Added: 3 years ago
From: dearlyxbeloved13
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  • It's about her dad. And then everything else in life that you could ever struggle with.

  • I truly believe it's about an accidental pregnancy.

  •  song starts at :36

  • @MisterManipulater No, the song starts at 0:09... The intro is a part of the song too, you know.

  • in my mind this makes me think of Bipolar disorder

  • @b1a2y3k4a5y6 I see what you could mean, but it's more dual personality disorder if you look at it that :L x

  • @RageModeGo Unless Jack and Jill are allegories for the two components to bipolar disorder, but since we're talking about art here it might be silly to get technical.

  • This is the song I've been trying to write all these years. It's so bittersweet hearing it done by someone else :/

  • You know what ruins it? The absolute SLAUGHTER of the English language. "Halfes"? Fucking REALLY? HALVES. For the love of God, please refrain from mixing up "your" and "you're," and "they're," "their," and "there." It's an awesome song ruined by idiocy. How old are you, three? If you can't type you have no business on the internet.

  • @magenta471 Have you actually SEEN the internet? Idiocy abound. Furthermore, if you're looking for grammatical absolution in a youtube video, you're sadly delusional and should probably get a hobby or take some Dickens. I agree that language abuse is infuriating, but you're screaming at the wrong person, and it's probably never going to get any better.

  • @magenta471 No, actually, the lyric is "halfes". The song is called Half Jack, and the actual lyrics include a play on the word "half" at every opportunity. I own the companion piano book for this album, and one of the official lyrics is "I half a lot to think about", as well as "between the halfes and the half-nots" instead of "haves and have-nots". So don't yell at the video maker - yell at Amanda Palmer for the puns.

  • this is not the original album-version, is it?

  • *fun about interpretation

  • Actually, from what I read this song represents Amandas relationship with her father..

    But that's what's dun about interpretation.. There isn't a right answer.

  • run jack run..

  • It can also be about whatever you feel, as it's intentionally disjointed and ambiguous, allowing the form to reflect the themes.

  • What's really integrally about these lyrics is that there's no real structure or motif to string it together, except the repeated 'half Jill and half Jack' line. That makes no particular message the key message and others added on - they're all equally viable.

    On one level, it's definitely about transgenderism or whatever the appropriate term is. On another, it's just about the defining factors of our identity - our gender, our relationships - and how that can be restrictive or unfair. It can

  • Goddamn you people who put other songs at the beginning of other song videos. wtf is your problem stfu and gtfo.

  • Putting more than just the song that the videos been named after ruins it

  • they should be way more well known, especially for such a great song

  • COULD WE JUST STOP TALKING ABOUT THE INTRO AND OUTRO ,YES, THEYRE COOL ,NO,THEY SHOULDNT BE HERE BUT THIS IS AN AMAZING SONG THAT SHOULD GET WAY MORE ATTENTION

    thanks (:

  • poetry :)

  • This song really grew on me. It came up on my Regina Spektor station on Pandora a few months back and I barely even noticed it at first, but after intensive research I managed to find it back and now I can't stop listening to it and I love it more and more each time.

    It has that dark, fucked up poetry I've always been in love with.

  • WOOOHOOOHOOOOOOOOO increíblessssssss <3

  • Why did you speed it up? =/

  • @MysticRose13 Actualy I like the slightly speeded up version.

  • The Dresden Dolls are my favourite. <3

  • This is actually a really good song, its odd but relatable. Awesome, I like it.

  • "'Half Jack' is the same way, it's about my relationship with my father, but it's also about the crisis of not knowing what makes you what you are. What identifies you . . . gender? sex? family? and the unfairness of that."

    - Amanda Palmer

  • this song is wondrous, but how is it not obviously about someone who is transgender or transsexual and that person dealing with that? "half corrective surgery gone wrong" "before they had these pills to take it back" Those lyrics pretty obviously imply a botched sex change and hormone pills taken after or during a sex change.

  • @footaters Yes, people probably just don't think about stuff like that often enough for it to be at the top of their minds. It's pretty obvious when you look at the lyrics with that in mind. "Notice something funny if you hang around", "learn to hear the different between the halfs and the half nots", that pill thing, running away from who you are but never being able to escape it, "when I'm brave enough and find a clever way to kick him out" probably referring to corrective surgery...

  • @footaters I might just be biased toward that interpretation being transgendered myself, though. :P

  • @Voretus I think that it's there in the song, even if that's not why Amanda wrote it. Probably intentionally considering how there are a bunch of Dresden Dolls songs that can be interpreted multiple ways.

