S9E9 - Dunno / Jet Fuel by Mac Miller
00:00Since coming back to Earth on Swimming's opening track, we've witnessed MacMailer continuallypursue flight and the weightless freedom that comes with a clear mind and focus on the present.On wings, he flaps and sores. On ladders, he celebrates the climb.On Conversations Part 1, he orbits outer space in a spaceship.And as swimming continues, so too does Mack's relentless pursuit of levity.On the album's next two tracks, he contrasts two types of clouds,two different highs that will ultimately conflict with one another, forcing adown, a sobering descent back to reality.
00:38From Spotify, I'm Cole Kushna and this is Dissect, long-form musical analysis broken into shortdigestible episodes.Today we continue our serialized examination of Mac Miller swimming with its 10th and 11th tracks,Dunno and Jet Fuel.Dunno was produced by Parson Brown with additional production by John Bryan and Mac Miller.Matt getting additional production credits seems like an inside joke of sorts.Seeing as Parson Brown was one of Mac's many producer aliases, joining Larry Fisherman,delusional Thomas, and a handful of others.
01:48Parson Brown was a name that was born in the swimming era,but the only other song produced under this alias being Buttons,which was part of a three pack of songs released shortly before swimming.Similar to John Doe, Parson Brown is a generic fictional namethat's used to refer to priests in the 18th century,as heard in the famous holiday song Winter Wonderland.In the meadow we can build a snowmanand pretend that he is Parson Brown
02:13He'll say, are you married? We'll say no man, but you can do the job when you're in town.Here in Winter Wonderland, Parson Brown is a name given to a snowman who is to officiate the wedding between the couple described in the song.Mack has never publicly stated anything about the Parson Brown alias, though he did create a Twitter handle with no avatar for the fictional character in May of 2018.Given Parson Brown's association with a snowman, perhaps Mack chose this name as a drug reference.Mac has previously likened himself to snow-inhabiting creatures like a Yeti for snow's resemblance to substances like powder cocaine.But there's also another possibility for the alias, and it has to do with Mack's romantic relationship with Ariana Grande.While we've tried our best to avoid tabloid territory this season, of all the songs on swimming,Dunno is the most forthright in its multiple references to Grande, her interests, and songs.
03:06We can think about the Parson Brown nickname in this context, as one of the first things Mack and Ariana did together years before they were romantically involved,was record the holiday song Baby It's Cold Outside in 2012.In addition to this collaboration, it was reported that Grande has always wanted a winterwonderland themed wedding. This, coupled with Parson Brown's association with Winter Wonderlandand weddings, is enough to at least speculate that this alias might have been inspired by Mackand Gros' relationship, which lasted two years, beginning in 2016 andending in May of 2018.It's with this in mind that we'll dive into Denno's lyrics.
03:52Yeah.She do whatever she liked.And that just don't seem right.Yeah.Make people so mad.Yeah.They weren't so bad.Well, we was fucking almost missed my flight.
04:22I wasn't even tripping.I said it's all right.Mack opens the song tenorily, singing,she do whatever she like, and that just don't seem right. At first, this couple feels like a personalcomplaint that Mack is addressing a kind of inconsiderate freedom his partner enjoys. But thefollowing lines provide additional context, yeah, make people so mad, yeah, they want her so bad. Thisseems to imply that opening lines weren't a personal complaint, but rather an observation abouthis partner's relationship with the public, that these people would like to see her move or
04:52act in a certain way, yet she refuses, leaving them angry and wanting more.In this way, the opening now feels more like admiration of her freedom of spirit, despite thepressures and expectations placed on her.Mack then continues,We was fucking almost missed my flight.I wasn't even tripping.I said it's all right.First, we acknowledge the bit of wordplay here, that after missing his flight, he's not tripping,
05:14not worried, but also not going on his planned trip.We've heard a scenario like this before back on ladders when Mac rapped, all the lights flickering,hitting the right switches, I'm living this life different and missing the flight,bullshiting. Throughout swimming, bullshitting has been a word used by Mack to mean indulgence,either sex, drugs, or spending money. Here in Dunno, it seems the thread continues, as Mac recountsmissing his flight due to sex. But instead of a confession of indulgence, here it feels more sincere,that he had prioritized intimacy and time together more than the rigidness of his work schedule.There will always be another flight, and the time they spent together was much more valuable
05:50in comparison. As the verse continues, Mac provides more details of this night together.It was coughing when you hit my weedBut I've never seen you feel that freeSo cute you want to be like meWouldn't you rather get alongWouldn't you rather get alongMack continued singingYou was coughing when you hit my weed
06:22But I've never seen you feel that freeSo cute you want to be like meMy weed coughing and be like meSeems to imply that Mack's partnerDoes not usually indulge in marijuana usebut once again in admiration, Mack notes that he's never seen are so free.Perhaps this is an alleviation from anxiety, which we know Grande struggles with,as well as the pressures of being a celebrity, where people are always so mad and water so bad.
