Mr Jones breakdown/theory

Songs are amazing, 10 people can listen to the same song and have 10 different ideas for what it means. Alternatly you can listen to the same song some time later and take different meaning from it then you did before.

Mr Jones (Counting Crows) has always had a certain overall meaning to me, but after getting into PUA i see so many stand out things i felt it would be good to break down the lyrics and show others my insight, as re-enforcement to our methods. So here we go...

"I was down at the New Amsterdam staring at this yellow-haired girl
Mr. Jones strikes up a conversation with this black-haired flamenco dancer
She dances while his father plays guitar
She's suddenly beautiful
We all want something beautiful
I wish I was beautiful
So come dance this silence down through the morning
Cut Maria! Show me some of them Spanish dances
Pass me a bottle, Mr. Jones
Believe in me
Help me believe in anything
I want to be someone who believes"

Mr Jones is the singers senior, or at least the Alpha. The singer looks up to him socially and wants what he gets (women). Hes looking for Mr Jones to help him become like Mr Jones while seeking the validation of Mr Jones.

"Mr. Jones and me tell each other fairy tales
Stare at the beautiful women
"She's looking at you. Ah, no, no, she's looking at me."
Smiling in the bright lights
Coming through in stereo
When everybody loves you, you can never be lonely"

The singer is getting to know Mr Jones better, they share a common bond. However Mr Jones corrects the singer when he gets cocky thinking a women is intrested in him. The singer realises that when people are attracted to you you always will have company...he starts to discover the transition in his life that will need to take place.

"I will paint my picture
Paint myself in blue and red and black and gray
All of the beautiful colors are very very meaningful
Grey is my favorite color
I felt so symbolic yesterday
If I knew Picasso
I would buy myself a gray guitar and play"

The singer realises that he needs to let his inner self, out. He starts to reinvent himself.

"Mr. Jones and me look into the future
Stare at the beautiful women
"She's looking at you.
Uh, I don't think so. She's looking at me."
Standing in the spotlight
I bought myself a gray guitar
When everybody loves me, I will never be lonely"

The singer and Mr Jones are equals now. The singer gets to correct Mr Jones because now the women are eyeing him up. To reference the last verse, Mr Jones is the singers Picaso...he allowed the singer to become a new person, now hes made the transformation, and people love him now.

"I want to be a lion
Everybody wants to pass as cats
We all want to be big big stars, but we got different reasons for thatBelieve in me because I don't believe in anything
and I want to be someone to believe"

The singer wants to be influential like Mr Jones now, once the student he wants to be the teacher now.

"Mr. Jones and me stumbling through the barrio
Yeah we stare at the beautiful women
"She's perfect for you, Man, there's got to be somebody for me."
I want to be Bob Dylan
Mr. Jones wishes he was someone just a little more funky
When everybody loves you, son, that's just about as funky as you can be"

Mr Jones and the singer recognize each others equality and start to actually pass girls off to each other, working together instead of against. The singer realises that he wants more, with each step of growth he wants to go one step further and see's this in Mr Jones now too. In the end he realizes that as long as ppeople love ya, thats as good as it gets.

"Mr. Jones and me staring at the video
When I look at the television, I want to see me staring right back at me
We all want to be big stars, but we don't know why and we don't know how
But when everybody loves me, I'm going to be just about as happy as can be
Mr. Jones and me, we're gonna be big stars.. "

If taken figureatively, the TV is the singer's protege...he wants to see him bloom into what the singer and Mr Jones have become. He also realizes that his ambitions are to help others, that hes gone as far as he can once other people love him. Hes happy with that.


Maybe im the only one who thinks of this song this way, but it just screems to me of the mPUA to rAFC relationship that most of us experience. The mentor teaching the student how to be social and enjoy his being. To go out on a limb its kinda like Style and Mystery...First Style is a student but over time he becomes a leader without butting heads or crossing Mystery.

Not to mention the song kicks ass...thanks for reading