  • fail beginning and especially fail end. GREAT middle though. :)

  • I love this song but wtf is with the stupid intro and Goo Goo Dolls of all ppl at the end..very disappointing

  • There is NO NEED for an intro with another song in it. NO NEED.

  • Why is there another song at the start? what the hell?

  • ive absolutly fallen in love with this song!

  • i think however you want to interrupt the song is correct. dont knock others down for not knowing the true meaning. its music. its fluid. it can mean whatever it needs to mean to you.

  • @MissCullenxx Interpret*

  • I think what makes a well written song is the ability for people to connect to it and feel as if its about something they have delt with or gone through, or is going through. ! The word Ambiguity comes to mind !

  • I hate it so much that this song has to be ruined by the "music" at the beginning and end. What purpose does it serve!?

  • awesome.

  • The beginning is a disappointment and also the ending songs.

  • ...What the fuck is up with the fucking beginning and the end?! ಠ_ಠ

    Son, I am dissapoint.

  • I thought they were siblings....

  • Please cut the end out. T.T It destroys the whole feeling of this song.

  • Reminds me of my girlfriend. She has split personalities. She actually made me listen to this song because it fits her so perfectly.

  • This is different from the one I have on CD

  • it sounds like she doesnt want to be her fathers daughter, ~ love the song

    its great

  • Words can describe how much these song has touched me. As a son of a broken home I feel like she has taken my toughs and then turn them in to a song.

  • kerli... please.

  • wtf is with the fucking to song b4 n after stupid as fuck

  • It's a love song. That said, may you never know soul-eating love for your father like this.

  • i was just thinking; they remind me of kerli! :D

  • thats not the original version right?im sure its not..is it live?:/

  • well done

  • This song is not about a hermaphrodite.!!

  • It's about transgenderism... "It's half biology and half corrective surgery" "Half accidental, half pain full"

  • excellent post

  • great post thanks

  • Star fucking with Kevin Smith

  • Thanks for the video. But I found the song you put at the start and the end annoying. The end "RUN JACK RUN" was amazing, then it cut straight to a totally different song and it annoyed me.

  • the beginning and the end ruins the video

  • @mayaelektranord :O the begining does NOT ruin the video (but the end does). The begining is Walking on Air by Kerli fucking Koiv! She's just as great as The Dresen Dolls!

  • @BigMouthBakaNeko So go watch a Kerli fucking Koiv video. 

  • @mayaelektranord Yes, but it keeps WMG from fucking with it.

  • @mayaelektranord

    agree :(

  • @mayaelektranord I agree, Why use Kerli as a into? :/

  • @mayaelektranord the fuck are you talking about that dosnt matter first of second off no they dont!!!!the whole fucking song is priceless!!!!!!!!!

  • @mayaelektranord no fucking doubt. and its like the only acutal lyrics video. ugghhh

  • "on 83d he never found the magic words to change this fact" ...awesome, powerful line - message: that you don't need to change who you are even if it deviates from the "norm". "Normal" isn't real. =)

  • 7 people are.....half idiot.

  • Its ambiguous and that's why the other half is left to dipute, but this is not about her father, she loves him to much, it's actully about a hermaphrodite

  • @ieatsocks33 just a terminology thing: if you mean intersex or transgendered, use that in place of hermaphrodite. some people are offended by hermaphrodite. just a note :) also, i agree with your point.

  • @mscholz22 Oh my god no! This is about her father!

  • "I Run As Fast As I Can But Jack Comes Tumbling After"

    Puts a shiver down my spine.

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  • I wish there wasn't a intro. The intro always makes it worse for me. Thank god I just bought the CD.

  • @Koriyandr Me too, I hate the fact that there's an intro and outro, although I really like the song Walking On Air >_<

  • Seriously? This song is about transgender people, seriously, it is not that hard to read and hear in the lyrics......

  • @mscholz22 pff no its not

  • @SummerLammer

    i'm half my mother's daughter - and half a son....half male half female

    in the halfway house of ill repute - Often times transgender people were placed in isolation and in special boarding homes where they would undergo procedures to change them into full male or female.

    it's half biology and half corrective surgery gone wrong - Corrective surgery was done to transgenderred people to mutilate their genitals to "make them more acceptable"

    half jill/ half jack = half boy/girl

  • @mscholz22 no, actually, you are talking about intersex people I think. Intersex are people who are born with both or some combination of chromosones that deviates...i.e. XXY

    Transgender is when someone doesn't feel comfortable in the body/sex he or she was born with and decides to transition to the gender they feel they truly are

    I think this song could be about either intersex or transgender, depending how you look at it. But "half boy/half girl" can either mean intersex or bigender.