06:46The fact she would feel safe enough with Mack to get high with him, to have new experiences,speaks to the intimacy and comfort of the relationship.Finally, the verse ends with the refrain, wouldn't you rather get along?And Max's continued preoccupation with travel, the road, and motion,it seems he's wondering if his partner really wants to stay with him on his journey, or if they'd rather move on.Perhaps Mac is worried that his partner is finding relief in the aforementioned high,as the path he's taken with substances has been riddled with obstacles.Instead of following him in this sense, he'd like her to get along, to go her own way.
07:19Another reading of this line suggests that Mac is pushing someone away as they find intimacy,almost as if he doesn't believe he can let someone in to everything,or he doesn't feel like his path is safe for anyone else.At the same time, Get Along could also refer to friendliness, in which case Mac is either reinforcingthe desire for the relationship to be cooperative or encouraging the drug use that relieves worry,so that everything can be fine in their mind. This leads us into the song's tender chorus.As you listen, notice how Mack begins in a low register with the first line until there is no longer.On the word longer, he rises in pitch, an ascension that brings us to the line,
07:54let's get lost inside the clouds. Appropriately, this is sung in a high, airy,a musical reflection of the clouds he sings of. He'll remain in this ethereal register until the final line,I can calm you down, where fittingly, he moves down to a lower register again. It's an absolutelystunning passage. Mack begins the chorus singing, until there is no longer, let's get lost insidethe cloud. Here Mac develops a cloud motif that began back on perfecto with the line,my feet on the clouds, head on the ground. On small worlds he wrapped, but the sun's coming out now,clouds start to move. Then on Conversations Part 1, he said, my head up in the clouds, but my feet be on the pavement.In each of these examples, clouds seem to be used to imply a levity or foggy headspace provided by drugs.
09:02On Dunnow, within the context of the portrait Mac painted in the first verse, where the two arespending time together, having sex and smoking weed, until there is no longer feels like a call toenjoy every last moment together, until they both have to return to their work, until Mac has to catchthe next flight. In this way, getting lost inside thethe cloud might literally refer to the cloud of marijuana smoke that billows in the room they're sharing.But removed from this specific moment, this couplet carries a more universal sentiment,both an acknowledgement of our mortality and possibly the relationship's potential end.All too aware of the highs and lows of experience, Mac is urging them to enjoy the high while
09:38they have it, to enjoy the freedom and levity of being lost in the clouds, where things are hazy,where you're not worried or anxious about what's ahead of you, because you can't see it clearlyanyway. In terms of their traditional symbolism, clouds feel like an appropriate choice forMack's depiction of this euphoric state. In some Eastern thought, clouds are considered the unionof yin and yang because they fuse the elements of water and air, sky and earth, all motifsMac has used throughout swimming. From this idea, clouds can symbolize making love as the unionof male and female. In Zen Buddhism, practitioners are likened to clouds because they are able to floatfreely without the constraints or limitations of attachment and take on any shape similar to flowing
10:18water. Throughout swimming, we've witnessed Mack attempting to reach this lightness and balance,which she achieves at least temporarily when spending intimate moments with his lover.Finally, Mack's use of clouds also feels like a direct nod to Ariana Grande and her fondness of clouds.She often uses the cloud emoji on social media, has a tattoo of clouds, and even has her own perfumenamed Cloud.Mac continues the chorus singing,And you don't got to work harder,I can calm you down.
10:44Once again, Mac is offering himself as a source of comfort,advising her that her attempts at alleviating her anxiety by working more isn't going to help.As we know, Mac is no stranger to working hard to the point of it being an addiction,so it feels like this is advice coming from someone who has lived a similar experience,someone who has tried unsuccessfully to work himself out of a funk.Instead, staying consistent with his focused attempts to stay present in the moment throughout swimming,Mac insists that he can calm her down, that just being together, fully present in this moment in the cloud,is enough to relieve her stress.
