The band drew upon a variety of stylistic influences over the course of their career, including 1960s beat music, soul, rhythm and blues and psychedelic rock, as well as 1970s punk and new wave. The trio was known for its melodic pop songs, its distinctly English flavour and its mod image. The band launched the career of Paul Weller, who went on to form The Style Council and later had a successful solo career. Weller wrote and sang most of The Jam’s original compositions, and he played lead guitar, using a Rickenbacker. Bruce Foxton provided backing vocals and prominent basslines, which were the foundation of many of the band’s songs, including the hits "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight", "The Eton Rifles", "Going Underground" and "Town Called Malice".
For artists called "Jam", please see http://www.last.fm/music/+noredirect/Jam.
Ghosts
The Jam Lyrics
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Choppa got that thunder clap, you think we using Bose , huh
Fucking on your thot, but nigga that's what she done chose
Any, any nigga try some and I promise that I get him gone
I get him gone, get him gone, aye get him gone
Yeah, run up on that boy, he ain't see me turn him ghost, ghost
Choppa on my right, it gon' really make him burnt, toast
We gon' shoot you up and then we finna raise a toast, toast
(Yea that nigga dead)
Yo nigga's broke. Yo nigga broke, that's why you on my line, you hoe
And I'm not taking you home, I'm just going run up your dome
I do not give no type of fucks, I'm running cash in for sure
Sh-shout out draft kings, I just made a band off of nothing
Like betting, yeah
shout out Johnny, yeah
Not Dang, cause fuck that nigga man, yeah
Ran up on that boy, nah he ain't see me turn him ghost
I said it's hundred bands just for us to pull up at the show
And I got guns on me to show, that niggas nowadays some hoes
I got Mo to tag, toes, and we got bullets at your nose
You should take some notes, we finna take some lives
If you value life, then you stop the lies
Stop asking why, and just compromise
Tonight might be the night that you actually die
Run up on that boy, nah he ain't see me turn him ghost
Run up on that boy, nah he ain't see me turn him ghost
Yeah, run up on that boy
Ru- run up on that boy
Run up on that boy
Huh, run up on that-
Ran up on that boy, nah he ain't see me turn him ghost
like the whip, nigga, we ghosting
Don't ever judge a book by it's cover
Because that same book might just kill you
Be careful
The Jam's song Ghosts talks about the monotony and chaos of city life. The first two lines, “The mind is grey like the city, packing in and overgrown,” compare the city to the human mind, with the overwhelming nature of the city reflected in the grey and overgrown nature of the mind. The next line, “Love is deep, dig it out,” refers to the search for meaningful connections in a city that can feel isolating and disconnected. The line “Standing in a hole alone” and “Working for something that one can never hold” portray the sense of emptiness and futility felt by individuals who, despite their efforts, fail to find companionship or fulfillment in their urban existence.
The song's protagonist turns to escapism to find relief and comfort as we see in the line “A place in the clouds, a good place to hide oh my oh…” This could indicate the use of drugs, imagination or dreams to escape from the harshness of city life. Escaping from reality leads to the chorus of the song where the singer is “Flying, driving, and hiding” — all efforts to escape the city and the life it represents. The TV's influence in shaping one’s reality is also discussed in the next few lines “The TV, she talks to me, breaking news and building walls, selling me what I don’t need, I never knew soap made you taller.” This shows how the media plays with people’s emotions to create a reality that sells. The singer’s senses have gone AWOL, and everything talks but makes “no sense at all.”
Line by Line Meaning
The mind is grey like the city, packing in and overgrown
The person's mind is dull and monotone like the color of the city, which is overpopulated and has lost its charm
Love is deep, dig it out
True love is not easily visible, and one has to dig deep to find it
Standing in a hole alone
The person is standing in a lonely place or situation, feeling trapped and hopeless
Working for something that one can never hold
The person is chasing after something that they will never be able to achieve or attain
A place in the clouds
Good place to hide oh my oh...
Having a place in the clouds is a metaphor for escaping reality, a good place to hide from the hardships of life
So I'm flying (away, away)
Driving (away, away)
The person is metaphorically flying and driving away from their current situation, looking for a fresh start
Finding hope in ways I missed before
I missed before
The person is discovering new ways to find hope even though they have missed them before
The tv, she talks to me
Breaking news and building walls
Selling me what I don't need
I never knew soap made you taller
The TV is metaphorically talking to the person, delivering negative and unnecessary information, even advertising products that are not relevant, like soap that makes you taller
So I'm riding (away, away)
Hiding (away, away)
So much talk it makes no sense at all
My senses have gone... awol, awol, awol, awol, awol...
The person is metaphorically riding and hiding away from the senseless talk on TV that has caused them to feel mentally disconnected (awol)
Passing new friends I won't know at all
Won't know at all
The person is metaphorically passing by new opportunities and acquaintances that they will never know or take advantage of
It doesn't hurt when I bleed
But my memories, they eat me
I've seen it all before...
The person has become numb to physical pain, but their negative memories continue to torment them and affect their present state of mind
Bring it on, cause I'm no victim
Dying (away, away)
Dying (away, away)
Dying
Dying...
The person is ready for any challenge because they are not a victim, but they are still struggling and dying inside
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Rayan Yasin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind