Flying My Guilt Over a Quilt
Jason Mraz Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Drain the veins in my head
Clean out the reds in my eyes to get by security lines
Dear x-ray machine
Pretend you don't know me so well
I wont tell if you lie
Cry, cause your drought's been brought up
Drinkin' cause you're lookin' so good in your Starbucks cup
I complain for the company that I keep
The windows for sleepin'
Rearrange well I'm nobody

Well who's laughin' now that I'm leaving your town, again
And I'm over the ground that you've been spinning
And I'm up in the air so baby hell yeah
Well honey I can see your house from here
If the plane goes down, damn
I remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn

Damn, I should be so lucky
Even only 24 hours under your touch
You know I need you so much
I cannot wait to call you
And tell you that I landed somewhere
And hand you a square of the airport
And walk you through the maze of the map that I'm gazing at
Gracefully unnamed and feeling guilty for the luck
And the look that you gave me
You make me somebody
Oh nobody knows me
Not even me can see it yet I bet I'm

Leaving your town again
And I'm over the ground that you've been spinning
And I'm up in the air, so baby hell yeah
Oh honey I can see your house from here
If the plane goes down, damn
I'll remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn

You keep me high minded
You keep me high

Flax seeds, well they tear me open
And supposedly you can crawl right through me
Taste these teeth please
And undress me from the sweaters better hurry
Cause I'm heating upward bound now
Oh maybe I'll build my house on your cloud
Here I'm tumbling for you
Stumblin' through the work that I have to do
Don't mean to harm you

By leaving your town again
But I'm over the quilt that you've been spinning
And I'm up in the air, said baby hell yeah
Well honey I can see your house from here
If the plane goes down, damn
I remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn
I remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn
I remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn
Damn
Damn

Damn you...

You get me high
You keep me high minded




You get me high
You keep me high minded

Overall Meaning

Jason Mraz’s “Flying My Guilt Over A Quilt” is a song about a person travelling away from home and their lover. The song is characterized by a series of idiosyncratic lyrics that capture the feelings of being away from home, and the longing to return. In the first verse, Mraz sings about going through security and asks the X-ray machine to pretend not to know him so well. He is dishonest about his feelings, as he drinks because his significant other looks good in their Starbucks cup. The second verse is concentrated on wanting to get back home to their significant other, and the anticipation of telling them how much they need them. The bridge is about the undressing of himself and being vulnerable to the person he loves. The song ends by reaffirming the love between the two, as they have experienced their own turbulence together and hope to continue doing so in the future.


One interesting point about the song is that it was written by Jason Mraz and Glen Phillips, the lead singer of the band Toad The Wet Sprocket. The song also contains a reference to Starbucks, which was a relatively new company at the time the song was written. Additionally, the song has an unusual title, which comes from a metaphor about feeling guilty for not being a part of something as comforting as a quilt. “Flying My Guilt Over a Quilt” has been well-received by critics and audiences alike, and is often cited as one of Jason Mraz’s best songs.


Line by Line Meaning

Drain the veins in my head
Clear my mind, remove any unnecessary thoughts or distractions


Clean out the reds in my eyes to get by security lines
Remove the signs of tiredness and anxiety from my appearance to avoid issues at airport security


Dear x-ray machine
An address to the machine used in airport security to examine luggage


Pretend you don't know me so well
Act as if you're not familiar with me and the contents of my belongings


I wont tell if you lie
I won't expose any hidden objects or information to airport security


Cry, cause your drought's been brought up
Become emotional because the lack of water in my system has been noticed


Drinkin' cause you're lookin' so good in your Starbucks cup
Be enticed to get a Starbucks drink because of its appealing appearance


I complain for the company that I keep
I express dissatisfaction because of the people I surround myself with


The windows for sleepin'
The windows on the plane are suitable for sleeping


Rearrange well I'm nobody
Reposition myself because I feel insignificant


Well who's laughin' now that I'm leaving your town, again
A rhetorical question aimed at someone who's probably happy to see me leave for another trip


And I'm over the ground that you've been spinning
I don't fall for the tricks and games you play with me anymore


And I'm up in the air so baby hell yeah
I'm glad to be on this flight


Well honey I can see your house from here
An expression of amazement because of the view from the plane


If the plane goes down, damn
A sudden realization of the possibility of a plane crash


I remember where the love was found
Reminiscing about past experiences with someone I care about


Damn, I should be so lucky
I'd be lucky to be with you again for just a day


Even only 24 hours under your touch
Being in contact with you for only a day would mean a lot to me


