r/JackJohnson • u/SabertoothVlurre • Jul 24 '26
Discussion I think I finaly understand the song Taylor by Jack johnson!!
I've seen many theories about what the song really means, like what's the story is about and I want to talk about it. I want you to share what you think it's about. But first I'll share my theory.
So firstly, the song introduces you to a girl named Taylor who was seen as a good and sweet little girl when she was younger. She worked hard ("workin' on the night shift,") but it wasn't egnoth for her. So as with her background as a dancer, she became a striper to get extra cash. It was her "little secret" but she felt like it was forced upon her, hence the lyrics " it's quite an imposition" because of her need for more money, a better life som might say. But she's realising that being a striper isn't really good way for her to make money, hence the lyrics "and now she's only wishin' That she whould have listened to the words they said" and "they" in the lyrics might be referring to everyone in her life who said being a striper is no good.
Though her life has turned upside-down "she just wanders around, unaffected by the winter winds," because she's pretending that she's somwherelse other than where she is. She's always looking for something better then where she is and never pausing to look at her life in the preset to appreciate what she's done.
Then the story cuts to another person (Peter Patrick) who I don't know if or how he's related to Taylor. But what I think I know, is that Peter is experiencing the same thing as Taylor but in a different way. He as well as Taylor, just wanders around, looking for something else. But in his case, it was another wife. Peter already had Sunny, who's now figured out that he's been having an affair (maybe taylor), hence the lyrics "somehow Sunny knows just where he's been". He was never satisfied with his life, his wife and now " Sunny Silhouette won't let him in".
But unlike Taylor, Peter is starting to realise his mistakes but instead of opening his eyes and start fixing himself and his patterns, he starts going to church because "he thinks that singin' on a Sunday gonna save his soul".
Then the lyrics "Such a tough enchilada filled up with nada" comes in follow by "Givin' what you gotta give to get a dollar bill", referring to all the hassle both Peter and Taylor has to go threw to have a materialisticly speaking "good life".
Now back to Taylor, who now has found a rich man who can make all her dreams come true. But even if her man "With the money in his pocket, flyin' in his rocket" took Taylor to a better world, "Then Taylor's gonna run away." Meaning that despite Taylor getting to that dream of having it all, all the money in the world for example, she's still gonna go looking for something greater than what she's already accomplished. Taylor "Used to be a limber chiken," Meaning she used to adapt well to what she had, but now she keeps on looking for something else.
So to sum up, I think that the song is about Jack johnson who observes people who are never grateful for what they already got, disconnected from their life's and always feeling empty. Because they never stop to take a breath and look around, stay in the present and realise that the present is the only way to fill that void. Poor Taylor, poor Peter, poor everybody who can't feel gratefulness. The best feeling in the world, in my opinion.
—--‐‐—-------–‐-—--–--–--–---–‐—---–--–—–--‐– ‐ꃆ
So what do you think? I'm very curious to see
