If I Ever Get Around to Living by John Mayer Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Layers of Life’s Journey
Lyrics
I’m gonna put my things away
In the drawers and in the closets
And there I’ll stay, stay
If I ever get around to living
It’ll be just like I dreamed
I’m gonna take the love I’m given
And set it free, free
If I ever get around to living
I’ll take the end of every day
Tie it up to every morning
And sail away, away
Free
Free
Maybe it’s all a dream
I’m having at seventeen
I don’t have tattoos
And very soon
Mother will be calling me
Saying “come up stairs,
You got some work to do”
When you gonna wise up, boy?
When you gonna wise up, boy?
When you gonna wise up, boy?
When you gonna wise up, boy?
You are hiding in your mind
Working all the time
Trying to make it better than you got it
You been spending all your time
Searching for a sign
That’s never gonna look the way you want it
I think you better wise up, boy
I think you better wise up, boy
I think you better wise up, boy
I think you better wise up, boy
John Mayer is a modern troubadour whose intricate lyrics and soulful melodies often speak to the complexities of life, love, and the arduous journey towards self-realization. ‘If I Ever Get Around to Living,’ a deep cut from his 2012 album ‘Born and Raised,’ is no exception. The song is a reflective musing on the nuances of living, the pressures of growing up, and the eternal struggle for freedom within oneself.
Delicately walking a line between balladry and a pensive stream of consciousness, Mayer’s songwriting prowess shines through. At a glance, the song might seem like a wistful fantasy of finally getting to the business of ‘living,’ but a closer examination of the lyrics reveals a tapestry rich with philosophical undertones, personal insight, and, importantly, a plethora of universally relatable emotions.
Simplifying Life: A Drawer for Every Worry
The opening lines of ‘If I Ever Get Around to Living’ see Mayer yearning for a life of simplicity. The poetic notion of putting things away in drawers and closets is symbolic of ordering his internal world, compartmentalizing worries, and ultimately making peace with his existence. It’s a yearning not just for organization but for the serenity that comes with knowing everything is in its right place, both physically and emotionally.
Yet, there’s an irony in the phrasing—’if I ever get around to living’ suggests a procrastination not just of tasks, but of truly engaging with life. Mayer potently identifies a prevalent human sentiment: the postponement of life until some intangible conditions are met. In these lines, he probes the listener to question why we delay living for a future moment that isn’t guaranteed.
Chasing the Ephemeral Dream
As Mayer croons about ‘living just like he dreamed’ and turning aspirations into reality, he confronts the listener with the idealized version of life that so many chase. The use of ‘dreams’ and ‘free’ embodies an optimistic pursuit of fulfillment and contentment. However, the elusive nature of dreams reminds us that real life seldom matches our idealized visions, infusing the song with a sense of melancholic longing.
When Mayer sings about taking the love he’s given and setting it free, he delves into the selfless side of affection, urging a release of possessiveness. This invites listeners to ponder the purity of love and how often we truly approach relationships without the desire to control or confine them to our own narratives.
Tying Up Loose Ends in Life’s Voyage
The metaphor of tying the end of every day to the start of the next suggests a continuity and a journey where experiences are seamlessly connected. It presents life as an ongoing voyage, one where every sunrise is a chance to correct the mistakes of past sundowns. Mayer’s lyrics encourage an embrace of each day’s conclusion as a step toward a new beginning, rather than a finite end.
In the act of ‘sailing away,’ he conjures a strong image of freedom and escapism. There is an undercurrent of the need for adventure and the discovery of new horizons, echoing with the restlessness that resides in the hearts of those bound by routine and expectations.
The Power of Youthful Illusion and the Wake-Up Call
Perhaps the most striking segment of the song is when the narrative veers into a reverie of adolescence. Mayer remarks on the contrast between his seventeen-year-old self, an age of innocence and dreams untainted by worldly concerns, to his present self, where reality has imposed tattoos of experience. Here, ‘Mother’s calling’ is a metaphor for the inescapable responsibilities and pressures that adulthood brings—beckoning one to conform to life’s demands.
The repeated ‘wise up, boy’ serves as both an inner monologue and societal voice—a wake-up call urging the acknowledgment of reality over fanciful aspiration. It’s a pivotal moment in the song that challenges the listener to recognize the potential folly in their own life’s direction and the societal norms that often impede true personal growth.
Unraveling the Hidden Meaning: The Search for Authenticity
The song’s labyrinthine melodies mirror the search for authenticity in a life filled with pretension and failed expectations. Mayer scrutinizes the human quest for a ‘sign’ or validation, highlighting the futility of seeking external affirmation over internal acceptance and satisfaction. The mention of ‘working all the time’ and ‘making it better than you got it’ speaks to the obsession with progress and improvement at the cost of recognizing the value of the present.
There is wisdom in Mayer’s insistent call to ‘wise up,’ implying a need to awaken to life’s simple truths and to find beauty and purpose in what already is. By subtly asserting that life doesn’t need to be more than ‘what you got it,’ Mayer defines ‘living’ as an act of being present, rather than constantly toiling for a future moment that may never arrive. The song, in its gentle confrontation, becomes a guide towards a personal enlightenment, steering us towards the essence of what it means to truly live.