  • I think this song, no matter what the real meaning is, means something different to everyone. Like any form of art, it's open to interpretation. For me personally, it's the song that helped me get out of a bad marriage. "I'm half way home now, half hoping for a showdown." That was my every day life. Either way, no matter what the meaning is..this. is. a. good. song. : )

  • What band is tht playing in the beginning? it sounds like trip hop.

  • @zombiefaith shes Kerli walking on air, if you like these guys you might like her

  • @zombiefaith i think it might be cocorosie

  • Epic ending!!! Run, jack, Run!~

  • @bladeknighh This song..is gorgeous..The Dresden Dolls are very talented .. but this song is actually about her struggle with her sexuality. half jill..half jack. she tries her hardest to get ignore the fact she likes girls.."i run as fast as i can run..but jack comes tumbling after" it majorly speaks to me..thats just when u need to say wanna know what i dont care im not gonna hide it anymore

  • @GanjaGorgeous thought it was stated it was mainly about her family life. She's spoken about the fact her father wasnt about or something along those. Half jack half Jill, 'half my mothers daughter a fractions left up to dispute" etc. "blood is thicker than water line" too sticks out. Though great lyrics work on many layers, and mean different things to different people. Regardless, your quite right the song is gorgeous, and however we interpret the lyrics it's still awesome. :)

  • @GanjaGorgeous thought it was stated it was mainly about her family life. She's spoken about the fact her father wasnt about or something along those. Half jack half Jill, 'half my mothers daughter a fractions left up to dispute" etc. "blood is thicker than water line" too sticks out. Though great lyrics work on many layers, and mean different things to different people. Regardless, your quite right the song is gorgeous, and however we interpret the lyrics it's still awesome. :)

  • It might destroy me

    but I'd sacrifice my body

    ...

    If it meant I'd get the jack .. part... out..

  • Oh in the beginning I was like what the, this is Walking On Air D:

    However, I love this! :3

  • Ah-uh UH UH.. Ah-uh UH UH.. :)

  • Oh god, I love this song. Haven't heard it in awhile. Thanks for putting it up. Their songs always get me thinking.

  • what was the first song?

  • whats the song in the beginning?

  • @ChubbyChibi14 it's Kerli - Walking on air

  • @ChubbyChibi14 "Walking on Air" by Kerli. :)

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  • I've been listening to this song for 3 days in a row ... it's one of their best songs.... I just can't imgine those last 3 days without it :P

  • great song 

  • Great video, thank you! :-)

  • It would've been nice if you'd mentioned in the title and/or description that there were jarringly different intro/outro songs..it's nice if they have meaning for you, but it's a very unpleasant surprise...

    Not to be a meanie, it's just annoying, when all I was expecting and wanting to hear was the song.

  • I really like this song, I just found out about the dresden dolls today and they've really impressed me! And since I've seen some people giving their opinion on what the song means, it makes me think of a father sexually abusing his daughter and making her hate herself for being a part of him.

    But that's just my opinion, and I think that's what's great about this song and this band, their songs allow each person to have a different idea of what it's about and relate to it on a different level.

  • Don't get me wrong I like Kerli but you ruined the song by putting her in the beginning

  • Well, the day I first really heard this song I had the best dream of my life and i'm sure there is a connection between the dream and this song.

  • wow those two other songs really fucking ruined it. asshole

  • @IFUCKINLOVETEA OMG i ove your user name!

  • such a beautliful and sad song....

  • wats the first song tht plays sounds cool

  • @queendeath1 That first song is called Walking on Air and is by Kerli (:

  • Dearly Beloved.. Like the KH track x]

  • This song is amazing but the songs at the beginning and end ruin everything! You say that they are there for a reason but I can't think of good reason to put them there when you know that it's going to ruin the whole mood of the song. I have no idea what you were thinking when you put those songs there.

  • gosh seriously those other songs..

  • creepy version to the nursery ryhmes, i love that :)

  • I actually like the song at the beginning (Kerli - Walking on air), I discovered it from this vid and it's now one of my faves :). Though, yeah, maybe it should be in a seperate video, so as not to annoy people :)

  • Sadly, I relate to this song completely. It's a little scary how perfect it is.

  • For some reason, I just love her painted-on eyebrows. [:

    They are so creative and beautifully artistic.

  • Ugh the music at the start and end is so fucking annoying

  • I love those eyebrows. (:

  • Sympathy by the Goo Goo Dolls, it says in the credits :)

  • Whats the name of the song at the start?

  • I love this song!

