The song was written by Nic to comfort his family after his father's death. He is quoted of saying "It was inevitable I would write a song that dealt with all of that, but it was almost too big a subject for me to handle," Nic says. "Then I got a phone call from my mom saying everyone was depressed so I wrote the song through Dad's eyes, what he would say to help everyone through. We recorded it in one take, but it was emotional, very heavy. We couldn't be happier with this album."
The title of the song is speculated to be an homage to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", a similarly-themed song by Pink Floyd, though this has not been confirmed. Similarly, the refrain of "Shine on, for everyone" is reminiscent of "Instant Karma!", a song by John Lennon.
The song was featured on the final episode of the television series The O.C. and also in a season final episode of Cold Case. It is also rumoured to be the song played at the funeral of one Robert James Sloan. In a recent interview with Heat magazine, the comedy chathost declared, "I love this song. I would be more than delighted to hear it through my coffin!"
The song charted poorly in the UK missing the top 75 altogether and also charted poorly in Australia missing the top 50 altogether. The song failed to chart in the United States but it did chart on the Modern Rock charts at #30.
shine On
Jet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Miles and miles of miles to go, it's another lonely night.
I see the tunnel up ahead is dark, it opens up and swallows me whole.
Can't see the light at the other end now. Sometime its gotta show.
I see my light shining through.
Shine on.
Shine on.
Hey friend, that this ain't no easy road,
But it's the way I must travel, even if I have to ho alone.
I've seen the dreams of a broken man, broken, shattered and torn,
Have to stand on my own two feet, some time my day is gonna dawn.
I see the day is coming, won't have to wait no more.
I feel the rays-a-burning, burning through my open door, shine on through, shine on through.
Three days, 1500 miles quickly turns into a week.
Don't know my direction and I just can't get no sleep.
This petty ego is thriving on a teenage dream, it won't be long before we arrive,
Down on loser's street, yeah.
I see my light shining through,
I see my light shining through,
I see my light shining through,
My light a-shining through,
See the light shine through,
Shine on.
The lyrics to Jet's "Shine On" tell the story of a journey. The singer is leaving behind his steel city and embarking on a long, lonely journey. As he travels through a dark tunnel, he longs to see the light at the other end, but it seems elusive. Despite this, he finds the strength to carry on and encourages his friend to do the same. He acknowledges that the road is not easy, but it is necessary for him to travel it alone if he must.
As the journey continues, the singer becomes more and more exhausted. He can't sleep, and his ego is wrestling with a teenage dream. However, he knows that he must continue on, even if it means ending up on "loser's street." Despite these challenges, he sees a light shining through and continues to encourage himself and his friend to "shine on" through the darkness.
The lyrics of "Shine On" are essentially about perseverance in the face of adversity. The singer knows that the road ahead will be difficult, but he encourages himself and others to keep moving forward. The journey may be long and sometimes lonely, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Line by Line Meaning
Cold steel rails in front of me, my steel city left behind.
Leaving behind his old life, the singer is now travelling on train tracks in the middle of nowhere.
Miles and miles of miles to go, it's another lonely night.
The journey ahead is long and lonely.
I see the tunnel up ahead is dark, it opens up and swallows me whole.
The singer is approaching a dark tunnel on the tracks, which he enters.
Can't see the light at the other end now. Sometime its gotta show.
The end of the tunnel is not in sight, but the singer hopes there is a light waiting for him.
I see my light shining through. Shine on. Shine on.
Despite the darkness, the singer sees a light within him that he wants to shine through.
I've got the time to say to my friend, Hey friend, that this ain't no easy road, But it's the way I must travel, even if I have to ho alone.
The singer tells his friend that his journey is difficult, but he must go on, even if he has to go alone.
I've seen the dreams of a broken man, broken, shattered and torn, Have to stand on my own two feet, some time my day is gonna dawn.
Having seen the broken dreams of others, the singer knows he must stand on his own and believes better days are coming.
I see the day is coming, won't have to wait no more. I feel the rays-a-burning, burning through my open door, shine on through, shine on through.
The singer senses that his struggles will soon come to an end, and the light he's been waiting for is finally shining through.
Three days, 1500 miles quickly turns into a week. Don't know my direction and I just can't get no sleep.
The singer's journey feels longer and more directionless than he expected, causing him to lose sleep.
This petty ego is thriving on a teenage dream, it won't be long before we arrive, Down on loser's street, yeah.
The singer acknowledges that his ego is still focused on long-ago dreams, but he believes he's close to hitting bottom and starting anew.
I see my light shining through, I see my light shining through, I see my light shining through, My light a-shining through, See the light shine through, Shine on.
Repeatedly, the singer affirms his belief that his inner light will carry him through the struggles of his journey.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BRAD HEANEY, DAVID GLEESON, GRANT WALMSLEY, PAUL WOSEEN, RICHARD LARA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
neph navarro
SHINE ON LYRICS:
Please don't cry
You know I'm leaving here tonight
Before I go I want you to know there will always be a light
And if the moon had to runaway
And all the stars didn't wanna play
Don't waste the sun on a rainy day
The wind will soon blow it all away
So many times I'd planned
To be much more than who I am
And if I let you down
I will follow you 'round
Until you understand...
That if the moon had to runaway
And all the stars didn't wanna play
Don't waste the sun on a rainy day
The wind will soon blow it all away
When the days all feel the same
Don't feel the cold or wind or rain
Everything will be okay
We will meet again one day
I will shine on
For everyone
So please don't cry
Although I leave you here this night
Where ever I may go how far I don't know
But I will always be your light
And if the moon had to runaway
And all the stars didn't wanna play
Don't waste the sun on a rainy day
The wind will soon blow it all away
When the days all seem the same
Don't feel the cold or wind or rain
Everything will be okay
We will meet again one day
I will shine on
For everyone
Shine on
For everyone
When the stars all look the same
Don't feel the cold or wind or rain
Everything will be okay
We will meet again one day
I will shine on
For everyone
I will shine on
For everyone
Ellen McCaffery
11 years on and I still LOVE THIS SONG...very underrated band...bloody genius
D
I took a break from them for a few years but I’m binging and learning their songs again lol
jose mateo palomino lopez
Estas en lo cierto
Steven Walker
I lost 2 friends, a married couple, in a hurricane related accident where a tree fell on them while they were sleeping. The beautiful thing about them and their life story was they were unique and somewhat eccentric people. And the man who lost his life was all about inspiring others to live life to the fullest and be themselves. In their honor, I will forever shine on. We’ll meet again one day and until then, I owe it to them and the world to love life more than I ever have.
shitcasecinema
One of my favourite Jet songs, it has a beautiful melancholy feel. It's epic and should have made more of an impact when it was released. Great song.
Matt Cary
Christ! After all these years this song still gives me goosebumps :'(
Sam Caine
2021 and still absolutely love this song
john combs
underrated great band
Bloom Tik Bloom
@R_ Hills Pitchfork are tone deaf.
Dietrich
They are pretty amazing live, but kinda give off a rude and impatient vibe.