Stop This Train by John Mayer

Connecticut, John Mayer charmed his listeners with his poignant lyrics, sweet melodies, and mellow grooves. Since the release of his successful de precisely album, Room for Squares, his clever songwriting has fully grown Into breathtaking poetry. He demonstrated his ever evolving progress with the release of his fourth studio album, Continuum, in 2006. The album takes maturity as a theme throughout, with songs ranging from the politically charged Waiting for the World to Change to the heartbreaking and sultry sound of Slow Dancing in a Burning Room. Stop This machinate, also a song from John Mayors Continuum, speaks of the unpredictable ground between adolescence and adulthood. It was written during a time which Mayer referred to as solitary refinement He lied In go to bed suffering from double kidney st one and only(a)s and living in a hotel while finding a modernistic residence. In a state of uncertainty and seemingly dim venture, John Mayer wrote the song for those of us stra ddling the new world, trying to figure out non necessarily who we are, but how to be who we are.He knew that, despite their lack of familiarity with his personal tuition, any(prenominal) person who listened to the lyric of the song could relate to lifes daunting train ride. In the song, the train ride acts as an extended metaphor for the onward rush of life, which carries us frontward and takes us past people and things we wish to linger with. Meyers lyrics echo the feelings of so many young adults who are contemplating their future-?starting to build a new life, leaving old ones behind, losing loved ones, and becoming their own person. In the first stanza, Mayer introduces his perplexed state of mind with his struggle to face truth.He begins his Eng with Irony, No Im not colouring / I know the world Is black and white (1-2), claiming that he possesses the ability to see the true colors of the world. The colors black and white represent the speakers depression that the world is simply one way or another. The word blind and the speakers ability to see create an oxymoron because of their contradicting natures. In lines 3-4, Try to keep an open mind but I Just bungholet sleep on this tonight, Mayer expresses his troubles that make him restless. The song also symbolizes a reminder of lifes Inevitability.It streams forward like a train, ND never rat you go back to a certain point In time because theres no getting off, no changing direction, no stopping. Mayer creates a mental hear of the careening train ride in lines 5-8, Stop this train / I take to get off and go home again / I cant take the upper that its moving in. The use of imagery demonstrates Meyers understanding of what his audience experiences. In attempt to fully transport the listener to the scene, the song begins with a catchy up and imbibe melody that simulates a feeling of a traits wheels turning over and over again.The snares played wrought Stop This Train match the rhythmic sound of a tr ain so as to allow the audience to picture themselves also on this never ending journey. The high and low notes of the guitar may also stand for lifes ups and downs. By using the train as a metaphor, Mayer mirrored the rush of nostalgia as people live their lives day by day and suddenly steady down to take a look back at how far theyve come. Just like a train ride, one doesnt realize how far and fast their locomote has taken them until they stop to take a look around. In life, everyone fears conclusion or loss.As adulthood looms, so does ten mortar y AT our parents Mayer vocalizes tans Tear, Dont want to see my parents go (9). And while no one ever does, the time we become adults ourselves is when we begin to see the age in those that have shaped our lives. We see the death of our grandparents and realize we are a generation away from fighting life out on my own (10-11). And we panic because our parents, for so many of us, have been the safe net into which we fall. We begin to realize that safety net will not always be there. In truth, we are afraid of what we dont know, which is why Mayer claims Im only level-headed at being young (17).The thought of adulthood can be overwhelming as we realize that theres no stop button, that no one can stop this train. In the stanza about the conversation with his father, Mayer learns the best way to experience life is by not changing it. His father advises, Dont for a minute budge the place youre in / Dont think I couldnt ever understand John, honestly well never stop this train (23-26) The only thing we can really do is appreciate lifes train ride because wherever it may take us, were all in it together. The lyric in Stop This Train somewhat reflects lifes timeline.At a younger, much naive age we take for granted our family until we start aging and realizing that our time with them is, in fact, limited. In the song, Mayer goes from begging for someone to stop this train to accepting that he cant so he might as well enjoy the ride. The song is about being forced to let go of things, and accepting these losses. Its about the angst and curiousness that comes with moving into unknown parts of life. The fact that no matter what, we cant stop a day from turning into a week or a course of instruction from into turning into a decade, and the thought of this can seem a little intimidating and disheartening.As humans we only know what weve experienced, and the idea of having to readjust and move forward without any regard for personal desire can be downright terrifying. Growing up, children arent inclined to to take out a thing because they havent experienced the state of tinge when theyre asked the inevitable question What do you want to do with your life? Once in a while when its good / Itll feel lie it should / And theyre all lighten around / And youre still safe and sound (27-31). But as time progresses, the days when we were lulled into a false calm are gone and we realize we dont miss what w e have till its gone.And you dont miss a thing / till you cry when youre driving away in the dark (32-33). Mayors style of songwriting mirrors a sort of conversation he is having with himself, his family and friends, and also with his own time. Just as the songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart, Mayors songs are Just as full of importance as the music and get the better of to which they are set. Many people listen to songs for their uplifting melodies and dance-inspiring beats, but the deeper words in the lyrics prove that whats in a song is equally important to whats not there.In Stop This Train, Mayer oratory himself as Just another person coping with the apprehension and fear of loved ones dying, growing old, and facing life and all its difficulties. His fame and genius may veil the sorrows he faces on a daily basis from being away from his loved ones. The hidden message behind Stop This Train could embody a more personal than empathetic message. The harsh truth remains that, no matter how memorable or eventful our lives are, no one can escape time. Whether or not well grow to be 68, we will all be forced to brave more responsibility, expectations, and independence as we mature.