  • This song is about her father, people. "Half my mother's daughter" ... "I see my mother in my face, but only when I travel" ... "it's half biology" ... "I'm half Jill— and half JACK," emphasis on the Jack ... I'm pretty sure she explained this in the FAQs on the Dolls' website, actually ...

  • No, she didn't.

  • I like it, kinda has a Siouxsie and the Banshees feel about it.

  • i get all your doll themed music but the styles do not fit at all.

  • @ccoott -

    Yeah - The Dresden DOLLS, The Goo Goo DOLLS, and Kerli's Walking on Air music video featured dolls. But none of it goes together, you're right.

  • @OhThatKristen Just because you don't like the music at the beginning and the end of the video does not make it crappy...how would you like it if someone said the Dresden Dolls were crappy?(which they aren't) You have to right to call music crappy, keep your comment to yourself if it isn't a nice thing to say.

  • I think it's about an accidental birth. Like from a one night stand, or something.

  • Don't hate. You can interpret songs to mean whatever you like. It's what it means to you. Other people can suck it. (I said that because @lilaleahg because some people gave you thumbs down and I didn't understand why)

  • I see it more as someone who suffers from depression or bipolar disorder.

  • Agree)

  • It could be about several things. Amanda's songs usually have double meanings. It could be schizophrenia, a hermaphrodite or a person confused with their gender, someone who is bisexual. I'm betting on schizo though.

  • Schizo and Dis associative personality disorder are different

  • It's not about a transsexual. It's about her parents.

  • I think it's about a transexual

  • id say it was more likely to be about a hermaphrodite

  • @gatahari no, it's about her family. In an interview, she says it was written in the same 6 months as "runs in the family"

  • I like how you used a Kerli song at the beginning. Lol. She and The Dresden Dolls are two of my favorite artists.

  • I prefer this version, it was also the first one I heard.

  • This isn't the album version, I don't think. It's my favourite song and it sounds really different.

  • Shame, they couldn't get a real switchblade for the photo.

  • what is the song at the beginning of the video??

  • Walking on Air By Kerli

  • thanks :]

  • i love kerli!!! she's awsome!!!

  • lol i thaught it was 2 personalities in one body O.0 lol sex change?

  • does this seem quicker than usual?

  • It definitely does to me. I can tell it isn't the album version.

  • I think it sounds slower, but y'know.

  • see I was thinking sex change too! and then you always get that one person who gets pissed at people for questioning things...like the meaning behind this song. Um you know you don't have to read the comments. were all aloud to say what we wish, wheather that is if we like this song or what we think its about.

  • According to the Dresden Dolls companion book, her father's called Jack.

  • is this song about abuse? it kinda seems like it

  • I like the verse in this version but I prefer the chours in the other one, it's more powerfull.

  • I always tought it was about being bisexual or about a guy/girl who feels more like a girl/guy .. "i'm half my mother's daughter" .. "i'm half jack and half jill". i'm not sure but i'm sure of something else .. I LOVE THIS SONG =] and the dresden dolls xx

  • i heard somewhere that her dad's name is Jack and that she doesn't like her dad or somthing so this song was about her not wanting half of his genes

  • yea i read that too =D so basically this song is about her father

  • I thought that too but what about the lyrics "Its half biology and half corrective surgery gone wrong"

    It steers me towards a sex change :/

  • one of the version is about her wanting too be a complete girl, the others about her father can we just fucking listen to the song, but I can see why people dispute this song, it's confusing.

  • Well she often invites her dad to play with her at shows. See, I was thinking it was about being a bisexual and maybe the tortures she goes through? Just a guess of course.

  • i thought it was about hermaphrodites? :S

  • Um...no. ^^'

  • yeah, Im pretty sure it is... there is so many OBVIOUS points... like " I'd sacrifice my body, to geth the jack part out", "a fractions left up to dispute", etc, etc, you get it lol

  • this is what makes me love miss amanda palmer

  • I've heard its about conflicts with her father. She'll always have half of his genes in her.

  • This one gives me the shivers every time :)

    I think it's more about having an identity crisis, and obviously some complex issues realting to her father. It's like trying to escape from negative aspects of yourself when ultimately these are intrinsic to who you are. I bet not even Amanda is sure about what this song's about. Freud would have a field day lol

  • hmm, interesting...

    I should really listen to more music that has lyrics.

    lehury, this scares me a bit. Deep!

  • Word.

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  • i think it's about a genetic disease,

    possibly mental.

    it would sorta goes with girl anachronism...

    this version sounds different...

    or am i crazy?

  • yea, its different than the album version.

  • it is different

    you cant hear the back up parts for the oh oh parts

    kinda makes it seem a little

    empty

    but this is still a good version :)