The songs on her 2011 album "Behind A Veil" are a direct result of a personally challenging year; losing her father to a five year battle with ALS, splitting with a lover, and the self-empowering decision to move forward with no management or record label.
Klein explains: “You never really know what the big picture is to a situation - sometimes the meaning is veiled. It can seem really bad, but then later you can look back at the same moment and feel so grateful it went that way; I love that about life. Sometimes things are just really hard and really painful, but also beautiful.”
Klein continues to tour the U.S, U.K. and Europe regularly.
The Wading Pool
Jess Klein Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So don't tell me that I'm blessed for putting up with you
Sometimes I wish I had more spite
The brain child of less insight
Because thats what would really hit you
In the wading pool
Well I've thrown in a nickel ohh
But they all look like bottle caps
When the ripples clear and the lights gets through
So the wishes would have rusted outside
They were underwater well-disguised
By the boy with the shinning eyes
In the wading pool
Your only in it knee deep
I could tell you its fine
Throw you one more line
But I know it won't stretch
From uptown to the sea
So I'll stand by and toss
My nickels with my fingers crossed
As you splash around like a pretty fool
In the wading pool
I've thrown in all my wishes but nothing gets to you
You stand there too small for your britches
And I'm waiting to get through
With my nickels and my fingers crossed
And too much faith in you
The lyrics of Jess Klein's song, "The Wading Pool," are full of powerful imagery and metaphors. The overall theme centers around frustration with someone who is not willing to go deep and experience life fully. The first two lines express a desire to break away from the negative influences of another person, but also express the pain caused by having to deal with them. The singer is annoyed by the situation and feels like she is not getting anywhere.
The following stanza includes a reference to "spite" and "less insight." This line implies that it would be more effective to confront the other person with anger, rather than trying to reason with them logically. This strategy would be more successful because it would hit them harder emotionally. She imagines the wading pool to be a place of stagnant, shallow water that represents the stagnation and shallowness of the relationship.
The chorus references a specific memory of the singer throwing nickels into the water. The action represents the singer's desire to change the situation, but the reality is that she is powerless to bring about any real change. She imagines that her wishes would have rusted outside since the other person is pretending to be deep but is, in reality, shallow.
Overall, the song expresses frustration and disappointment with someone who is unwilling or incapable of taking risks and exploring life fully.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to inherit the waters from you
I don't want to receive your unspoken problems and your emotions
So don't tell me that I'm blessed for putting up with you
Don't use compliments to hide the fact that you demand too much from me
Sometimes I wish I had more spite
Sometimes I wish I had more aggressiveness
The brain child of less insight
Without having good sense I would hurt you harder
Because thats what would really hit you
That's what would actually affect you
In the wading pool
In this small and insignificant context
Well I've thrown in a nickel ohh
I've made an effort, even if it seems small
Everytime you've dared me too
Every time you challenged me
But they all look like bottle caps
But my efforts are useless and insignificant in the face of your indifference
When the ripples clear and the lights gets through
When everything returns to normal
So the wishes would have rusted outside
My hopes and good intentions remain unfulfilled
They were underwater well-disguised
They are in plain sight but you refuse to acknowledge them
By the boy with the shinning eyes
Someone foolish enough to believe in you
Your only in it knee deep
You don't have anything to lose
I could tell you its fine
I could tell you it's okay and try to make you feel better
Throw you one more line
Try to give you another chance
But I know it won't stretch
But I know it won't work
From uptown to the sea
From one end to another
So I'll stand by and toss
So I'll watch from the sidelines
My nickels with my fingers crossed
Hoping that something will change
As you splash around like a pretty fool
As you continue to show off and ignore what really matters
In the wading pool
In this small and insignificant context
I've thrown in all my wishes but nothing gets to you
I've tried everything but you remain the same
You stand there too small for your britches
You think too much of yourself without having the ability to back it up
And I'm waiting to get through
And I'm waiting for a chance to communicate with you
With my nickels and my fingers crossed
With my hopes and dreams still intact
And too much faith in you
And still hoping that you'll change
Contributed by Benjamin M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Andy Rivera
The way he throws him cracks me up man wtf lmao
VonVonCool7
Fr
C Crogoody
This is funny to you? Unbelievable
Tom Jeffery
This is a good dad. He has taught him for hours and hours to swim so he knows he is fine.
Monke
@C Crogoodybetter start believing 💀
Emil277s
I love that the water ripples before the baby touches the water meaning the kid isn't even dry. He's already gotten thrown multiple times 🤣
Joie Patetta
Wtf 🤣🤣🤣
Sweet Jeopardy
I'm OK with the baby survival technique, my issue is with the height of that throw. The force with which the baby hit the water is kinda hard on a 9 month-old. The fact that the kid knows how not to drown doesn't mean he's exempt from getting injured.
Julianne Smith
Agreed
Lindy T
It’s to train them for any kinds of accidents including various scenarios like falling overboard from a boat, hikes near bodies of water, etc.