Cautioners
Jimmy Eat World Lyrics

The lyrics of Jimmy Eat World's song, Cautioners, are a heartfelt lament of a person missing another, who they are separated from due to distance. The song opens with the artist expressing that he is spending time looking at pictures that he may not even send. The pictures represent the memories of the person he is missing, and it shows that he is so fixated on this person that he takes solace in just looking at their pictures. He then describes how he has been watching this person go through their life, following their movements, longing for their company. The line “I follow you all night across my blinds” has been interpreted by some as a reference to being a voyeur, but it could also mean that the artist watches this person leave in the evenings from his room, as they pass by his window, and interpret their movements through the blinds.

The chorus of the song repeats that the artist knows that this person will come back on Monday, but then they will leave again. The song highlights the struggle and sadness of loving someone who is either physically distant or emotionally unavailable. The artist is trying to come to terms with their separation, but at the same time, they cannot help but continue to think about this person.

The closing of the song shows the artist coming to terms with their separation. They are trying to make their peace, but as they do so, they wonder if they are making a big mistake. The final repetitions of the chorus show how the artist is acknowledging that this person is choosing hesitantly to leave him, and it is difficult for him to see them take steps away from him.

Overall, the song is a powerful expression of the loneliness that comes with separation, and the internal struggle of letting go or holding on to a person who has left.