Jack Johnson: Taylor Meaning
Song Released: 2004
Taylor Lyrics
complain, express ideas in her brain.
Working on the night shift, passing out the tickets,
You're gonna have to pay her if you want to park here.
Well mommy's little dancer is quite a...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:Come on people read BETWEEN the lines...look beyond the lyrics...and where does it say anywhere that Taylor and Peter Patrick where together or even met...I think that they are two separate stories...its a song about regret, longing to move on with your life, missed opportunity, carrying a burden and keeping it for a long time that you can't move on...if you take the lyrics as it is and not look beyond the obvious maybe you will understand it better...I can kind of relate to this sing a lot...BUT EVERYONES ENTITLED TO THEIR OWN OPINION...
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2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:The first post is the biggest misconception about this song. Probably the most misunderstood Jack Johnson song, Taylor, is about a girl who works hard selling tickets to her dance performances. She is NOT a hooker. She just finds that life is over rated, so she walks around and thinks about it.
Peter Patrick, a middle-aged, married man falls for the girl Taylor, even though he doesn't really realize it. He meets Taylor late some nights and on one of those nights his wife, Sunny, won't let I'm back into his own house because she knows where he's been. With another woman. So now, Peter and Taylor are stuck together.
P.S. The 2,000 miles is a reference to Hawaii.
AIM: NeedxAxBreakdown E-Mail:kennyman311@yahoo.com
*Kenny Turner* -
3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:This always seemed like Taylor was a girl who worked in one of those booths that you have to pay to park there, like at big concert halls and things, in the city. and she has a passion for dancing but it's a secret that no one else knows.
peter Patrick is having an affair, but I didn't catch that it was with Taylor. He thinks he's going to heaven because he goes to church to be forgiven of his sins from the day before ["now that Saturday's gone"] but he doesn't totally get it and he's sort of stuck in the world it seems. both he and Taylor wander and pretend they're in a different place. -
I always thought she was a prostitute and this is my idea:
They say Taylor was a good girl
Never one to be late
- At first innocent
Complain, express ideas in her brain
Working on the night shift
Passing out the tickets
You're gonna have to pay her, if you wanna park here
- Often one to speak up and think for herself but she’s stuck with menial work
Well, mommy's little dancer has quite a little secret
Working on the streets now, never gonna keep it
- Participates in prostitution to make money
It's quite an imposition and now she's only wishing
That she would have listened to the words they said
Poor Taylor
She just wanders around, unaffected by
The winter winds, and she'll pretend that
She's somewhere else, so far and clear
- Regrets not heeding the advice of her parents to stay in school for example
About two thousand miles from here
- She longs for Hawaii
Well, Peter Patrick pitter-patters on the window
The sunny silhouette won't let him in
Poor old Pete's got nothing, cause he's been falling
- Peter is a patron of Taylor’s who has fallen in love with her but to her he’s just another patron, she is the warm silhouette in what is described as a cold environment and he’s coming to terms with the fact it’s unrequited love
Somehow, Sonny knows just where he's been
- Sonny is his wife who knows what he’s been up to
He thinks that singing on Sunday is gonna save his soul
Now that Saturday's gone
Sometimes he thinks that he's on his way
But I can see that his brake lights are on
- He tries his best to turn his life around after finding his love being one sided and his wife knowing what he has been up to
He just wanders around, unaffected by the
Winter winds, and he'll pretend that
He's somewhere else, so far and clear
About two thousand miles from here
- He dreams of Hawaii
Such a tough enchilada, filled up with nada
Giving what she gotta give to get a dollar bill
- Back to Taylor regretting her decisions and now does what she has to to make money
Used to be a limber chicken, times have been a tickin'
Now she's finger lickin' to the man
With the money in his pocket, flying in his rocket
Only stopping by on his way to a better world
If Taylor finds a better world
Then Taylor's gonna run away
- Taylor enters a transactional relationship with a rich man for his money, ready to run away whether situation improves
In all it speaks of regret and unrequited love, Taylor’s manipulation of others for personal gain, and the tragedy of Peters’s situation -
I feel the song is themed about not being true to yourself while pretending everythings ok. Taylor who slips into prostitution for sake of money but knows its bad for her soul, wishes she could go back and do things differently, but ends up in a kind of numb state pretending everything ok while deep down dreaming she was in a situation far better than the one she living. Patrick who chooses to be unfaithfull but pretends everything ok which is just lieing to himself. I imagine people like that stand out a lot to Jack who I imagine lives a very genuine wholesome lifestyle.
