Janet
M. T. Hadley Lyrics


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She was diagnosed in the summer
And she died a year later
Attended to by me and my brother
But death, he came to take her away

And I still have my memories of a
Good woman
Forget your friends and enemies, with a
Good woman

My mother told me to be kind
And she told me to be true
And when I go through harder times
I will do my best for you

And life it got much harder
In time it wore away
And though it's only been a year
If I could see her for one day

I'd tell her all my memories of a
Good woman
A loss that was not meant to be, of a
Good woman

My mother told me to be kind
And she told me to be true
And when I wake up in the night
I will always think of you

Sleeping through the darkness
While you're sleeping through the light
The feeling when your heart breaks
Is only half the fight

Mother told me to be kind
And she told me to be true
So when I go through harder times
I will do my best for you

My mother told me speak my mind
And try to see a fairer palette




And when I go to close my eyes
I will always see you, Janet

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of M. T. Hadley's song "Janet" immediately set a somber tone as they describe a woman who has been diagnosed with an illness in the summer and passes away a year later. The singer and his brother attend to her, but ultimately "death, he came to take her away." Despite the grief and loss, the singer holds onto memories of Janet as a "good woman" that he will never forget.


The song then moves into a reflection on the lessons that the singer's mother taught him, including to be kind and true and to do his best for others, even in the face of hardship. As the singer struggles to come to terms with Janet's passing and the impact it has had on his life, he also finds comfort in these lessons and the promise to carry them forward.


Throughout the song, Hadley's vocals are both mournful and soothing, matched by delicate instrumentals that create a sense of intimacy and introspection. Ultimately, "Janet" explores the complexity of grief, both the pain of loss and the beauty of memories and the lessons we hold onto in the aftermath.


Line by Line Meaning

She was diagnosed in the summer
Janet received a diagnosis during summertime


And she died a year later
Janet passed away a year after the diagnosis


Attended to by me and my brother
The singer and their brother took care of Janet


But death, he came to take her away
Janet passed away due to death's arrival


And I still have my memories of a
The artist still remembers


Good woman
Janet was a good person


Forget your friends and enemies, with a
One should prioritize the memory of loved ones, such as Janet


Good woman
Janet was a good person


My mother told me to be kind
The artist's mother advised them to act with kindness


And she told me to be true
The artist's mother advised them to stay truthful


And when I go through harder times
During difficult times


I will do my best for you
The artist will keep Janet in mind and do their best


And life it got much harder
Life became more challenging


In time it wore away
Over time, life became more difficult


And though it's only been a year
Despite the relatively short amount of time that has passed


If I could see her for one day
The artist wishes they could see Janet again


I'd tell her all my memories of a
The artist would recount happy memories to Janet


Good woman
Janet was a good person


A loss that was not meant to be, of a
Janet's passing was an unfortunate event


Good woman
Janet was a good person


My mother told me to be kind
The artist's mother advised them to act with kindness


And she told me to be true
The artist's mother advised them to stay truthful


And when I wake up in the night
When the singer wakes up suddenly


I will always think of you
The artist will think of Janet


Sleeping through the darkness
Janet sleeps soundly during the night


While you're sleeping through the light
Janet is sleeping while the singer is awake


The feeling when your heart breaks
The pain of heartbreak


Is only half the fight
Heartbreak is only one part of the struggle


Mother told me to be kind
The artist's mother advised them to act with kindness


And she told me to be true
The singer's mother advised them to stay truthful


So when I go through harder times
During difficult times


I will do my best for you
The artist will think of Janet and do their best


My mother told me speak my mind
The artist's mother advised them to be vocal


And try to see a fairer palette
To try and see things from a fair perspective


And when I go to close my eyes
When the singer goes to sleep


I will always see you, Janet
The artist will think of Janet before sleeping




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Martin Hadley

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@jakksiik331

She was diagnosed in the summer
And she died a year later
Attended to by me and my brother
But Death, he came to take her away

[Pre-Chorus 1]
And I still have my memories of a
Good woman
Forget your friends and enemies, like a
Good woman

[Chorus]
My mother told me to be kind
And she told me to be true
And when I go through harder times
I will do my best for you

[Verse 2]
And life it got much harder
In time it wore away
And though it's only been a year
If I could see her for one day

[Pre-Chorus 2]
I'd tell her all my memories of a
Good woman
A loss that was not meant to be, of a
Good woman

[Chorus]
My mother told me to be kind
And she told me to be true
And when I wake up in the night
I will always think of you

[Bridge]
Sleeping through the darkness
While you're sleeping through the light
The feeling when your heart breaks
Is only half the fight
(hmmm)

[Chorus]
My mother told me to be kind
And she told me to be true
So when I go through harder times
I will do my best for you
My mother told me speak my mind
And try to see a fairer planet
And when I go to close my eyes
I will always see you, Janet



All comments from YouTube:

@larrybusinessofficial

One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Wonderful & devastating.

@dylanbliss911

I always go back to this song when I need to be reminded how fragile yet beautiful life is. Every day we surround ourselves with the people that we love and mean a great deal to us yet we can never be sure when our last moments are. After a pillar in your life falls what’s left? You do remember all of the great times but your mind focuses on minute details of situations where you could have been more patient or understanding with them. Guilt is like that, it doesn’t materialize in conjunction with the great times, it can consume you with feelings of overwhelming grief and sadness. I struggled to overcome these great waves of emotion and there were times were I was more successful than others. Martin, Janet lives on in this song forever and that is one of the greatest ways you could memorialize her. I wish she were here too for you.

@fence666

My girlfriend and I discovered this song earlier this summer and it's been our anthem ever since. Her and I always sing it out loud together. We like to watch music videos together, so we decided to look up this song to see if there was one for it. Oddly enough it had only been uploaded for 12 hours, and it kinda felt like it was meant to be. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for the beautiful song <3


R.I.P. Janet

@lincoln8530

Such a beautiful song. Sorry for your lost..

@rutaresavage1287

still my favourite song... hold your mothers close while you can guys <3

@Elijaura

I've been sobbing for an hour with this on repeat

@toddclark6189

Beautiful mate, found this by accident and have had it on repeat all weekend. x

@TENOVISION

Honest, Pure, and Grateful.

@phazerfourtyseven6431

What a gorgeous piece of art you have made, the cinematography, the sounds. I wish you all the best m.t.

I know Janet would have loved it too x

@Barakoft

I keep coming back to this. Made me call my mother even tho we disagree on so much. Dude's a genius.

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