11:16Given all the talk of clouds and Mac is a source of comfort,we have to acknowledge some parallels between this chorus and Grande's own hit,Breathe In, a song that directly addresses her battle with anxiety and panic attacks,which were exacerbated after the domestic terrorist bombing that took place at her concert in Manchester in May of 2017,killing 22 and injuring hundreds.Here in the second verse, Grande sings,Sometimes it's hard to find my way up into the clouds.Tune and out, they can be so loud.
12:03You remind me of a time when things weren't so complicated.All I need to see is your face.Like Mac addressed in the opening of verse 1,Grande here acknowledges overwhelming noise from the outside,with the clouds being a place above that chaos.She then turns to a love interest who helps her reach these proverbial clouds,saying that all she needs to see is his face.This feels like a pretty strong parallel to Mac's own chorus on Dunnard.
12:25as Mack offered himself as a source of calm, someone who can escort her into the clouds.The second verse begins with a disconnect, a sharp contrast from everything we heard until this point.Mac sings, I was busy when you hit my phone, but you miss me, told me come back home,and you don't really like to sleep alone, but I'm taking too long, I'm always taking too long.This notion of taking too long and keeping others waiting has been a constant theme on swimming.On the chorus of Small Worlds, Max sang, she hated when I call and it's late.I don't want to keep you waiting, I hope I never keep you waiting.On ladders, just after saying he missed his flight due to bullshitting, he rapped,
13:26I had a plan to change, you can't stand the rain, little delay, but I came,and you're cool with it. In our interpretations of these lines, we suggested that waiting was beingused to imply Mack's attempts to change, specifically in relation to his drug use, leaving hislove interest waiting around for him to get his life together. Here on Dunnow, that interpretationcould fit, but it could also be that Mac was busy working, presumably on music, which might becoupled with drug use. Either way, Mac is painting a portrait of disconnect, of the two away fromeach other, with her feeling lonely and not wanting to sleep alone, and Mac not able or willing to comeright away. It's possible Mac is also nodding to the song The Way, his 2013 collaboration
14:05with Grande. It's here he paints a similar scenario of a woman calling his cell, feeling lonelyand not wanting to sleep alone. As Dunno continues, Mack picks up the pace a little and addsadditional vocal layers behind him.Fittingly, there's an instrumental pause between him saying that he's always taking too longand his next lines.And when he does begin again, he's talking about switching gears, reflecting the switch or changein his vocal cadence.Like, if we don't need a trip, we could be right here.
14:45When the shit get weird, we can switch up gears.I want to see them lips, kiss and ear to end.I want to hear your song.Oh, I want to feel just how you feel.So I know you're real, we could spin that wheel.Wouldn't you better get alone?Mack sings, baby we don't need a trip.We could be right here.
15:07Once again, Mac is pushing for more presence and stillness in the moment,instead of always running around, taking flights and trips.Given that these lyrics come after the disconnect described in the verse's opening lines,Matt could also be saying that despite his lateness,there's no need to trip or get upset, just as he didn't trip when he missed his flight back on verse 1.He continues, when the shit gets.get weird, we could switch up gears. Switching up gears typically means to move faster or slowerthan you currently are, so Mac seems to be saying that when issues arise, they can simply adjust
15:37as needed. The next couplet is tender and poetic, as Mac croons, I want to see them lips kissingear to ear, I want to hear your song. Lips kissing ear to ear seems like a creative, romanticway to say he wants to see her smile. Typically, one wants to kiss their partner's lips,but Mac emphasizes her personal happiness over their relationship. The focus is a lot of theFocus on ear then morphs to hearing her song, which is more evidence that Dunno is specificallyabout Grande, a singer-songwriter. Given that songs can often transmit emotions in a way simple languagecannot, it seems Mack is wanting to both support her art, but also use her songs as an opportunityto get closer to understanding everything she is feeling or going through. This leads to the
16:18following line, Oh, I just want to feel how you feel. Touch you one more time so I know you're real.With Mack just talking about hearing her song, it's possible this line as a reference to GrandeR-E-M, which appears on the same 2018 album as the aforementioned breathing.This was Grande's favorite song from that album, and its premise is that love is so good that it canfeel like a dream, similar to Mack's own desire to touch his lover one more time to ensure that she'sreal. Mack then closes out his verse singing, We could spin that wheel, wouldn't you rather get along.Typically the phrase spin that wheel means to waste time achieving nothing, going nowhere.subtle development of the circles motif that will bridge us into swimming's companion album circles.