You know I need you so much
Acknowledgment that I can't do without this person


I cannot wait to call you
Expressing eagerness to reach out to the person in question


And tell you that I landed somewhere
Letting them know that I arrived safely


And hand you a square of the airport
Offering a souvenir from my travels


And walk you through the maze of the map that I'm gazing at
Describing the journey I had to take and planning to share the experience with the person


Gracefully unnamed and feeling guilty for the luck
Feeling like I don't deserve the good things that have happened to me and trying to be humble about it


And the look that you gave me
Recalling a facial expression from the person in question


You make me somebody
I feel important and loved because of this person


Oh nobody knows me
Feeling like nobody truly understands me


Not even me can see it yet I bet I'm
I may not fully understand things about myself yet, but I'm confident I can figure it out


You keep me high minded
This person helps me maintain a positive state of mind


Flax seeds, well they tear me open
Eating flax seeds has a physiological effect on my body


And supposedly you can crawl right through me
Jokingly implying that someone could fit through my body because I'm tearing apart from eating flax seeds


Taste these teeth please
Another humorous remark, inviting someone to inspect my teeth


And undress me from the sweaters better hurry
Remove the layers of clothing I'm wearing to cool down, needs to be done quickly


Cause I'm heating upward bound now
I'm getting warmer and warmer


Oh maybe I'll build my house on your cloud
A fanciful idea of building a home on the clouds


Here I'm tumbling for you
I'm falling for you all over again


Stumblin' through the work that I have to do
Struggling with tasks and distractions just to get by


Don't mean to harm you
I'm not trying to cause you any trouble


By leaving your town again
It's not my intention to upset the person by leaving again


But I'm over the quilt that you've been spinning
I've moved on from the emotional trap you set for me


If the plane goes down, damn
Same as before, recognition of the possibility of a plane crash


I'll remember where the love was found
Thinking back to when I was with the person I care about




Contributed by Katherine B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Cássio Silva

Drene as veias em minha cabeça
Limpe a vermelhidão de meus olhos para passar pela segurança
Querida máquina de Raio-x
Finja que não me conhece tão bem
E eu não contarei se você mentiu
Chore, porque a seca foi trazida.
Bebendo, porque você fica tão bem com seu copo da Starbucks
Eu reclamo para a companhia que mantenho
As janelas para dormir rearrumadas
E eu não sou ninguém
Bem, quem está rindo agora?

Estou deixando sua cidade, novamente
E estou sobre o chão que você vem rodando
E estou suspenso no ar, então baby, inferno yeah!
Bem, querida, eu consigo ver sua casa daqui
E se o avião cair, maldição!
Eu lembrarei onde o amor foi encontrado
E se o avião cair, maldição!

Droga, eu deveria ser tão sortudo
Mesmo 24 horas depois do seu toque
Você sabe, eu preciso tanto de você!
Eu não consigo esperar para ligar para você
E contar-lhe que eu aterrisei em algum lugar
E te encontrar a uma quadra do aeroporto
E te guiar através da confusão do mapa
Que estou olhando
Graciosamente sem nome e sentindo culpada pela sorte
E o olhar que você me deu
Você me faz ser alguém
Oh ninguém me conhece
Nem mesmo eu consigo ver isso, mas ainda aposto que existo

Estou deixando sua cidade novamente
E estou sobre o chão que você vem rodando
E estou suspenso no ar, então baby, inferno yeah!
Bem, querida, eu consigo ver sua casa daqui
E se o avião cair, maldição!
Eu lembrarei onde o amor foi encontrado
E se o avião cair, maldição!

Você eleva meu espírito
Você me eleva

Sementes de linho, bem, elas me libertam
E supostamente você pode engatinhar através mim
Sinta o gosto destes dentes, por favor
E despe-me desse suéter, melhor se apressar
Porque estou subindo agora
Oh talvez eu construa minha casa em sua nuvem
Estou fazendo acrobacias por você
Tropeçando no trabalho que tenho que fazer
Não quero prejudicá-la

Deixando sua cidade novamente
Mas estou sobre a colcha que você está fiando
Mas estou suspenso no ar, disse: baby, inferno yeah
Oh querida eu posso ver sua casa daqui
Se o avião cair, maldição
Eu lembrarei onde o amor foi encontrado
Se o avião cair, maldição
Eu lembrarei onde o amor foi encontrado
Se o avião cair, maldição
Eu lembrarei onde o amor foi encontrado
Se o avião cair, maldição

