The following albums saw large shifts in style. Much Afraid saw them releasing gorgeous - sometimes brittle - music, which the Band intended to have a "timeless" sound, while If I Left the Zoo is a quirkier but musically brilliant album, featuring considerably more keys and experimentation. The Eleventh Hour is their first true "rock" album. They returned to acoustic guitars for the "Furthermore" project, which featured two EPs - a live disc and an acoustic disc. The band's 5th album, Who We Are Instead continued some of the band's earlier sonic experiments and showcased some new gospel, bluegrass, and hymnsong influences. The hymnsong approach was continued on an album of new arrangements of classic hymns - Redemption Songs.
Good Monsters was released on Sept. 05, 2006. The album was hailed by CCM Magazine as "Album of the Year" - a controversial move considering that this announcement was made in August. "Good Monsters" further showcases the diverse style of the venerable quartet and is considered by the band to be their first true "rock" record. It is a rock driven record with electric guitars having prevalence on more of the songs than any previous albums. The album also has other stylistic influences and even includes a choir of African school children, while lyrically, it hits the darker side of their self-shaped genre.
In 2007, Jars of Clay announced that they were leaving Essential Records and were creating their own record label, Gray Matters. Jars of Clay released Christmas Songs through Gray Matters in 2007, and the Closer EP was released in the Summer of 2008.
April 21, 2009 marked the release of The Long Fall Back to Earth, containing two tracks from the Closer EP and 12 additional tracks. Two Hands is the first single from that release.
Crazy Love
Jars of Clay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just you wait and see
I'll never be imprisoned by
A faded memory
Just when I think I'm over her
This broken heart will mend
I hear her name and I have to cry
It happens all the time
This crazy love of mine
Wraps around my heart
Refusing to unwind
Ooooo, crazy love, ahh-haaa
I count the stars in a summer sky
That fall without a sound
And then pretend that you can't hear
These teardrops comin' down
It happens all the time
This crazy love of mine
Wraps around my heart
Refusing to unwind
Ooooo, crazy love, ahh-haaa
Tonight I'm gonna break away
Just you wait and see
I'll never be imprisoned by
A faded memory
It happens all the time
This crazy love of mine
Wraps around my heart
Refusing to unwind
Ooooo, crazy love, ahh-haaa
Tonight I'm gonna break away
The lyrics to "Crazy Love" by Jars of Clay describe the struggles of trying to move on from a former lover while still being haunted by memories of their relationship. The song is full of conflicting emotions, with the singer expressing both a desire to break free from their past and a sense of being trapped by their love for their ex. The opening lines, "Tonight I'm gonna break away/ Just you wait and see/ I'll never be imprisoned by/ A faded memory" suggest a determination to move forward, but the following lines reveal that the singer is still struggling to let go: "Just when I think I'm over her/ This broken heart will mend/ I hear her name and I have to cry/ These tears come down again."
Throughout the song, the singer reflects on the power of their love for their ex, describing it as "crazy love." The chorus repeats the phrase "It happens all the time/ This crazy love of mine" and emphasizes how it "wraps around my heart/ Refusing to unwind." The song's bridge offers a poignant image of the singer's sadness: "I count the stars in a summer sky/ That fall without a sound/ And then pretend that you can't hear/ These teardrops comin' down."
Overall, "Crazy Love" is a bittersweet meditation on the complexities of love and heartbreak. Its lyrics capture the pain of trying to move on from a past relationship while still being consumed by thoughts and memories of one's ex.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight I'm gonna break away
Tonight, I will free myself from the chains that held me captive to my past and go on a new journey.
Just you wait and see
Wait and see how I break free from my past and move towards my future with confidence and determination.
I'll never be imprisoned by a faded memory
I will not allow the memories of my past relationships to hold me prisoner; I will use them as lessons to strengthen my resolve moving forward.
Just when I think I'm over her
Sometimes I feel like I've moved on from a past love, but then something reminds me of them, and the pain returns.
This broken heart will mend
Even though my heart is currently broken, I know that it will heal with time and patience.
I hear her name and I have to cry
Hearing the name of my past love brings back all the emotions I had when we were together, causing me to cry once again.
These tears come down again
No matter how much time passes, the memories of my past love will always cause me to shed tears.
It happens all the time
These feelings of pain and heartbreak that I experience are not rare or unusual; they happen frequently.
This crazy love of mine
My love for someone who is no longer in my life is irrational and intense, which is why it's hard to forget.
Wraps around my heart, refusing to unwind
Even though I know it's unhealthy to hold onto the past, my love for my past partner lingers, refusing to let go.
I count the stars in a summer sky
I try to distract myself from my pain by looking up at the stars and focusing on something else.
That fall without a sound
The stars may fall from the sky, but they do so quietly, unlike the emotions that overwhelm me when I think of my past love.
And then pretend that you can't hear
I try to put on a brave front and pretend that I'm not affected by my memories of my past love, when really, I'm hurting inside.
These teardrops comin' down
No matter how hard I try to hide it, the pain that comes along with my memories of my past love always causes me to shed tears.
Contributed by Amelia E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.