New Deep by John Mayer Lyrics Meaning – Dissecting the Quest for Simplicity in Complexity
Lyrics
I’m so enlightened
I can barely survive
A night in my mind
So I’ve got a plan
I’m gonna find out just how boring I am
And have a good time
‘Cause ever since I tried
Trying not to find
Every little meaning in my life
It’s been fine
I’ve been cool
With my new golden rule
Numb is the new deep
Done with the old me
And talk is the same cheap, it’s been
Is there a God?
Why is he waiting?
Don’t you think of it odd
When he knows my address?
And look at the stars
Don’t it remind you just how feeble we are?
Well it used to, I guess
‘Cause ever since I tried
Trying not to find
Every little meaning in my life
It’s been fine
I’ve been cool
With my new golden rule
Numb is the new deep
Done with the old me
And talk is the same cheap, it’s been
I’m a new man
I wear a new cologne and
You wouldn’t know me if your eyes were closed
I know what you’ll say
“This won’t last longer than the rest of the day”
But you’re wrong this time
You’re wrong
Numb is the new deep
Done with the old me
I’m over the analyzing
Tonight
Oh, stop trying to figure it out
(You try to figure, you try to figure it out)
Deep will only bring you down
You know, I used to be the back
Porch poet with my book of rhymes
Always open knowing all the time
I’m probably never gonna find the perfect rhyme
For heavier things
At first listen, John Mayer’s ‘New Deep’ might just seem like another melodic entrée on his musical palette, comforting yet slightly melancholic. But the smooth guitar riffs and Mayer’s velvety voice serve as vessels for a much more profound soul-searching expedition.
The song, a hidden gem from Mayer’s 2003 album ‘Heavier Things’, tackles the internal battle against overthinking and the quest for meaning in the myriad details of everyday life. It’s an anthem for those weary of introspection, yearning for the bliss found in the superficial or ‘the new deep’.
Unpacking the Paradox of the Enlightened Mind
John Mayer croons ‘I’m so enlightened, I can barely survive a night in my mind’, encapsulating the irony of heightened awareness. It suggests an internal dialogue where existential enlightenment doesn’t lead to peace, but rather to a restlessness, a mind so active that serenity is elusive.
This sets the stage for a journey into self-contentment that doesn’t derive from dissecting life’s grandeur but instead from embracing the simplicity of being. Mayer’s song then becomes a pilgrimage, challenging the listener to reconsider their own pursuit of depth and meaning.
The ‘New Golden Rule’ for the Mentally Fatigued
By professing a ‘new golden rule’, Mayer isn’t just talking about a personal transformation; he’s proposing a universal prescription to combat over-analysis. This rule doesn’t ask for the rejection of depth but advocates for a balance, where not ‘every little meaning’ requires rumination.
Mayer is, in essence, putting forward a philosophy of life that holds the potential to liberate many from the shackles of their own minds. It’s a call to let go of the compulsive need to find answers to life’s every mystery and instead to ‘have a good time’.
The Hidden Meaning: ‘Numb is the New Deep’
The phrase ‘Numb is the new deep’ is a striking paradox, as numbness is typically associated with a lack of sensation or emotion, the antithesis of depth. However, Mayer uses this oxymoron to illustrate the depth that can be found in not allowing oneself to be overwhelmed by emotion or thought.
It is an open investigation into the merits of emotional detachment, a coping mechanism for the profound depth that can sometimes drown one in despair. The song becomes an ode to balance, to finding a middle ground between the shallows of superficiality and the uncharted depths of existential thought.
A Fresh Start: ‘I’m a New Man’
In this statement of transformation, ‘I’m a new man, I wear a new cologne’, Mayer presents the literal and metaphorical change of self. Such reinvention is not simply cosmetic but represents a shift in identity and perception by others.
Mayer is aware of the skeptics, those who will argue that this change is fleeting. Yet, there’s a hint of defiance in ‘But you’re wrong this time, you’re wrong’. He is resolute, signaling that this change has a permanence, unlike the ephemeral nature of scents.
Memorable Lines: ‘I Used to Be the Back Porch Poet’
These lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia for the time when the pursuit of perfection in poetic rhyme was the modus operandi. Here, ‘heavier things’ epitomize the burdensome complexities that Mayer once could not escape within his craft.
Even as a master of wordplay, Mayer acknowledges a limitation, suggesting that the search for perfect rhyme is as fruitless as the search for ultimate meaning in life. It’s a humble acceptance of imperfection and an embracing of life’s inherent unpredictability.
