Research: Jaywalk Lyric Analysis

Jaywalk lyrics:

Who says that I I don't deserve to move on

Well let me catch my breath

Who said that my first love was the last one

Last one I'd ever get

I thought we had something worth forever Well looks like I was wrong Because I'm stuck smokin' on the rest of together I'v been gettin' high just to get by Ever since you left wrong turnt right for me Now I can see tomorrow chilling across the street

Sometimes you got to Jaywalk When you can't wait to be okay You got to jaywalk If you can't let go of yesterday You better jaywalk You can't keep waiting on a light to change Strut your shit and pound the pavement It's time to jaywalk

It took me six whole months worth of blunts To get the taste of you The taste of you off my tongue And it was hard to Convince myself to stop holding on And let go of my first love I'm sorry if my pride and I were latched on too tightly To what we were But you sent me flying, trippin When you kicked me to the curb Been here gettin high just to get by Ever since you left wrong turnt right for me Now I can see tomorrow chillin across the street,

Sometimes you got to jaywalk When you can't wait to be okay You got to jaywalk If you can't let go of yesterday You better jaywalk You can't keep waiting on a light to change Strut your shit and pound the pavement It's time to jaywalk

If you take two steps forward and one step back Then you're still moving forward No, you can't look back If you take two steps forward and one step back Then you're still moving forward

So you better not look back

You got to jaywalk When you can't wait to be okay You got to jaywalk If you can't let go of yesterday You better jaywalk You can't keep waiting on a light to change Strut your shit and pound the pavement It's time to jaywalk When you can't wait to be okay You got to jaywalk If you can't let go of yesterday You better jaywalk You can't keep waiting on a light to change Strut your shit and pound the pavement 

It's time to jaywalk

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ANALYSIS.AND.GENERAL.IDEAS.

The title:

Jaywalking is crossing the road without regard for traffic and when regulations do not permit doing so, so an example would be; crossing before a green light at a pedestrian crossing.

This infers the concept of moving forward or moving on, but the idea of lacking 'regard for traffic or regulations' suggests a drive rooted solely in self interest. When used as an analogy for moving on from a relationship 'Jaywalking' suggests a lack of interest in your ex-partners feelings and a lack of lingering on the past relationship.

First Verse:
The anaphoric rhetorical questions; 'Who says that I?' is challenging, suggesting that what people say is not true; he can move on and this is not his first and last love.

Second Verse:
'it took me six whole months worth of blunts
to get the taste of you
the taste of you off my tongue'

This fragment emphasises how he was hanging onto the past, having to use drugs in order to distract himself. 'Six whole months' could be literal but 'worth of' could demonstrate that it's the amount of blunts he would normally take six months to smoke but here used up in a shorter amount of time to deaden his emotions.

Third Verse/ Bridge:
This verse shows a better understanding of the need to move on and suggests, through 'two steps forward and one step back' that even if little steps are taken forward it's still a positive as you're still 'moving forward'; you shouldn't be put down if you have lapses of hope loss, but instead should motivate yourself to move on.
This fragment of the song mirrors the more positive tone of the chorus.

To Conclude:
The concept of 'Jaywalking' paired with the upbeat music that comes in at the chorus makes me feel that the music video should not be a collection of flashbacks and a story of how the relationship ended; this can be briefly hinted, perhaps through an initial scene of the persona being kicked out, either before the music begins or during the musical intro. I feel that what is most important is showing a confidence of the persona who is moving on with his life.
The song structure hints at a development, with the chorus showing hindsight and understanding and developing understanding occuring in the verses; with initial hesitation to the final comprehension visible in the bridge and chorus. The last chorus has overlapping vocals; the use of 2 vocals at the same time can be seen as the persona progressing through the song: reaching the destination of understanding with the one with hindsight throughout.