Hook

Do you ever had something explained to you and you’re like — wow, I never thought of that before? It maybe opens up your world in a small way and makes you wonder what else you’ve been missing.

I felt like that a few months ago when I was in L.A. visiting one of my best friends, Dylan, and his wife Phoebe explained to us the lyrics to that Blues Traveler song “Hook.” Which of course I had heard like dozens of times, but never really understood the lyrics. True of many songs, I’m sure, but these lyrics are exceptionally clever. It’s a song, about a song.

It doesn’t matter what I say/ So long as I sing with inflection /That makes you feel that I’ll convey / Some inner truth of vast reflection / But I’ve said nothing so far / And I can keep it up for as long as it takes / And it don’t matter who you are / If I’m doing my job then it’s your resolve that breaks

(Okay, if you have the lyrics in front of you, what he’s saying is pretty obvious: it doesn’t matter what the message is, as long as I “sing with inflection,” you’ll think it’s deep.)

Because the hook brings you back
[the hook is the chorus or catchy part of the song]
I ain’t tellin’ you no lie
The hook brings you back
On that you can rely

There is something amiss/ I am being insincere
In fact I don’t mean any of this
(But now, he doesn’t mean it!)

Still my confession draws you near
To confuse the issue I refer
To familiar heroes from long ago
No matter how much Peter loved her
What made the Pan refuse to grow

Heh. He refuses to grow because Captain Hook brings him back — he wants to keep fighting Hook!

Was that the hook brings you back / I ain’t tellin’ you no lie/ The hook brings you back / On that you can rely

Suck it in suck it in suck it in
If you’re Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boleyn
Rin Tin Tin was this shell-shocked German Shepherd found after World War I who grew up to do amazing tricks on television.

Anne Boleyn was the second wife of King Henry VIII and was beheaded in 1536 on charges of adultery, incest and treason. She is widely thought to be innocent.

Make a desperate move or else you’ll win
And then begin
To see what you’re doing to me
This MTV is not for free
It’s so PC it’s killing me
So desperately I sing to thee
Of love
Sure but also rage and hate and pain and fear of self

So this is the stuff he wants to sing about… but worries that it’d be “financial suicide.” So when he needs a buck he’ll write three-minute diddies.

And I can’t keep these feelings on the shelf
I’ve tried well no in fact I lied
Could be financial suicide but I’ve got too much pride inside
To hide or slide
I’ll do as I’ll decide and let it ride until I’ve died
And only then shall I abide this tide
Of catchy little tunes
Of hip three minute ditties
I wanna bust all your balloons
I wanna burn all of your cities
To the ground I’ve found
I will not mess around
Unless I play then hey
I will go on all day hear what I say
I have a prayer to pray
That’s really all this was
And when I’m feeling stuck and need a buck
I don’t rely on luck because…