Blues Traveler Songs - Hook Lyrics

Blues Traveler - Hook

Blues Traveler - Hook Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Four
Released: 1994

Hook Lyrics

It doesn't matter what I say
So long as I sing with inflection
That makes you feel I'll convey
Some inner truth or vast reflection
But I've said nothing so far
And I can keep it up for as long as it takes
And it don't matter who you are
If I'm doing my job then it's your resolve that breaks

Because the Hook brings you back
I ain't tellin' you no lie
The hook brings you back
On that you can rely

There is something amiss
I am being insincere
In fact I don't mean any of this
Still my confession draws you near
To confuse the issue I refer
To familiar heroes from long ago
No matter how much Peter loved her
What made the Pan refuse to grow

Was that the hook brings you back
I ain't tellin' you no lie
The hook brings you back
On that you can rely

Suck it in, suck it in, suck it in
If you're Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boleyn
Make a desperate move or else you'll win
And then begin to see
What you're doing to me
This MTV is not for free
It's so PC it's killing me

So desperately I sing to thee of love
Sure but also rage and hate and pain and fear of self
And I can't keep these feeling on the shelf
I've tried, well no, in fact I lied
Could be financial suicide but I've got too much pride inside
To hide or slide
I'll do as I'll decide and let it ride till until I've died
And only then shall I abide by this tide
Of catchy little tunes
Of hip three minute diddies
I wanna bust all your balloons

I wanna burn of all your cities to the ground
But I've found, I will not mess around
Unless I play then hey
I will go on all day
Hear what I say
I have a prayer to pray
That's really all this was
And when I'm feeling stuck and need a buck
I don't rely on luck

Because the hook brings you back
I ain't tellin' you no lie
The hook
On that you can rely

Writer/s: WILLIAMS, JOHN T.
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Hook

Put simply, the song is a sort of satire. A hook is the part of the song that people like; the part that makes you remember the song. Normally it's the chorus, but not always. Lead singer John Popper, who wrote this song, is saying that no matter what you put in a song, if it has a hook people like, you can say whatever you want and people will like the song and buy into it - "It doesn't matter what I say as long as I sing with in-FLEC-tion." He knows that a hit song needs to have a catchy hook, whether or not it takes any talent or emotion. "The hook brings you back" is the hook of the song, so he can say whatever he wants in this part and get away with it. The message is that you don't need deep, meaningful lyrics to make people like your music. You need a good hook, and it helps to be charismatic. On a deeper level, this can relate to superficial society in general, which is demonstrated in the video which shows beauty pageant contestants and a politician singing the song - they're all show and no substance, but most people don't notice or care.

This song's entire melodic line is directly based on a piece of classical music: Pachelbel's "Canon in D." The well-recognized melody can also be considered an aural "hook," giving the title another amusing twist. (thanks, Ianna - Richmond, VA)

This was the follow up to Blues Traveler's first hit, "Run-Around." The band formed in high school in 1986 and released their first album 1990. Four was their fourth album, released in September, 1994. By the time "Hook" hit the charts, the album had been out for about a year.

The second verse contains an interesting bit of wordplay, with Popper singing, "To confuse the issue I refer to familiar heroes from long ago," before getting into the Peter Pan story, as he sings about Captain Hook trying to bring Peter Pan back to Neverland - another way the "Hook" brings you back. Popper puts a lot of literary references in his songs, also mentioning Rin Tin Tin and Anne Boleyn in this one. When we spoke with Blues Traveler guitarist Chan Kinchla, he told us that the Peter Pan story was a favorite of the band. "I think all musicians in rock bands have kind of a Peter Pan complex," he said. "We always loved that innocent wonder and that vibe."