Maldição
Maldição
Maldição, você

Você me mantém elevado
Você mantém meu espírito elevado
Você me mantém elevado
Você mantém meu espírito elevado



Alvin Bo’e

Drain the veins in my head
Clean out the reds in my eyes to get by security lines
Dear x-ray machine
Pretend you don't know me so well
I won't tell if you lied
Cry, cause the droughts been brought up
Drinkin' cause you're lookin' so good in your Starbucks cup
I complain for the company that I keep
The windows for sleeping rearrange
And I'm nobody
Well who's laughin' now
I'm leaving your town again
And I'm over the ground that you've been spinning
And I'm up in the air so baby hell yeah
Well Honey, I can see your house from here
If the plane goes down, damn
I'll remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn
Damn, I should be so lucky
Even only 24 hours under your touch
You know I need you so much
I cannot wait to call you
And tell you that I landed somewhere
And hand you a square of the airport
And walk you through the maze of the map
That I'm gazing at
Gracefully unnamed and feeling guilty for the luck
And the look that you gave me
You make me somebody
Ain't nobody knows me
Not even me can see it, yet I bet I'm
I'm leaving your town again
And I'm over the ground that you've been spinning
And I'm up in the air, so baby hell yeah
Oh honey I can see your house from here
If the plane goes down, damn
I'll remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn
You keep me high minded
You get me high
Flax seeds, well they tear me open
And supposedly you can crawl right through me
Taste these teeth please
And undress me from these sweaters better hurry
Cause I'm keeping upward bound now
Oh maybe I'll build my house on your cloud
Here I'm tumbling for you
Stumbling through the work that I have to do
Don't mean to harm you
By leaving your town again
But I'm over the quilt that you've been spinning
But I'm up in the air, said baby hell yeah
Oh honey I can see your house from here
If the plane goes down, damn
I'll remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn
I'll remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn
Well I'll remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn
You keep me high
You get me high minded
You keep me high
You get me high minded



Leonardo Oliveira

Drain the veins in my head
Clean out the red in my eyes to get by security lines
Dear X-ray machine
Pretend you don't know me so well
I won't tell if you lied
Cry, 'cause the droughts been brought up
Drinking 'cause you're lookin' so good in your Starbucks cup
I complain for the company that I keep
The windows for sleeping rearrange
Well, I'm nobody
Well, who's laughing now?
I'm leaving your town again
And I'm over the ground that you've been spinning
And I'm up in the air said baby, hell yeah
Well, honey, I can see your house from here
If the plane goes down, damn
Well, I'll remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn
Damn, I should be so lucky
Even only 24 hours under your touch
You know I need you so much
I cannot wait to call you
And tell you that I landed somewhere
And hand you a square of the airport
And walk you through the maze
Of the map that I'm gazing at
Gracefully unnamed and feeling guilty for the luck
And the look that you gave me
You make me somebody
Oh, nobody knows me
Not even me can see it, yet I bet I'm
Leaving your town again
And I'm over the ground that you've been spinning
And I'm up in the air said baby, hell yeah
Well, honey, I can see your house from here
If the plane goes down, damn
I'll remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn
You keep me high minded
You keep me high
Flax seeds, well they tear me open
And supposedly you can crawl right through me
Taste these teeth, please
And undress me from these sweaters better hurry
'Cause I'm keeping upward bound now
Oh, maybe I'll build my house in your cloud
Here I'm tumbling for you
Stumbling through the work that I have to do
Don't mean to harm you
By leaving your town again love
But I'm over the quilt that you've been spinning
And I'm up in the air, said baby, hell yeah
Oh, honey, I can see your house from here
If the plane goes down, damn
I'll remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn
I'll remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn
I'll remember where the love was found
If the plane goes down, damn, damn, damn
Damn you
You keep me high
You keep me high minded
You get me high
You get me high minded



All comments from YouTube:

nichol manio

this version is better than the recorded version.. this is probably the best version he's performed this song

Halimatu Kure

***** I agree as well I love this version a lot

Ariel Aguirre

Poop💩

Justin F.

In my humble opinion, Live @ Rotown in 2007 was his best performance of this song.

nichol manio

I'm gonna check that out

Kawtar

Both are good

14 More Replies...

Sacred Seven

2021 still watching this...that freestyle towards the end. He was in tune that night. Impeccable

wouter andeweg

2020 <3

Robin de Groot

2021

AmoLaMusica IAC

Still here and I will be kinda forever. Damn if he was in tune

More Comments