Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: ska
Song Meaning of “Magnetic North (Demo)” by Less Than Jake
From the moment you hear the first few bars of this alternative pop-punk song by Less Than Jake, it’s easy to see the theme of wanderlust and movement that runs through the lyrics. In “Magnetic North (Demo)”, we hear the narrator longing for a journey through a world of possibilities and possibilities and freedom from the doldrums of life.
The narrator begins by singing of a desire to leave all the stresses of a difficult life behind and go on a journey with no destination in mind. He sings of wanting to find a new place that has a magnetic north – a place where gravity and direction don’t exist. He seeks a place to escape the ‘red letters’ that have him under a heavy weight and cause him to feel trapped in his old life.
He references the weight that comes with everyday life, the toll that it can take on you, and the crippling feeling of gaining nothing from it. He emphasizes the contrast between the warmth of the sun setting over the heavy atmosphere of his life, describing a longing to feel the freedom of no expectations and no bricks in his way.
Throughout the song, he continues to paint a picture of his want for this journey to a place of liberation and longing for something better. He sings of ‘watching the days go by’ as he yearns for a new start – both physically, and metaphorically.