Jose Gonzalez - Crosses

Today I was listening to the song Crosses of Jose Gonzalez and I want to take a closer look at the lyrics. I have always liked Jose Gonzalez, but I’ve never really felt emotionally connected to the music. It just feels good to listen to it. I love the sound of the guitar, the way he plays it and I love his voice because he always carries a tone of despair in it.  

The reason why I’ve never really felt emotionally connected to the music is because I never paid attention to the meaning of the lyrics.

I think this song can be interpreted a lot of ways. I interpret it based on a feeling I get when I listen to the words, guitar and his voice.

This is the song with the lyrics:

Don't you know that I'll be around to guide you.
Through your weakest moments to leave them behind you.
Returning nightmares, only shadows.

We'll cast some light and you'll be alright.
We'll cast some light and you'll be alright for now.

Crosses all over, heavy on your shoulders.
The sirens inside me waiting to step forward.
Disturbing silence darkens your sight.

We'll cast some light and you'll be alright.
We'll cast some light and you'll be alright for now.

Crosses all over the boulevard.
Crosses all over the boulevard.
Crosses all over the boulevard.
Crosses all over the boulevard.

The streets outside your window over flooded.
People staring, they know you've been broken.
Repeatedly reminded by the looks on their faces.
Ignore them tonight and you'll be alright.

We'll cast some light and you'll be alright.

I think the main topic of this song is: pain/ frustration/ disappointment in life. In order to cope with this frustration you look to love/ interpersonal relationships/ positive aspects of life as a source of light.

To me the frustrations would be things like the meaninglessness of life, unanswerable questions, the imperfection of life, the fact that you’ll never know what the truth is only what’s most likely and so on. In the song the sentence ‘crosses all over the boulevard’ is one of the sentences that illustrates this frustration.

I cope with the frustration by trying to stay positive. This positivity I can find in love, music and accomplishing goals. In the song lines as ‘we’ll cast some light and you’ll be alright’ indicate that you should cope with your frustration by ‘casting some light’. If you are aware of the imperfection in life and it bothers you, you have to find a way to deal with it.

There also are some details in the lyrics that caught my attention. One thing is that Jose Gonzalez added ‘for now’ to the second ‘we’ll cast some light and you’ll be alright’ and that he says ‘ignore them tonight and you’ll be alright’. It’s as if he knows it only works temporarily.

Furthermore when he says ‘The streets outside your window over flooded/ people staring, they know you’ve been broken/ repeatedly reminded by the looks on their faces’ I feel like he’s saying other people don’t always understand your frustration. The way they react on you, reminds you of your frustration but you can just ignore them tonight and you’ll be alright.

Despite the fact that life sometimes can be pretty fucked up, we can deal with it by casting some light. And you’ll be alright, for now..