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My name is Taylor and I met one of the band members when I was dancing at a club in Wisconsin. We spoke for a long time about how I'm a Nurse in real life and I fly to the Midwest once a month from Phoenix to dance. I made more money than I've ever made before but I felt guilty and hated the job. The job was a secret from the rest of my family but I was addicted to the cash. The owner of the clubs name was Pete and we had a secret crush on each other. But, Pete was married so that was all the far it went. Pretty bold of me to think the song ,Ishtar have been about me, but every word in the song was what this guy from "G Love's" band and I talked about. And G Love and J Johnson are friends. IDK a flattering thought.
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I've always thought Taylor is about a teenage
girl who lived with a middle class family trying
to teach her how to live on her own "Wishing she
would have listened to the words they said" "Mommy's
little dancer has quite the little secret working on
the night shift never gonna keep it" is were she is a dancer
(at a dance studio) and gets caught up with partying with
her friend's and fast forward to adulthood is working as
a stripper who is well off but wishing she had a different career when a young bone thin young teen begins tapping on the window beging to stay the night since he has nowhere else to go Taylor walks to the window being bathed in sunlight and replies no but realizes he will soon be down the same path as her. later she goes to a strip club where she dances for a rich man and thinks to herself "If I were rich I would not stop I would keep on climbing the mountain of self happiness -
I think Taylor is about the times when life seems so horrible that you shut it out. You numb yourself and pretend like you're somewhere better than where you are now.
"She's somewhere else, somewhere far away, about 2,000 miles from here..." -
I believe that this song IS NOT about a prostitute.. I believe it is a story about taylor who was a hard working girl but lost her hopes in life and now wanders around thinking about life on minimum wage working at a parking garage and secretly dances, like ballet, while only her mom knows. Peter also lost sight of what is important in life and cheated on his wife and then taylor got stuck with him and now she dances secretly behind his back
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This song is often rumored to tell the story about a prostitute. The prostitute statement is simply a misunderstanding. Jack Johnson wrote this song about a young girl named Taylor, hence the title of the song. The song tells the story of three characters. The main character is Taylor, a sweet, young, innocent, lonely little girl, who is searching to find her heart. In the story, Taylor works the night shift, passing out tickets to patrons who want to see her dancing. All this time, Taylor is dreaming of a paradise where sadness is unknown. However, things turn sour when a secret about her life reveals a sudden change. Feeling as though she has been mistreated, Taylor leaves her parents' home, trying to find someone who will comfort her. However, she only finds herself wandering the streets, looking for a place she can call home. As she wanders along, Taylor meets the second character in the story, a young man named Peter Patrick, who is twice her age. Like Taylor, Peter Patrick is trying to find his heart. When Peter Patrick discovers that he's locked out of his own house, he pitter-patters on his window. As he waits with Taylor outside his house, Pete discovers that the third character of this story, his wife, Sunny, won't let him into his own house! Somehow, Sunny realizes that she knows the truth, she knows just where Pete's been going to. Sunny discovers the secret, that Pete has fallen for Taylor! However, Pete realizes all the while that he has made so many mistakes, but he wasn't going to let his love for Taylor be the biggest mistake he's made in his life. So, Pete tries to cover up the situation by thinking that going to church every Sunday will make everything right again.
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Mr. JJ is some smart dude.
This is classic literature, filled with irony and allegory. It's also a statement of the human condition and the injustices in life as exemplified by a girl and her john (or perhaps pimp).