17:08Given that Mack was just addressing a disconnect or even an argument in the beginning of the verse,it's possible he's saying that they could spin that wheel or argue pointlessly,but he'd rather they'd just get along and enjoy each other's presence.But spinning a wheel could also mean something akin to rolling dice or taking a chance,which falls in line with Mac using gambling references throughout swimming to refer to relationship dynamics.When making a bet, you're using intuition and relative informationto inform your wager, but there's never any certainty. There's always risk in a certain amount of faith,and Mack likens these dynamics to a relationship's inherent vow of commitment. While all couples
17:43will face conflicts, some inconsequential, some catastrophic, by placing your bet, spinning the wheel,taking a chance, you're putting your faith in the bond and love you share to be able to weatherthe storms. This leads to a third possible meaning of spin that wheel, being a reference to theclassic Wheel of Fortune. In medieval and ancient philosophy, the Wheel of Fortune symbolizedthe volatility of fate. The wheel was said to belong to the goddess Fortuna who spins it at random,changing the positions of those on the wheel and thus changing their fates. Some suffer, some gain.Often the goddess is depicted as being blindfolded, which relays the randomness of the universeand the circumstances we are born into. The wheel of fortune and fate being controlled by a
18:23divine feminine figure seems like an analogy Mack would be fond of. In this reading, Mac wouldbe placing his faith in the wheel, in the goddess, willing to take the risk, allowing the wheelto propel them forward and get along.After a repetition of the chorus, Dunno blooms into an expansive outro section.Mack adds background harmonies along with a new synth part played by John Bryan.This thicker musical texture feels like a moment of arrival, almost anthemic.Heightened further by Max's universal refrain, I think we just might be all right,Thank God, I think we're going to be all right. All right, okay. Within the context of the song,
19:30this seems to be more assurance to his partner that despite whatever disconnect they are dealingwith, things are going to be okay. The refrain also seems to reflect Mack's attitude after heand Arianna split up. And one of the few times he addressed the breakup and her subsequent engagementto Pete Davidson, Max said, quote, I've cared about her for a long time as a person. I'm genuinelyhappy that's how she moved. That's good for her. Go. Keep going. As she should,I'm just being real, that's good.Now I have space for me, and that's great too, unquote.And while We Gonna Be All Right is a common enough phrase,
20:03used in a number of songs throughout history,we might wonder if Mack was again citing another of Grande's songs,2016's Be All Right.While we can't be sure this was an intentional reference,the optimistic Everything is Going to Be All rightwas a sentiment that resonated with both Mac and Ariana.In the wake of Mack's passing,Grande posted a video of Mac laughing,
20:33wearing a sweater that said,Everything will be okay.She also tweeted the same phrase a few days lateras well as posted a screenshot of her listening to Dunno,adding a number of cloud emojis to the photo.The song's final two lines provide more evidencethat Mack might have been intentionally referencing Grande's songs,as he sings,
20:50Hold Me Close, Don't Hold Your Breath,This Feeling Your Favorite, I know.Don't Hold Your Breath feels like another referenceto the aforementioned song Breathing,as Mack's presence once again provides comfortand serves as a reminder to breathe,to stay present in the moment.The final line, this feeling your favorite,
21:07paired with the previous We Gonna Be All Right,seems to reference Mac and Erion,this collaboration,my favorite part from 2016's Divine Feminine.Seems clear with the final lines of Dono,Matt created a collage of references to Grande,proving that he did in fact hear her song,as he said in verse 2,
21:45that he was attentive and listening,truly in tune with how she feels.Fittingly, the outro lyrics as a wholeprovide a meditative mantra, Mack's blueprint for the ascension into the clouds, where everything isall right. Stay close, stay present, and breathe. We'll be back right after the break. Welcomeback to Dissect. Before the break, we analyze the gorgeously vulnerable Dunno, where Mack describes he andhis partner existing among the clouds, present together temporarily transcending their earthly woes.As swimming continues into its next track, Jet Fuel, Mac will continue the clouds motif,
22:40only this time with far darker connotations.Written in 2016, JetFuel is one of the earliest tracks Mac wrote that ended up making the album.Before landing on the concept of swimming,Mac had been brainstorming a possible mixtape comprised of more rap-centric tracks a la faces,and both JetFuel and Conversations Part 1 were part of that initial batch of songs.According to Quentin Cuff, the cover for this mixtape was going to be, quote,just a picture of him outside his house with a G-Wagon, unquote.Like a handful of tracks on swimming, JetFewel
23:24Jet Fuel is split into two parts. The first comprises the majority of the song it was produced byDJ Dahhee and Steve Lacey. It begins with a chord progression on guitar, played by Lacey.On top of this, we hear a sample of Jamaican artist Cutty Ranks' 1991 song, The Stopper.As it appears on Jet Fuel, the acapella of The Stopper is slowed down and filtered,appearing alongside what sounds like ocean tides, continuing the water-inspired sounds that appear in nearly every song on swimming.In the stopper, Cutty Ranks is boasting about going to a dance hall and shutting it down with his lyrical ability and stamina,demanding the respect of his peers and praising God for his talents.Fittingly, repurposed in a song called Jet Fuel, Ranks is gassing himself up.
