#2: Joe McMahon is an electronic musician from the San Francisco Bay area.
1) His solo acoustic recording of "let the train whistle blow" was featured on All Aboard: a tribute to Johnny Cash, a benefit for the Syrentha Savio Endowment, a non-profit providing assistance to underprivileged breast-cancer patients. Mcmahon has also organized an acoustic benefit for bassist Karl Alvarez (All, The Descendents, The Lemonheads.).
2) He has released a number of albums, from the new age/e-jazz "Shatterday" (notably created entirely in real time on an Ensoniq VFXsd synthesizer/sequencer workstation) to his own unique take on ambient, "Ocean Music" and the pure electronic experimentalism of "Gamelan Collider". Joe's compositional approach explores the fractal edge of planning and coincidence.
Another Life
Joe McMahon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did you live your life through someone else or go it alone to play it safe?
Are you beating yourself up believing you've given your art away?
Would you trade it all for one more chance?
Relive the fall from the start you begin to awake
Would you do it all over again if you knew what your heart could take?
You're deceiving yourself for a reason
To see what your love creates
If it falls sin sails your separate ways
Either way one goes and the other one stays
But maybe we knew each other in another life
And we keep coming back until we get it right
When there's nothing left to hold on to there will still be my hand
I just wanted you to know this
These arms are prisons, but all is forgiven
The key, it hangs from the noose you've tied around your neck
I believe that we all are given a chance to right the wrongs we've made
To see it all for the first time again
But one goes first and the other one stays
Yea, but maybe we knew each other in another life
And we keep coming back until we get it right
When there's nothing left to hold on to there will still be my hand
I just wanted you to know this
I just wanted you to notice
I just wanted you to know I understand
The lyrics in Joe McMahon's song "Another Life" delve into the idea of reflection and regret. The song poses the question, "Would you do it all over again if you knew that your heart would break?" It suggests that we often make choices without fully knowing the consequences and that hindsight can be painful. The lines, "Did you live your life through someone else or go it alone to play it safe?" hint at the struggle between taking risks to pursue our passions and conforming to societal expectations.
The chorus raises the possibility of redemption and second chances. McMahon sings, "But maybe we knew each other in another life, and we keep coming back until we get it right. When there's nothing left to hold on to there will still be my hand." The repetition of "another life" implies the idea of reincarnation and the possibility of meeting the same people from previous lives. The final lines, "I just wanted you to know this, I just wanted you to notice, I just wanted you to know I understand" suggest empathy and a desire to connect with others on a deeper level.
Line by Line Meaning
Would you do it all over again if you knew that your heart would break?
If you knew the pain that comes with your previous failures or mistakes, would you go back to change them or avoid them entirely?
Did you live your life through someone else or go it alone to play it safe?
Did you follow someone else's dreams or did you make your own, but kept them safe?
Are you beating yourself up believing you've given your art away?
Are you feeling guilty that you've shared your art with others or that you haven't done it justice?
Would you trade it all for one more chance?
Would you give up everything you have now in exchange for a chance to start from scratch instead?
Relive the fall from the start you begin to awake
As you begin to regain consciousness, you realize that you have to start over again from the beginning and face your previous failures.
Would you do it all over again if you knew what your heart could take?
If you knew the limits of your ability to handle emotional pain and loss, would you take the same risks again?
Could you make it last for one more day to see them hurt, to watch them fade?
Do you wish that you could keep a loved one alive for one more day, even if it means seeing them suffer?
You're deceiving yourself for a reason
You are lying to yourself, but there is a motive behind it.
To see what your love creates
You are lying to yourself to see what kind of art or creation your love can produce.
If it falls sin sails your separate ways
If your creation fails, you and your partner will diverge and go in different directions.
Either way one goes and the other one stays
In either scenario, one person has to leave and the other person has to stay.
But maybe we knew each other in another life
Perhaps you and the person you are singing to knew each other in a previous life.
And we keep coming back until we get it right
You and this person are reincarnated until you finally get your relationship right.
When there's nothing left to hold on to there will still be my hand
Even when everything has been lost, you will still be there for the person you are singing to.
These arms are prisons, but all is forgiven
Although your embrace feels restraining, you still forgive the person for their mistakes.
The key, it hangs from the noose you've tied around your neck
The solution to your problems is always within your reach, but you have to let go of your self-destructive tendencies to attain it.
I believe that we all are given a chance to right the wrongs we've made
Everyone is given an opportunity to correct their past mistakes.
To see it all for the first time again
To regain the sense of wonder and excitement that comes with experiencing something new for the first time.
But one goes first and the other one stays
In a separation, one person moves on and the other person remains behind.
I just wanted you to know this
I wanted to make sure you were aware of how I feel.
I just wanted you to notice
I wanted you to take notice of my appreciation for you.
I just wanted you to know I understand
I wanted to reassure you that I empathize and can relate to your struggles.
Writer(s): joe mcmahon
Contributed by Samantha N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nancywolowski9109
One of those songs that haunts and uplifts you simultaneously. I love it.
@joemacro77
I like your music. I am Joseph McMahon also.
@michaelcasarin4570
Such a good song!