn to broken-down slums and trash can alleys
Transform into rundown neighborhoods and garbage-strewn alleys


Your sky cries water and your drain pipes are pourin
Your once-clear sky is now pouring rain and your pipes are overflowing


Lightnin's a-flashin' and the thunder's a-crashin'
Lightning is flashing and thunder is crashing around you


Windows are rattlin' and breaking and your roof top's will it start a-shakin'
Windows are shaking and breaking, and it feels like the roof might cave in at any moment


And your whole world's a-slammin' and bangin'
And everything in your world feels like it's aggressively slamming and crashing




Contributed by Nathaniel O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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