24:33And with Mack's entrance on the track, we realize Ranks feels like a tone setter, as Mac will match this boastful and defiant energy.Backeroy used to want to be a superheroflying around with a caveand some bad guysI'm a head underwaterbut I ain't in the showerand I ain't getting baptizedto the good and the bad times
24:52all the cuts broken bonesin the black eyesyoung motherfucker with a mad mindmade a couple million off of rap linesy'all can't tell menothing no morecame from the basement under that flooryou don't come close
25:03you don't need to know him to goyou don't need to know how I gobecause you know what you wantAll I want to do is the mostMac begins the verseYeah used to want to be a superheroflying around with a cape catching bad guys.Capturing the classic youthful optimism of a child,
25:18Mack reflects on a time when he dreamed big,when he saw his feature as being synonymouswith the heroes of comic books and cartoons.We actually heard a similar sentiment back on small worlds when he rapped,Do you want it all if it's all mediocre,staring at the wall and the walls full of posters,looking at my dreams, who I want to be.I guess you've got to see it to believe.
25:37Mac here was contrasting the more grim reality of being a celebritywith his childhood fantasy of stardom.Likewise, on Jet Fuel,Mac contrasts his dreams of being a superherowith his current state as an adult,as he continues,Now my head underwater,but I ain't in the shower and I ain't getting baptized,
25:53which ties into the water sounds in the song's introduction.Once again, Mac presents the album's central aquatic motif,and while the danger of water and drowningwas always inherent in its symbolism,it's here that Mac really accentuates that danger.His head is underwater,and he makes it clear that we shouldn't interpret thiswith its potentially positive kind of
26:10such as the cleanliness of taking a shower, a euphemism for sobriety and getting clean,or the spiritual cleanse and renewal of a baptism, where one's head is momentarily dunked in holy water.Rather, Mack's head underwater here evokes drowning or even holding one's breath.Either way, it's a state Mack can't sustain for too long without severe, even fatal consequences.As if relishing in the unbaptized hedonism of drowning in vice,Mac offers a toast to the douchebags, wrapping, to the good and the bad times,all the cuts, broken bones, and the black eyes.Young motherfucker with a mad mind, made a couple million off a rap lines.
26:46Here Mac paints his younger self as a durable, almost possessed madmanwho survived a series of trials and tribulations that brought him to the heights he's now reached.His defiance continues with the next lines,y'all can't tell me nothing no more, come from the basement under that floor.You don't come close, you don't even know that I'm the goat.In another instance of Mac bottling highs and lows,the goat reference here is more than a claim that he's the greatest of all time.Symbolically, goats are often used to represent the horn devil or Satan,
27:15such as the figure of Baphomet, a winged creature with a human body and a goat head.Mack is saying that while he's the greatest, the highest, he's also got the devil in him.This simultaneity appears even more intentional when we look back at the surrounding lyrics.Mack ain't getting baptized, and his mad mind came from the basement under that floor,you know, like hell.He used to want to be a superhero and chase bad guys, but now he understands that he is both superhero and bad guy simultaneously.The thing is, Mac is telling us that we don't even know he's the goat, and at first we take that as a boast, that we don't realize Mac is the greatest rapper out here.But in its duality, it reveals that we don't know the devil within Mac, which is sort of true.
27:56While we've praised Mac's honesty all season, there's absolutely information that we, the fans, are never privy to.And that will probably always be true.We all contain good, we all contain evil.We are both devils and angels.Being honest about this balance is what allows us to make better choices and hopefully grow.You don't need to know I'm to go.You don't need to know how I go because you know what you want.All I want to do is the most.
