His 2015 album "Joel Plaskett and the Park Avenue Sobriety Test" touches on his solo acoustic side, his guitar rock work with Joel Plaskett Emergency, his happy-go-lucky rhyming talents, carefree memories of growing up in Nova Scotia, and a little bit of anger at the forces that make life tougher these days. There are references to his salad days, like “On A Dime,” which starts with a blast of downhome Celtic fiddle from Cape Breton great J.P. Cormier. Then there’s Plaskett riffing on memories of playing road hockey in the liquor store parking lot, and later, traveling to Memphis with his band Thrush Hermit to make their first album. The album. also refers to the cast of characters that helped make the album, with Joel Plaskett Emergency appearing on more than half the tracks. It’s more like the Emergency-Plus, as lots of familiar faces from previous Plaskett discs are aboard. Longtime Emergency cohorts Dave Marsh – drums and Chris Pennell – bass anchor the rhythm section. Previous group members Tim Brennan and Peter Elkas play on several songs. From Plaskett’s former band Thrush Hermit is old pal Ian McGettigan. Then there are guests, friends and neighbours, such as Cormier, Halifax singer-songwriter Mo Kenney, singer Erin Costelo, and pedal steel player Dale Murray (Christina Martin, Cuff the Duke).
He released the album Solidarity, a collaboration with his father Bill, in 2017.
Precious Precious Precious
Joel Plaskett Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Precious, precious, you're too precious
Never get your hands dirty while you're makin' your messes
Precious, precious, you're too precious
You're like a fragile Ming Dynasty vase
You're a rare 45 that you're scared to play
You're a $100 bill in a penny arcade
What are we thinking? We'll give you three guesses
Precious, precious, I'm too precious
You never get your hands dirty when you're making your messes
Precious, precious, I know I'm precious
I'm under glass in an antique mall (So hard to find)
A crystal in a crystal ball (A diamond mine)
See my future's so expensive I just wanna rewind
The song Precious Precious Precious by Joel Plaskett is an introspective piece about self-worth and anxiety. Plaskett repeats the word 'precious' throughout the song as a way of highlighting how we often view ourselves as fragile and valuable, yet at the same time, we also recognize the irony in being overprotective of ourselves, and not putting ourselves in situations where we can grow and take risks, and hence, make mistakes. The lines, 'Never get your hands dirty while you're making your messes' and 'You're like a fragile Ming Dynasty vase' are excellent examples of this. The lyrics also touch upon the theme of time and how we feel the need to preserve ourselves in some ways, such as being 'under glass in an antique mall'.
In the second verse, Plaskett shifts his focus from external factors of self-worth to internalized anxieties, where he is describing his own relationship with his self-esteem. He uses the same repetitive pattern of the word 'precious' but replaces 'you're too precious' with 'I'm too precious'. He sings about his own self-doubt and how it makes him feel that he is 'under glass in an antique mall', restricted and not free to take risks. One intriguing line in this verse is 'See my future's so expensive I just wanna rewind'. It suggests that Plaskett feels that he is placing too high a value on his future and the pressures he places on himself to meet his own expectations are so intense that he would rather go back in time instead of facing them.
Line by Line Meaning
What am I thinkin'? I'll give you three guesses
I am uncertain about something, you can try guessing it thrice
Precious, precious, you're too precious
You are extremely valuable and important
Never get your hands dirty while you're makin' your messes
You avoid doing any hard work or getting involved in chaos
You're like a fragile Ming Dynasty vase
You are as delicate and beautiful as an ancient Chinese vase
You're a rare 45 that you're scared to play
You are a valuable record that is too precious to be played casually
You're a $100 bill in a penny arcade
You are way more valuable than your surroundings, like a $100 bill in a place that only takes pennies
What are we thinking? We'll give you three guesses
We are unsure of what we are thinking, you can try guessing three times
Precious, precious, I'm too precious
I am extremely valuable and important
You never get your hands dirty when you're making your messes
You avoid doing any hard work or getting involved in chaos
I'm under glass in an antique mall (So hard to find)
I am trapped and displayed like an antique object, difficult to locate
A crystal in a crystal ball (A diamond mine)
I am as valuable as a precious crystal, buried deep in a diamond mine
See my future's so expensive I just wanna rewind
My future is too valuable, I wish to go back in time and relive the past instead
Contributed by John H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.