When a teenage Reeves encountered the works of Bob Dylan and James Taylor, it set off a chain of events. First he began working on his own songwriting, combining the classic singer/songwriter style with more modern influences like Radiohead and Sufjan Stevens. He then dropped out of college and moved from Iowa, where he then lived, eventually landing in California. The second person he met upon arrival was future pop star Colbie Caillat. The two hit it off immediately and it didn't take long for their friendship to turn into a songwriting partnership, one that would create the foundation for Caillat's hit album Coco. The songs that weren't reserved for Coco ended up on Reeves' EP Hearts Are Magnets, which appeared in 2006 on the Dancing Squirrel label. The full-length The Magnificent Adventures of Heartache followed in 2007.
Reeves signed to Warner Bros Records in 2008 with the help of Kara DioGuardi and released an album and an EP with the label. He again self-released an album in 2011 with The Lovesick.
Gasoline
Jason Reeves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She wants to not feel guilty
Empties the glass and shakes her ass
Forgets that she is filthy
She knows the game they're all the same
She's gonna use her body
She strikes the match as
Gasoline and I'm going down much faster
Than anything I've ever seen
Gasoline and she's a heartless bitch
Telling me to keep my mouth clean
She's walking home, she's not alone
She does not know how to be
She figured out just where it hurts
She wants to give it to me
He takes her hand, they go to bed
They wanna make me crazy
He hits the lights as
She is covering my heart with
Gasoline and I'm going down much faster
Than anything I've ever seen
Gasoline and she's a heartless bitch
Telling me to keep my mouth clean
I don't wanna see your face
I don't wanna speak your name
Don't wanna hear your voice
Your reminiscing's all the same
It's all the same
I don't wanna see your face
I don't wanna speak your name
Hear your voice
Isn't this the way you wanted me
Bleeding out and drinking?
Gasoline and I'm going down much faster
Than anything I've ever seen
Gasoline and she's a heartless bitch
Telling me to keep my mouth clean
I can't tell, I can't tell
I can't tell, bitch
I can't tell, I can't tell
I can't tell anything but she's a heartless bitch
The song "Gasoline" by Jason Reeves tells the story of a woman who uses her physicality to manipulate and control those around her. The singer is a victim of her charms, unable to resist her despite the fact that he knows she is heartless and cruel. The lyrics describe her drinking, dancing, and using her body to draw men in, while also revealing her lack of emotional depth and willingness to hurt others.
In the first verse, the woman drinks to forget her guilt and dances as if she is unburdened by her actions. She views her body as a tool to get what she wants and is willing to use it to manipulate those around her. The second verse reveals her as a woman who is not comfortable being alone, and who wants to hurt others as a result. She chooses to sleep with someone else while the singer watches, demonstrating her power over him.
The chorus uses the metaphor of gasoline to describe the destructive power of the woman's behavior. She is burning the singer's heart down to nothing, and he is powerless to stop her. The song ends with the singer begging for release from the woman's hold on him, but still unable to shake her influence.
Line by Line Meaning
She takes a drink, she's had a few
She's trying to numb her pain and escape her guilt by drinking alcohol
She wants to not feel guilty
She's seeking temporary relief from her guilt and inner turmoil
Empties the glass and shakes her ass
She's trying to distract herself by dancing and forgetting about her problems
Forgets that she is filthy
She's blocking out her sense of shame and unworthiness by ignoring it
She knows the game they're all the same
She's aware of the manipulative tactics men use and is prepared to use her body to get what she wants
She's gonna use her body
She plans to use her sex appeal as a weapon to manipulate men
She strikes the match as
She's about to ignite the explosive situation with the next action she takes
She is covering my heart with
She's deliberately and maliciously hurting the person she's with
Gasoline and I'm going down much faster
He realizes that his emotions are spiraling out of control and he's getting deeply hurt
Than anything I've ever seen
This is the most intense, painful and destructive relationship he's been in
Gasoline and she's a heartless bitch
He's calling her out for her manipulative and cruel behavior
Telling me to keep my mouth clean
She's trying to silence him so that he won't speak out against her or reveal her true intentions
She's walking home, she's not alone
She's leaving him behind without any remorse or concern for his well-being
She does not know how to be
She lacks the ability to genuinely love or care for others, and only knows how to manipulate them
She figured out just where it hurts
She knows his vulnerabilities and weaknesses and is using them to hurt him more deeply
He takes her hand, they go to bed
She's moving on to her next victim who is willingly playing into her manipulative game
They wanna make me crazy
She's intentionally driving him to the brink of insanity and emotional breakdown
He hits the lights as
The mood shifts with the change of the lights, indicating a shift in the power dynamic between the characters
I don't wanna see your face
He's trying to cut off all ties with her and avoid any further emotional pain
I don't wanna speak your name
He's actively trying to forget and move on from the toxic relationship
Don't wanna hear your voice
He's trying to escape the manipulation and lies that often come with her words
Your reminiscing's all the same
He's calling out her habit of manipulating previous partners and trying to prevent her from repeating that cycle with him
Isn't this the way you wanted me
Bleeding out and drinking?
He's questioning whether her intention all along was to drive him to emotional devastation and self-destructive behavior
I can't tell, I can't tell
I can't tell, bitch
He's frustrated by the way she's made him feel and is unable to articulate the harm she's caused him
I can't tell, I can't tell
I can't tell anything but she's a heartless bitch
Despite his inability to express himself fully, he knows deep down that she's a cruel and manipulative person
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: CURT SCHNEIDER, JASON REEVES, MIKAL BLUE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind