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.
Smithers-Jones
The Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's heading for the Waterloo line
To catch the 8 a.m. fast, it's usually dead on time
Hope it isn't late, got to be there by nine
Pinstripe suit, clean shirt and tie
Stops off at the corner shop, to buy The Times
'Good Morning Smithers-Jones'
'How's the wife and home?'
'Did you get the car you've been looking for?'
Let me get inside you, let me take control of you
We could have some good times
All this worry will get you down
I'll give you a new meaning to life, I don't think so
Sitting on the train, you're nearly there
You're a part of the production line
You're the same as him, you're like tin-sardines
Get out of the pack, before they peel you back
Arrive at the office, spot on time
The clock on the wall hasn't yet struck nine
'Good Morning Smithers-Jones'
'The boss wants to see you alone'
'I hope it's the promotion you've been looking for'
'I hope it's the promotion you've been looking for'
'Come in Smithers, old boy'
'Take a seat, take the weight off your feet'
'I've some news to tell you'
'There's no longer a position for you'
'Sorry Smithers-Jones'
Put on the kettle and make some tea
It's all a part of feeling groovy
Put on your slippers turn on the TV
It's all a part of feeling groovy
It's time to relax, now you've worked your arse off
But the only one smilin' is the sun-tanned boss
Work and work you wanna work 'till you die
There's plenty more fish in the sea to fry
The Jam's song Smithers-Jones, is a commentary on the drudgery of working life, played out through the story of a man's day at work. The lyrics paint a picture of a man's daily routine, as he wakes up on a Monday morning, takes the train to work, and spends his day in the office, only to be told at the end of the day that he has been made redundant. The lyrics highlight the daily grind of working life, the monotony of routine, and the ultimate realization that, despite all one's efforts, there is no job security.
The song makes use of vivid imagery, describing the singer as a "part of the production line" and "like tin-sardines", implying that he is just another cog in the machine, no more valuable than any other. This is further highlighted when he is told that there is "no longer a position" for him, showing that his contribution to the company is of no more significance than any other part of the machine. The final lines of the song, "Work and work you wanna work 'till you die/ There's plenty more fish in the sea to fry" suggest that life is ultimately meaningless and that even hard work does not bring job security.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we go again, it's Monday at last
The working week starts again and it's a relief for those who strive in their work
He's heading for the Waterloo line
The singer commutes through a train everyday to work
To catch the 8 a.m. fast, it's usually dead on time
He catches a train at 8 A.M. which typically runs on time
Hope it isn't late, got to be there by nine
The artist hopes no delay so as to reach the office by 9 A.M.
Pinstripe suit, clean shirt and tie
The artist dresses formally for work
Stops off at the corner shop, to buy The Times
The singer buys a newspaper before boarding the train
'Good Morning Smithers-Jones'
The singer greets a fellow traveler he knows
'How's the wife and home?'
He asks about the personal life of Smithers-Jones
'Did you get the car you've been looking for?'
He enquires about the purchased car
'Did you get the car you've been looking for?'
He again asks about the car purchase
Let me get inside you, let me take control of you
The singer wants to dominate Smithers-Jones
We could have some good times
He suggests chilling out after work
All this worry will get you down
Being concerned about work will eventually make one depressed
I'll give you a new meaning to life, I don't think so
The singer mocks Smithers-Jones's suggestion to hangout after work
Sitting on the train, you're nearly there
The singer is close to his destination on the train
You're a part of the production line
He compares office workers to assembly line workers
You're the same as him, you're like tin-sardines
All the workers are the same, like sardines packed in tin
Get out of the pack, before they peel you back
He advises Smithers-Jones to leave the job to avoid losing it in the future
Arrive at the office, spot on time
Protagonist reaches the office on time
The clock on the wall hasn't yet struck nine
It's not yet 9 A.M. when the boss usually arrives
'Good Morning Smithers-Jones'
Boss greets Smithers-Jones
'The boss wants to see you alone'
Boss calls Smithers-Jones personally to his cabin
'I hope it's the promotion you've been looking for'
Smithers-Jones hopes to receive a promotion
'I hope it's the promotion you've been looking for'
Smithers-Jones hopes again for a promotion
'Come in Smithers, old boy'
Boss calls Smithers-Jones in a friendly way
'Take a seat, take the weight off your feet'
Boss asks Smithers-Jones to relax and sit down
'I've some news to tell you'
Boss wants to share some important news with Smithers-Jones
'There's no longer a position for you'
Boss informs Smithers-Jones of his imminent job loss
'Sorry Smithers-Jones'
Boss expresses sympathy for Smithers-Jones's situation
Put on the kettle and make some tea
Protagonist suggests Smithers-Jones to relax, have tea and destress
It's all a part of feeling groovy
He feels that this is how the life should be, without the work worries
Put on your slippers turn on the TV
He suggests a relaxed break at home with Television
It's all a part of feeling groovy
Again, he emphasizes on feeling relaxed and free from work woes
It's time to relax, now you've worked your arse off
It's time to relax after all the hard work that has been put in
But the only one smilin' is the sun-tanned boss
The boss remains happy even after firing the employees
Work and work you wanna work 'till you die
Striving for work is futile until death
There's plenty more fish in the sea to fry
There are plenty of opportunities to explore in life, one job should not be the end-all
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRUCE FOXTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marumarumaruino
I love The Jam and the Clash and more.
