The song Crosses, from Crosses EP and the later Veneer, appeared on the finale of the second season of the popular American television comedy-drama The O.C.. His cover of Heartbeats (also from Veneer) was used in a popular Sony BRAVIA TV commercial featuring coloured bouncing balls in San Francisco and an episode of Zach Braff's Scrubs
His song Far Away was also prominently featured in the Rockstar video game Red Dead Redemption.
His trademark sound is solo acoustic guitar with soft melody. His work, although mostly original, does include acoustic covers of great hits such as Love Will Tear Us Apart, Born in the U.S.A., and Teardrop.
González also appears in the Zero 7 album The Garden, in which he sings on three tracks and on a re-worked version of Crosses.
Tjomme
José González Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Men va fan gör du nu?
Är du helt tappad, Är du helt slut?
Vågar inte tänka själv
Baserar allt på uråldriga hörsägner
Vågar inte tänka själv
Litar blint på gammal text
Men va fan gör du nu?
Är du helt tappad, Är du helt slut?
Om någon frågar reagerar du vilt
Ingen får röra din lilla snuttefilt
Men va fan gör du nu?
Två steg framåt Sen hoppar du rakt ut
Rakt I famnen på en domedagstjomme
Som visste så lite, men påstod sig veta typ allt
Vågar inte tänka själv
Lyssnar bara på en gammal tjomme
Som hörde nåt från en annan tjomme
Som sa nåt till en annan tjomme
Som sen hamnade I en text
Litar blint på en gammal bok
Vågar inte tänka själv
Och när du väl tänker själv
Så faller du för fega hot
Så att du slutar tänka själv
Helt slut
Helt slut tjomme
The song "Tjomme" by José González and Joseph Ray is a reflective commentary on the dangers of blindly following established beliefs and traditions without questioning them. The lyrics paint a picture of someone who is lost and exhausted, relying solely on ancient hearsay and text to make decisions, and reacting aggressively when questioned. The use of the Swedish term "tjomme" adds to the sense of the person being stuck in a cycle of blindly following others without thought.
The chorus of the song, "Vågar inte tänka själv" (translated to "Don't dare to think for yourself"), is repeated throughout, underscoring the main theme of the song. The lyrics warn of the dangers of allowing oneself to be controlled by others, and the consequences of giving up one's autonomy and personal agency. The lines "faller du för fega hot" (translated to "you fall for cowardly threats") suggest that the fear of breaking away from established beliefs and traditions can be paralyzing, leading people to continue blindly following them even when they know they are wrong.
Overall, "Tjomme" is a thought-provoking song that encourages listeners to question their beliefs and think for themselves, rather than blindly following outdated traditions and beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
Tjomme, tjomme
Repetitive calling out to an individual
Men va fan gör du nu?
Asking what the person is doing
Är du helt tappad, Är du helt slut?
Asking if the person is lost and exhausted
Vågar inte tänka själv
Not daring to think independently
Baserar allt på uråldriga hörsägner
Relying solely on ancient hearsay
Litar blint på gammal text
Blindly trusting old texts
Om någon frågar reagerar du vilt
Reacting fiercely to any questions
Ingen får röra din lilla snuttefilt
Protecting a personal comfort item
Två steg framåt Sen hoppar du rakt ut
Taking two steps forward and then abruptly jumping out
Rakt I famnen på en domedagstjomme
Falling into the arms of an apocalypse believer
Som visste så lite, men påstod sig veta typ allt
Who knew very little, but claimed to know everything
Som hörde nåt från en annan tjomme
Who heard something from another person
Som sa nåt till en annan tjomme
Who said something to another person
Som sen hamnade I en text
Which ended up in a written document
Och när du väl tänker själv
And when you do think for yourself
Så faller du för fega hot
You succumb to cowardly threats
Så att du slutar tänka själv
So that you stop thinking for yourself
Helt slut
Completely exhausted
Helt slut tjomme
Completely exhausted person
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jose Gonzalez
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kathy Hollenbach
Thank you for the translation; never would have guessed what you were saying. Thank you Jose, I am a big fan of your music. Well played. Understood the meaning. ❤❤
Christopher
Perhaps I am misunderstanding the meaning.
Balder
@Christopher Seems pretty literal from the lyrics, people following religion bilndely without thinking for themselves and not being able to take criticism. The video with ants in a hive mind fits. Don't know else to interpret it.
Christopher
@Balder I know now his type, by how it is that he has taken criticism... Just took it like another dude, who took it just took it like some other dude. & who are the proud of any color.
okok
Genial músico, estupenda música
B. Jaouad
Nice touching music greetings from Morocco Much love ❤❤
bgb 52
Maravilloso!
Hannah Alberr
Nice ! 👍🫶🏻. Skön sound som vanligt perfektion
Roberta Angyal
immaculate vibes from this song <3
Gail Seaton Humbert
Amazing. Not what one would think initially from the sound.