I discovered Andrew McMahon when his band Jack's Mannequin stared on an episode of One Tree Hill. 10 years later and I'm still entranced by his lyrics and playing his songs on repeat. While my list of favorite lyrics could go on forever, I've picked some of my favorites that have given me some excellent life lessons.
1. You Have The Power To Do Great And Terrible Things
"Son, one day you'll be a man,
And men can do terrible things."
--Cavanaugh Park (Something Corporate)
2. The Line Between Success And Failure Is Frighteningly Small
"And these could be the best or darkest days
The lines we walk are paper thin
And we could pull this off or push away
Cause you and me have always been...
So close"
--So Close (Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness)
3. The Importance of Friendship
"I've got friends who. (La La Lie)
Will help me pull through (La La Lie)."
--La La Lie (Jack's Mannequin)
4. Even When Things Are Falling Apart There Is Still So Much To Be Fortunate About
"We are the fortunate ones"
--Lottery Ticket (Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness)
5. Perfection is Hella Overrated
"Sometimes perfection can be, it can be perfect hell, perfect..."
--Bruised (Jack's Mannequin)
6. Life Will Get Hard, You Gotta Keep Going
"Just keep your head above, swim"
--Swim (Jack's Mannequin)
7. Even When You Feel Alone, We Are All Connected
"Everything's a piece of everyone"
--Caves (Jack's Mannequin)
8. You Can't Always Wait Out the Storm, Sometimes You Have To Power Through
"Grab your things this is a storm we're meant to ride"
--Synesthasia (Andrew McMahon)
9. It Gets Better, Really It Does
"It will only take a little while till your highs will become your lows"
--Catching Cold (Andrew McMahon)
10. Some Days Suck. Luckily, There's Always Tomorrow
"Tomorrow is another day"
--After the Fire (Andrew McMahon)
"The sun will forever keep rising"
--Keep Rising (Jack's Mannequin)
11. Good People Stick With You Through The Crap
"Love and great buildings will survive
Strong hearts and concrete stay alive
Through the great depressions
Yeah, the best things are designed to stand the test of time"
--Love and Great Buildings (Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness)
12. Cut Yourself Some Slack
"What if you could move the needle to a more forgiving song"
--Telvision (Jack's Manequin)
13. Sometimes All You Can Do Is Just Get Through The Day
"Some days all I do is watch the sky"
--Watch the Sky (Something Corporate)
14. Remember Even In The Worst Of Times There's Still Beauty In The World
"This world can be ugly, but isn't it beautiful?"
--There There Katie (Jack's Mannequin)
15. Let Yourself Have Fun Sometimes
"So read your books but stay out late some nights, some nights"
--Bruised (Jack's Mannequin)
16. The Power To Get Through The Tough Times Is There Inside You
"Theres a fighter somewhere underneath this skin and bones."
--Cell Phone (Jack's Mannequin)
17. Everything Isn't Going To Work Out Like You Thought It Would, But Keep Going
“You’ve got a choice, I’ve got the hands.
Skeleton and plans, you’ve got to let them go.”
–All Our Lives (Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness)
18. There's Just Something Really Special About Music That You Connect With
"It's like I wrote every note with my own fingers."
--Mixed Tape (Jack's Mannequin)
