Tick Tock by Joji Lyrics Meaning – The Haunting Passage of Time in Relationships
Lyrics
Tick tock
Heavy like a Brinks truck
Looking like I’m tip-top
Shining like a wristwatch
Time will grab your wrist
Lock it down ’til the thing pop
Can you stick around for a minute til’ the ring stop? Please God
Tick tock
Heavy like a Brinks truck
Looking like I’m tip-top
Shining like a wristwatch
Time will grab your wrist
Lock it down ’til the thing pop
Can you stick around for a minute til’ the ring stops? Please God (please God)
As time keeps slippin’ away (slipping away)
Girl, don’t start feelin’ a way (a way)
You and I, we are one in the same
Loving in pain, loving in
As time keeps slippin’ away (slipping away)
Girl, don’t start feelin’ a way (a way)
You and I, we are one in the same
Loving in pain, loving in (the same)
Tick tock, gimme, gimme big bucks
That is all that I do, girl, I just hit the jackpot
I wish you were here with me now so I could feel some
I wish you were here to hold me down like a real one, real one
Live long, wanna be a big shot
Should’ve stayed away but always had a weak spot
I’ve been on the road, and I’m sorry for the mix up
If you still love me can you see me during liftoff, liftoff?
As time keeps slippin’ away (slipping away)
Girl, don’t start feelin’ a way (a way)
You and I, we are one in the same
Loving in pain, loving in
As time keeps slippin’ away (slipping away)
Girl, don’t start feelin’ a way (a way)
You and I, we are one in the same
Loving in pain, loving in (the same)
With my hands in the ocean
With my hands in the ocean
With my hands in the ocean, I pray
I pray, oh, I pray
Embedded deep in the digital grooves of Joji’s ‘Tick Tock’ lies a melancholic ode to the relentless march of time and its effects on love and ambition. Straddling the blurry lines of rhythmic hip-hop beats and the wistful melodies that have become his signature, Joji presents listeners with a profound narrative that is as much a reminder of our own fleetness as it is a testament to the complexities of modern relationships.
The production’s hypnotic cadence lulls listeners into introspection, acting as the backdrop for Joji’s lamentations on the impact of time on the pursuits of success, love, and the interplay between the two. Through an examination of each lyrical layer, one can unearth the depths of ‘Tick Tock’, and perhaps even find echoes of their own experiences within its verses.
Unpacking the Weight of
At first glance, the repetition of ‘Tick tock, heavy like a Brinks truck’ seems like a catchy hook meant to resonate, but it’s the juxtaposition of the ticking of time with the image of a Brinks truck—synonymous with the transport of significant value—that Joji is deliberately setting up. This motif hints at the burden of accumulating wealth, the preciousness of time itself, and the heavy responsibility that comes with both. It’s a modern parable on the price of chasing the almighty dollar, where success is as shiny and alluring as a wristwatch, yet as binding and inescapable as handcuffs.
Joji isn’t just exploring the personal toll that comes with this pursuit but also the relational sacrifice. The ‘Brinks truck’ might be carrying the weight of material success, but it’s also symbolic of what we carry in our relationships—expectations, dreams, and the sometimes unbearable weight of love’s responsibilities.
The Dance of Time and Love
In ‘Tick Tock’, time is a partner in a painful dance of love. ‘As time keeps slippin’ away,’ Joji sings, acknowledging an almost universal fear—that time is a current pulling us away from the ones we want to cling to. The words are a plea to his beloved not to be swayed by the passage of time, imploring her to remain steadfast in the face of change.
Joji and his partner are ‘one in the same, loving in pain’, suggesting that their unity is forged in the fire of shared hardship. This isn’t a fairytale romance; it’s real, down-to-earth, and honest—an emotional grappling with the realization that love is not just about affection but also about enduring pain together.
Ambition’s Lonely Elevation
The dichotomy of success and companionship is further explored when Joji transitions to aspirations of wealth juxtaposed with a yearning for connection. ‘Tick tock, gimme gimme big bucks’ is a shallow call for riches, but the admission that follows, ‘I wish you were here with me now so I could feel some’, reveals the hollow core at the center of his ambition. The focus on material achievement, the ‘big shot’ dream, echoes hauntingly, betraying a sense of desolation that often accompanies the solitary climb to the top.
This loneliness is underlined by the halfhearted apologia ‘I’ve been on the road, and I’m sorry for the mix up; If you still love me can you see me during liftoff?’, a snapshot of a relationship strained by distances created not just by physical absence but by emotional and existential displacement that success often demands.
The Spiritual Resonance of
Beyond mere romantic and material spheres, ‘Tick Tock’ dips into the spiritual, as suggested by the repeated invocation ‘With my hands in the ocean, I pray.’ Amidst the pursuit of love and success, Joji’s character turns to the vast, unknowable ocean—a symbol of nature’s grand, uncontrollable force—and offers his desires to something greater.
This act of reaching outwards while questioning what lies within creates a layered narrative of contemplation. It’s a search for salvation or perhaps just a moment of reprieve from the relentless tick-tock of time, in the face of life’s overwhelming waves.
Memorable Lines that Echo Through Time
‘Shining like a wristwatch, time will grab your wrist, lock it down ’til the thing pop,’ is one such memorable line that encapsulates the inescapable grip of time on human aspirations. It’s a visceral depiction of our struggle against temporal constraints, mirrored by our accessories that both symbolize status and serve as constant reminders of time’s inexorable passage.
Similarly, ‘Can you stick around for a minute till the ring stops? Please God’ is a line that seeps with vulnerability—a heart’s cry for stability and permanence in a relationship under siege by the ticking of life’s clock. It’s a request for more time, a plea for endurance, and a poignant recognition of the divine’s role in the span of human affections.