"Smithers-Jones" is one of my favorite The Jam songs.
This song is sad, but it gives me courage.
My favorite lyrics are...
"Good Morning Smithers-Jones"
"There's no longer a position for you.
"Sorry Smithers-Jones"
"Work and work and work and work till you die"
Be forever!
@luckykurniawan3087
Here we go again
It's Monday at last
He's heading for the Waterloo Line
To catch the 8am fast
It's usually dead on time
Hope it isn't late
Got to be there by nine
Pin-stripe suit
Clean shirt and tie
Stops off at the corner shop
To buy The Times
"Good Morning Smithers-Jones
How's the wife and home?
Did you get the car you've been looking for?
Did you get the car you've been looking for?"
Let me get inside you
Let me take control of you
We could have some good times
All this worry will get you down
I'll give you a new meaning to life
I don't think so
Sitting on the train
You're nearly there
You're a part of the production line
You're the same as him
You're like tinned sardines
Get out of the pack
Before they peel you back
Arrive at the office
Spot on time
The clock on the wall
Hasn't yet struck nine
"Good Morning Smithers-Jones
The boss wants to see you alone
I hope its the promotion you've been looking for
I hope its the promotion you've been looking for"
"Come in Smithers old boy
Take a seat
Take the weight off your feet
I've some news to tell you
There's no longer a position for you
Sorry Smithers-Jones"
Put on the kettle
And make some tea
It's all a part of feeling groovy
Put on your slippers
Turn on the TV
It's all a part of feeling groovy
It's time to relax
Now you've worked your arse off
But the only one smiling
Is the sun-tanned boss
Work and work and work and work
'Til you die
There's plenty more fish in the sea to fry
@applejuice1689
Here we go again
It's Monday at last
He's heading for the Waterloo Line
To catch the 8am fast
It's usually dead on time
Hope it isn't late
Got to be there by nine
Pin-stripe suit
Clean shirt and tie
Stops off at the corner shop
To buy The Times
"Good Morning Smithers-Jones
How's the wife and home?
Did you get the car you've been looking for?
Did you get the car you've been looking for?"
Let me get inside you
Let me take control of you
We could have some good times
All this worry will get you down
I'll give you a new meaning to life
I don't think so
Sitting on the train
You're nearly there
You're a part of the production line
You're the same as him
You're like tinned sardines
Get out of the pack
Before they peel you back
Arrive at the office
Spot on time
The clock on the wall
Hasn't yet struck nine
"Good Morning Smithers-Jones
The boss wants to see you alone
I hope its the promotion you've been looking for
I hope its the promotion you've been looking for"
"Come in Smithers old boy
Take a seat
Take the weight off your feet
I've some news to tell you
There's no longer a position for you
Sorry Smithers-Jones"
Put on the kettle
And make some tea
It's all a part of feeling groovy
Put on your slippers
Turn on the TV
It's all a part of feeling groovy
It's time to relax
Now you've worked your arse off
But the only one smiling
Is the sun-tanned boss
Work and work and work and work
'Til you die
There's plenty more fish in the sea to fry
@torp7215
40 years on and I can go years without hearing this but I can still sing every word. Keep the faith.
@nickprica3127
cant forget class songs like this will never die
@sammcewan8295
Me too! singing it whilst driving my bus today
@guidorescio1321
Me too
@underock4
Same here...genius never fades !
@nerom68
Ditto. Have just done that x
@terrytibs1977
"The only one smiling is the sun tanned boss!" . Never a truer word was spoken.
@underock4
Resonated with me, as a teenager, 40+ years ago...they were bang on !
@bhdctn
US Jam fan here. They had such great comments on class structure and life!
@lincolnengland5005
iI took me 40 years of work to work out I was Smithers-Jones......