28:19Backflip off the ropes.Got hook when I'm in the post.You're my girl too clutch a choke.And I ain't calling it quits.You can build a wall with your bricks.Like you talking that shit.It's like this.It's like this.
28:31Flipper's still in my cupGet faded when I wake upBecause everything is too muchSo what?Following his descriptionof wanting to do the mostMatt gives us an idea of what that meansrapping
28:45Backflip off the ropeSky Hook when I'm in the postBack flipping off the roperefers to professional wrestlingTypically any move off the top ropeis both dangerous and excitingWith the backflip or Moonsaultbeing one of the more flashy moves
28:58In a wrestler's arsenalSimilarly, the Sky Hook is a post-move in basketball that is both effective and acrobatic.Associating himself with a backflip in skyhook are thus boasts about Mack's wrapping ability and general stature,a bit of braggadocio that's been somewhat rare on swimming.Matt continues the boast with the next line,Yeah, my girl too clutch to choke.First, we acknowledge that Mac is extending the basketball reference,as clutch is a sports reference to someone who doesn't choke under pressure.
29:25Mac is also saying that his girl doesn't choke while giving him oral sex,which by proxy would mean Mac is well endowed.There's also a third later that continues the driving motif at the album.Both clutch and choke are terms that relate to cars,with the clutch being the pedal you press down when shifting gears,otherwise you kill or choke the engine.In a manual transmission, the gears are shifted with a long gear stick,which Mac seems to use as another phallic symbol.
29:49His girl is so good with the clutch and stick that she never chokes.The bragging continues as Mac wraps,and I ain't calling it quits,you can build a wall with your bricks,while I keep talking that shit, it's like this.After committing to his vices by saying he won't quit,Mac extends the basketball references here even more,telling his naysayers they can build a wall with their bricks,
30:09which in basketball means a terribly missed shot.Mac is saying they can keep taking shots on him,but they're going to miss or not affect him.The wall here also joins Mac's motific use of walls throughout swimming,symbolic of obstacles on Mack's path,or the confinement of being isolated indoors.In his current cocky, assertive state, Mac is free.This takes us to the end of the verse where mac wraps,
30:31Liquors still in my cup, get faded when I wake up,because everything is too much, so what?In a somewhat abrupt transition of subject matter,he admits there's still liquor in his cup.This seems to mean both that he's not sober, generally speaking,and that there's still some liquor in his cup from the night before,which he chooses to drink as soon as he wakes up because everything is too much.This admission of using alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism is a red flag,
30:55but it's doubly concerning that his worries are so intense that he feels he needs to drink from the moment he wakes up.The punctuation of so what at the end of the verse continues the aggression and defiance of the verse overall,as Mack seems to prematurely confront anyone who might have an issue with his actions.In this way, we wonder if the line, build a wall with your bricks,is referring to those around Mack trying to convince him to get sober.Mac switches from rapping to singing, saying,Woke up this morning with a bright idea,and then we hear an ad lib of Mac saying, smoke.
31:45Recall at the end of the verse, he had just woken up to find liquor still in his cup,deciding to get faded.Here he extends the thought, as his bright ideas associated with smoking,exactly what we're not sure yet.He then sings, maybe I can exist forever right here,punctuated by the ad lib, let it run.This is clever wordplay, as let it run in hip-hop usually refers to keeping the beat looping,presumably because the artist has more to say.
32:09But here it seems like Mac is using the phrase to also mean let the high runfrom the night into the next day to exist in it forever.Mack being both drunk and high then contextualizes the song's hook.Okay, okay, well, I'm gonna be here for a while longer than I did expect to.I was out of town getting lost and I was rescued.Now I'm in the clouds come down when I run out of jet fuel.But I never run out of jet fuel.Mac opens the hook switching back to rapping, while I'm gonna be here for a while, longer than I did expect to.