Like any little girl, Taylor has innocent dreams and aspirations, and a night job selling tickets at a parking lot, or so her mother thinks. And if she leaves hooking, someone will tell her mom, so she is filled with guilt and shame, and can only wish she for a better life. But all that changes to the point that Taylor has lost her dreams and can only dream of a better world for herself.
Peter Patrick, who is also filled with guilt and shame from the same act (sex with Taylor), believes that by going to church (and confessing his sin - cheap grace) will make it all okay. He thinks he's on his way to a better world (heaven) just by going to church, so to him it's all okay.
The last verse puts it all into perspective.
Her life has been dead ended by the same act that doesn't seem to have an impact on him.
This could use a bit of fine tuning, though I believe the essential message is clear. -
"but i can see that his break lights are on" ...pete is picking up taylor...the prostitute
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I believe the song is actually about two different people....... A young girl who has run off the rails working as a prostitute and a man who is into the drinking etc etc and is sleeping with her.........
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I think it was a snog written for kelly slater who is good friends with Jack Johnson. Kelly's daughters name is taylor and if u listen to the lyrics it sounds like the story of a girl who has a tough time time growing up cuz her mom is always working to support her.
momys little dancer is quit a little secret might mean tht when she was pregnent it was a secret she was goin to have taylor. When it says he just wanders around..somwhere else so far and clear about 2000 miles from here, tht cud mean kelly cuz hes always on tour n is nvr around for his daughter. The part tht says hes only stopen by on his way to a better world cud mean kelly on stops and sees her on his way to another paradise for a contest. This is just my idea but it seems to work. -
Taylor was a good girl. She "wishes she would've listened" but she didn't and is now in trouble.
Peter Patrick did something wrong (maybe with taylor) its not for sure. "Sunny" is the feeling of happiness/joy. Which has locked him out. He thinks going to church will make everything better.
In the last verse, it implies that Taylor and Peter are together, but he's only "stopping by" because he's leaving her to go to a better life. -
Poor Taylor is a hooker but she didn't start out that way. First she was just selling tickets at a parking booth. They say she "was" a good girl as in she used to be but not anymore because now she works the streets. She regrets this because she wishes she listened to the words they said but now it's too late and she is stuck. When she is with a man she just lies there and dreams she is somewhere else (Hawaii works).
Peter returns home after a night out probably doing dirty things and his wife has locked him out (maybe literally, maybe figuratively) He was probably with Taylor but it isn't really clear. At any rate, he is lost and sometimes he thinks that he is still going to heaven but we know he really isn't.
The last verse picks up with Taylor again but now she is older and she is still turning tricks. She used to be a limber chick (former dancer) but now time is ticking (she is older). She is hardened and jaded from turning tricks and just being with a guy for one night who then goes off to his better life and she stays in her rut. -
Taylor "was" a good girl, she no longer is. She is doing things that happen late at night. She's not living the life that she knows she should, and she's been warned (wishin that she would have listened to the words they said), but she's trapped and just tries to take herself away- mentally.
Peter and Taylor are connected. He's done something that he knows he shouldn't have. "Sunny" is the ability to live a happy/peaceful/rewarding life. He thinks that religion is the answer because that's what he's been taught to believe but does it just because. He of course sends himself away mentally as well.
The last verse shows that they are having sex, more than likely of the call girl/prostitute/trick variety. Peter doesn't care for Taylor because he is on his way to a better life, but he isn't (his brake lights are on.) That's my take. -
Taylor is definitely a prostitute.
"Working the night shift...." as in she's street walking, which is done at night...
"Kids you're going to have to pay if you're going to park here" You're going to have to pay her if you want to get in her pants...
"Never complains.." She just shuts up and does it.
"Poor Taylor..." Everyone says that because she's a prostitute.
I think it means though that she wishes she wouldn't have
to be one, that she could be a dance like she always wanted
to, so she just prostitutes pretending that she's off somewhere else dancing.
I also think Peter Patrick has done something wrong, I'm not quite sure, but he doesn't want to admit it,
like the part where "he sings every Sunday" to like pretend Saturday didn't happen? something like that, and now he's just wandering around trying to pretend he never did what he did.
MAYBE he slept with Taylor...?
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