Jackie and Wilson by Hozier Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Soulful Narrative

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Hozier's Jackie and Wilson at Lyrics.org.

Lyrics

So tired trying to see from behind the red in my eyes
No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight
So deep in the swirl with the most familiar swine
For reasons wretched and divine

She blows out of nowhere, roman candle of the wild
Laughing away through my feeble disguise
No other version of me I would rather to be tonight
Lord she found me just in time

‘Cause with my mid-youth crisis all said and done
I need to be youthfully felt, ’cause God I never felt young

She’s gonna save me, call me baby, run her hands through my hair
She’ll know me crazy, soothe me daily, but yet she wouldn’t care
We’ll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride round pickin’ up clues
We’ll name our children Jackie and Wilson, ‘raise em on rhythm and blues

Lord it’d be great to find a place we could escape sometime
Me and my isis growing black irises in the sunshine
Every version of me dead and buried in the yard outside
Sit back and watch the world go by

Happy to lie back, watch it burn and rust
We tried to work, good God it wasn’t for us

She’s gonna save me, call me baby, run her hands through my hair
She’ll know me crazy, soothe me daily, but yet she wouldn’t care
We’ll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride round pickin’ up clues
We’ll name our children Jackie and Wilson, raise ’em on rhythm and Blues

Cut clean from the dream that night, let my mind reset
Looking up from the cigarette, she’s already left
I start thinking of the art for what’s left of me and our little vignette
For whatever poor soul is coming next

She’s gonna save me, call me baby, run her hands through my hair
She’ll know me crazy, soothe me daily, but yet she wouldn’t care
We’ll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride around pickin’ up clues
We’ll name our children Jackie and Wilson, raise ’em on rhythm and Blues

When the Irish troubadour Hozier released ‘Jackie and Wilson’ as part of his eponymous 2014 debut album, it wasn’t just a soul-tinged track that caught the ear of the world. It was a masterful blend of storytelling, a throwback to rhythm and blues, and an exploration of youthful longing and escapism. Hozier, known for his depth and symbolic lyricism, pens an ode to the bliss and recklessness of new love, all while tipping his hat to the past musical greats.

The song paints a picture of a romance that is as spontaneous as it is poignant, encapsulating the desire to break free from the past and indulge in the exuberance of youth. It’s a narrative that combines personal rebirth, the allure of love’s salvation, and the dreams we all entertain of a life unfettered by the constraints of our reality. Below, let’s delve into the layers of ‘Jackie and Wilson’ and uncover the narrative that Hozier weaves through his lyrical prowess.

Behind the Red Eyes – The Theme of Exhaustion and Rebirth

The opening lines of ‘Jackie and Wilson’ are not just an exposition but a confession of weariness. Here Hozier speaks to the fatigue that grips us all, the red-eyed exhaustion of facing oneself and life’s familiar demons. It’s a poignant admission of the duality within—the ‘better version’ we all wish to personify and the shortcomings we all too often have to confront.

Yet, in this song, fatigue signals rebirth. The song’s protagonist finds in his love interest a force of nature that not only accepts him with all his flaws but revitalizes him, pulling him from the brink of his ‘mid-youth crisis.’ It’s a conciliation with not having felt the vibrancy of youth and a celebration of renewal through another’s eyes.

Roman Candle of the Wild – Love as Unpredictable Salvation

The woman described in this song erupts into the singer’s life unpredictably—a ‘roman candle of the wild’ tearing through his ‘feeble disguise.’ There is a sense of unexpected savior-like entry, turning the page on the bland chapters of his life. This could be the ‘no other version of me I would rather to be tonight,’ a reflection of authentic self brought to the surface by a spontaneous combustion of love.

Hozier’s formula here is compelling; love isn’t merely an emotion, it’s deliverance. It arrives with an anarchic energy that liberates and tosses the norms to the wind. This is not the staid, routine affection—it’s the wild, untamed, and freeing kind of connection that imbues life with new meaning.

Raising ’em on Rhythm and Blues – Nostalgia and the Dream of Legacy

Moving deeper into the song, Hozier invokes the names of Jackie Wilson and the foundation of rhythm and blues as a metaphorical framework for the envisioned future with his new love. It’s a nod to the legacy of musicians who pioneered a genre, a wish to carry on their spirit into the future through an imagined domestic fantasy with children as bearers of that torch.

The particular choice of Jackie Wilson isn’t random—Wilson was the epitome of the smooth, soulful performer who left an indelible mark on music. Hozier dreams of imprinting that same soul, dynamism, and historical richness onto his offspring, suggesting a yearning for continuity, connection, and a meaningful inheritance.

A Smoky Exit and the Art of Departure – The Song’s Hidden Meaning

In the later verses, the flighty nature of the romance becomes clear. The woman who personified untamed salvation slips away as easily as she entered, leaving the protagonist ‘cut clean from the dream that night.’ It draws upon notions of impermanence and the fleeting moments that life affords us. Love and dreams, Hozier seems to imply, can be as transient as smoke from a cigarette—intense, fleeting, and ultimately ephemeral.

Yet, there’s wisdom in the smoke’s clearing. As Hozier contemplates ‘the art for what’s left of me and our little vignette,’ he acknowledges the residue of experiences—even brief ones. This calls attention to the hidden meaning: every interaction, every flamed attraction, leaves its mark and contributes to the canvas of our lives. It’s a stoic meditation on the imprints left by temporary passions and their contribution to one’s ongoing narrative.

Memorable Lines that Resonate – The Echo of ‘Jackie and Wilson’

Hozier’s ‘Jackie and Wilson’ is replete with lines that haunt the listener. Lyrics like ‘We’ll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride round pickin’ up clues’ evoke a sense of mischief and adventure that’s both youthful and undeniably whimsical. It’s these vivid lines, these propelling images, that lodge the song firmly in our imagination and encapsulate the essence of the story.

And yet, beneath the surface of catchy choruses and rolling melodies, Hozier’s lyrics carry weight, emblematic of the harmonious dichotomy in all aspects of life—the mundane and the magical, the temporal and the eternal, the real and the fanciful. Ultimately, ‘Jackie and Wilson’ survives as both an anthem and a poem, its verses a blend of lyricism and sentiment that stand the test of time.