32:43This can refer to several things simultaneously, his elite position in hip-hop, his current drug and alcohol-induced high he wishes to stay in forever, or simply being alive.The latter interpretation feels especially potent, given Mac's consistent references to death and dying throughout his discography.Whether opening faces by rapping, I should have died already, or as recently as the outro of small worlds where he's saying, I can feel mymy fingers slipping and a motherfucking instant I'll be gone. Mac has always used the knowledge ofdeath's proximity as a reminder to live. Mac then continues rapping, getting lost till I was rescued,continuing the constant threat of travel and motion on swimming. Specifically, this line appears tofall in line with self-care when Mac's saying, I switched to the time zone, but what do I know,spending nights hitchhiking, where will I go? We might take the lines to be a reference to Mac's worldwide
33:31travels and his departure from Pittsburgh at the start of his music career, which contributed to hisexploits and vices. Mac then ends the hook, now I'm in the clouds, come down when I run out ofjet fuel, but I never run out of jet fuel. Like we heard in the previous track Dunno, Mac once againuses the clouds as a setting for his hook, insinuating a carefree levity. But while the clouds ofDunno seem to mostly refer to the feeling of bliss while in the intimate presence of his lover,now Mack's high clearly refers to drugs, as alluded to in the final lines of the first verse andthe entire pre-hook. Specifically, jet fuel in relation to drugs can refer to two things,a specific strain of weed, a cross between the most renowned diesel strains, or to PCP,
34:12a hallucinogenic commonly referred to as angel dust, rocket fuel, or jet fuel. In either case,never running out of jet fuel seems to nod to max wealth and the danger regarding his abilityto buy as much drugs as he desires.I'm always like, if someone's like, you want to try this, I'm like, yeah, sure. And then it justkind of fucks you up when you have a bunch of money because like you try a drug youlike it then you can buy a lot of it you know so I went through about everythingbut I never run out of jet feel putting 20 on a car that I don't whip I don't evenput it up the driveway throwing up shots like I don't miss never put a limit on the
34:53high stakes try to pull my car till I'm go fish you ain't gonna find a line my faceI pick it up and let it go quickThey want to get pushed myYeah, I don't say nothing that I don't knowJumping out the room where in PauloEverybody want to jump inBut I'm old school, long wolf, take them on soul offYeah
35:10I don't need nobodyI don't need to be nobodyI'm just doing my thingPick it at the cribI don't see nobody noSo over there with thatMac begins the second verse wrapping120 on a car that I don't whip
35:24I don't even pull it up the drivewayOn the surface, this feelslike a boast about his Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, a rare, lavish purchase Mac described as foolishfor years. While this line can be interpreted as a brag, that Mac has so much money he can afford tospend $120,000 on a car he never drives. There does seem to be an acknowledgement of the emptiness ofwealth here, especially knowing how Mack talked about this car in interviews. Like we spent the mostmoney? I bought a, spend $170,000 on a car. Stupid. What kind of car? G-wagon.It's nice, but it's, well, I should have least.
36:01Mack continues to verse throwing up shots like I don't miss.Similar to the previous line, this is both a boast and an admission.In contrast to his haters' bricks, Mack shoots in scores,or at least has the confidence to continue to shoot as if he never misses.But throwing up and shots also alludes to a hangover,as Mac vomits due to having one too many shots of alcohol.He then says, never put a limit on the high stakes.Try to pull my card, tell them go fish.
36:26Mack's somewhat reckless confidence continues as he claims to gamble limitless amounts of money on himself.He cites the children's game Go Fish, where players guess if opponents have certain cards in their hand,and Matt claims they'll never guess or pull his card.Given the wording of high stakes, this once again might be a coded way of saying he'll continue to use drugs without limits,despite those around him telling him to quit, to pull his card, so to speak.Given his honesty throughout the track this far, when Matt continues saying,you ain't going to find a lie in my face, we believe him.He follows by rapping, I pick it up and let it go quick.
37:00They want to get pussy from my,and it's here Mac is cut off by a woman's voice singing a melodic, uh-oh.Given the rhyme scheme, we might assume Mack was going to saythey want to get pussy from my old chick.Interestingly, there's a near identical parallel instance of Mac bleeping outthese same words and inertia,a Lucy song Mac released in the lead-up to swimming.Here Mack seems to bleep out, my old chick,
37:32Making the line, My Chick is old news, but add fuel to the fire is what I won't do.Given the 2018 release of this track, we assume Mack is referring to his recent breakup withAriana Grande.By bleeping out My Old Chick, Mack is proving his claim that he won't give the tabloids or publicany statements that will add fuel to the fire, as the breakup was already the headlines ofgossip columns around the country. Since JetFuel was at least started as far back as 2016,it seems unlikely the female in question would be Grande, but it would certainly be interpretedthat way, which might have been the reason for the omission. Mack then wraps, I don't say
38:06nothing that I don't know, jumping out the womb wearing polo. Immediately after claiming that he onlysays when he knows to be true, Mack says he was born into the world swaddled in the cotton clothof Ralph Lauren Polo brand clothing. For all the times he shouted out the brand in his wraps,maybe he actually was.On Here We Go, Mack opened the song with Polo Pajamas, I think I made it.I showed my mom my first million.She damn near fainted.That song appears on faces, Mac's most polo heavy album, peaking with the track Polo Jeans,
38:35where he and Earl's sweatshirt lampooned the contemporary American rap dream.The Ralph Lauren group has more than a dozen fashion lines, from elite luxury to attainable,and is generally perceived as an American status symbol.Sure, Matt could brag about wearing any other brand, but they ain't Ralph, though.Even Mack's dog Ralphie had a sister named Lauren.Mack then continues rapping,Everybody want to jump in, but I'm old school.Lone Wolf take him on solo.
