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.
See-Saw
The Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too late, we're out on the brink
Our love's in the sink washed up
And when I'm walking down a rainy street
I think I hear you calling out to me
But it's just an echo I've arranged to meet
Free fall we're out of control
Too bad what we had for a while
Has gone out of style this year
Your friends told me you moved out of town
I got your address and I wrote it down
I used the pen that you bought for my birthday
And every stroke, you know, reminded me of you
I realize that we'll never be together again
Wait a while reclaim your loss
But it costs a lot you'll learn
Take five it heals in time
You'll feel just fine they say but I feel it
See saw in a way I'm glad
Though I still feel sad about you
I know it's too late for changing minds
And I'm still not sure, I want to change mine
It's just a tiny part that says that this ain't right
See saw, up and down, around and round
They say it heals in time they say you'll feel just fine
In a way, I'm glad though I still feel sad about losing you
'Bout losing you, 'bout losing you once more
The Jam's song See-Saw talks about a relationship that went sour and ended in heartbreak. The lyrics describe the ups and downs of the relationship, referencing the metaphor of a see-saw. The singer laments the loss of love, feeling as if it's slipping away and trying to hold onto it. The chorus repeats the line "see-saw, up and down, around and round," emphasizing the instability of the relationship.
The second verse talks about hearing echoes of the person the singer had lost, and the difficulty of moving on. The singer then discovers that the person has moved out of town and realizes that they will never be together again. The third verse talks about the process of healing and accepting the loss, but also acknowledges the lingering sadness about the relationship's end.
Overall, the song's lyrics paint a picture of a failed relationship and the complex emotions that come with it. The use of the metaphor of a see-saw highlights the back-and-forth nature of the relationship and the difficulty of finding stability.
Line by Line Meaning
See saw, up and down, around and round we go
Our relationship has been unstable and unpredictable, with lots of highs and lows.
Too late, we're out on the brink
Our relationship has reached a critical point where it's too late to fix things.
Our love's in the sink washed up
Our love has failed and is now discarded like dirty dishwater.
And when I'm walking down a rainy street
The nostalgia of our past together lingers in my memories.
I think I hear you calling out to me
I long to hear your voice again.
But it's just an echo I've arranged to meet
It's just my imagination playing tricks on me.
Free fall we're out of control
Our relationship has spiraled out of our hands.
We never will know what went wrong
We'll never know for certain what caused our relationship to fail.
Too bad what we had for a while
It's regrettable that our relationship was only temporary.
Has gone out of style this year
Our relationship is no longer in fashion or desirable.
Your friends told me you moved out of town
You've physically removed yourself from my life.
I got your address and I wrote it down
I still have a desire to reconnect with you.
I used the pen that you bought for my birthday
The gift you gave me is a reminder of our past together.
And every stroke, you know, reminded me of you
Every pen stroke reminds me of the love that was once shared between us.
I realize that we'll never be together again
I've come to terms with the fact that our relationship is over for good.
Wait a while reclaim your loss
It takes time to overcome the pain of a breakup.
But it costs a lot you'll learn
Moving on from a relationship comes at a personal cost and sacrifice.
Take five it heals in time
Give yourself a break, and time will help heal your broken heart.
You'll feel just fine they say but I feel it
Others may say I'll feel better soon, but I'm still struggling emotionally.
See saw in a way I'm glad
In some ways, I'm happy our relationship is over.
Though I still feel sad about you
But I can't help feeling sadness and longing for what we once had.
I know it's too late for changing minds
It's too late to try and rekindle our love.
And I'm still not sure, I want to change mine
While I know it's over, a part of me still struggles with acceptance.
It's just a tiny part that says that this ain't right
A small voice inside me is telling me that our breakup wasn't justified.
They say it heals in time they say you'll feel just fine
People say that time is a great healer and I'll eventually move on.
In a way, I'm glad though I still feel sad about losing you
I'm trying to find the silver lining in our breakup, despite still feeling heartbroken.
'Bout losing you, 'bout losing you once more
The pain of losing you is something I'll have to endure again and again.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL JOHN WELLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@binflynn1
Can’t believe the last comment was 12 years ago love the jam and iam 54
@BigQuizThing
I'm a huge Jam fan, and this is probably my favorite song of theirs. The end is brilliant.
@dnarbbrand
A great B side I love this song
@weller01
Always loved this from the Day I bought the Single Excellent B side
@JoeNapf58
fantastic song
@retroboy90
One of my favourite Jam B sides ever. Should have been on Setting Sons instead of Heatwave.
@rockingmods
Well said. Heatwave ruined that album.
@gedmason6387
Agreed
@richardlaversuch9460
Wot a thing to miss out on!
@modo03
@retroboy90 I totally agree.Setting Sons is my favourite Jam album and this is definitely the Jam's best B side.If this would have been included on setting sons it would have been without doubt a masterpiece.Well it is anyway it would just have rounded it off.