Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: singer-songwriter
Song Meaning of “Born and Raised” by John Mayer
John Mayer’s song “Born and Raised” speaks to a longing for reconnecting with one’s home and roots. It touches upon the nostalgia of feeling distant but still remembering what it is like to feel connected with where you came from.
The lyrics discuss a feeling of longing for the familiar people and places one grew up around: “Bring me to the place I love, the home of yesterday, the place where I was born and raised.” It speaks of the desire to have a stronger connection with who you are and where you come from.
The metaphor of the train tracks adds a feeling of being stuck in the past and unable to move forward: “The railroad winds on like my sadness. I’m following the tracks that I was made of.” It speaks of a desire for freedom but the fear that in order to grow, one must leave the comfort of home.
The chorus of the song combines the nostalgia of home and the growing realization that one will never be able to return: “I’ll never be the same, I can never go back, I know it for a fact, I was born and raised.” In this way, the song speaks of a bittersweet realization that no matter how much one desires to go home, it can never be the same. Ultimately, it conveys the importance of appreciating where one comes from while also embracing the unknown future ahead.