39:00Playing off the previous line jumping out the womb,Mac flips directions to jump in,foreshadowing the coming line you got to jump in to swim on 2009,and generally evoking the image of water,as people jump into a pool or the ocean.It might also remind us of when Mack noticedthey call on me from the shore,I need more on perfecto,
39:18as he continues to resist the attempts of othersto help him swim, whether by calling him to the shore or by jumping in with him.Instead, he wants to go old school, which seems to refer to the notion of old-fashioned toughness.This kind of go-it-alone mentality leaves the individual without help or connection.While it's true that each of us must act in order to get anything done or make any change,the idea that any one person is an island is short-sighted.We're all out here in the water, but Mac is currently being defensive, trying to stay out there by himself.isolated Mac then wraps
39:49I don't need nobodyI don't need to be nobodyI'm just doing my thingkick it at the cribI don't see nobodyhe's boasting about his lonelinessrelishing his ability to keep to himselfhis lone wolf status
40:01well this kind of independence is importantwe can look back to a near identical lyricfrom Mac and realize he's not being entirely truthfulhere on the song Inside Outsidefrom Faces Mac wrappedand I don't need nobodyI would love somebody thoughdon't ever get it fucked
40:28up. This is the full statement, the full truth and wisdom, but on Jet Fuel, Mac seems to have hisguard up. Mac saying, I'm just doing my thing, kick it at the crib, I don't see nobody, might be aresponse to continued anxieties about fame and being out in public. As Mac one said, quote,being famous used to just defeat me, I wouldn't leave my house because I was worried aboutsomeone being like, oh, are you Mac Miller? And then the rest of the night I couldn't be myself,unquote. We've seen the inside outside motif run throughout swimming, and here on JetFew,feel Mac is actually feeling good about being inside. This leads to him shouting,I don't need to be nobody to the ceiling, a celebration of his feeling of ego death. The game of
41:07identity constantly influx under interaction between people and the outside world. It's easierto put away when alone. While it seems Mac tends to favor the indoors, typically he associatesit with sadness, so this joy is a wonderful testament to the allure of staying in. It would be a puremoment, if not for the context of drug use, alluded to throughout the track. The following line,I'm Just Doing My Thing, immediately brings him back to the ego. He's him again, doing his thing,a pattern of behavior attributed to the identity of Mac Miller. That moment of purity of not needingto be nobody is gone in a moment, such as the path of flexing our achievements.I'm looking at the crib, I don't see nobody, no. So over there with that bullshit, we don't need it
41:49on this side. I'm pulling up in that new shit. You always whipping that.Dick ride.I demand your respect.I won't share my connection.Let's get this clear.I am here.I don't care who got next.Young vet.
42:04Feeling like they forget.I let his slide this time.Like 25 years I've been high and no less.Shit I know I don't guess.Rather glow, I won't stress.But I say that shit with your chest.Matt continues to isolate himself from others,rapping in a new cadence.
42:21So over there with that bullshit, we don't need it on this side.This line resembles self-care in which Mac proclaim, tell them take that bullshit elsewhere.We interpreted this to mean either taking those drugs elsewhere, implicating an attempt at sobriety,or telling off people around him who attempt to get him off drugs.Here on Jet Fuel, it feels like the latter, reinforced by the line,I won't share my connect, or his drug dealer, continuing the defiance about his drug use throughout the track.Matt continues, I'm pulling up in that new shit, you always whip in that dick ride.Here we get another boast about his cars or whips,
42:54while insulting his naysayers, claiming that they only dick ride,a slaying term for someone who worships or praises someone too much.The boats continue as Mack demands respect,claiming himself a dominant young vet who's unconcerned with any up-and-coming rappersthreatening to take his spot.He then raps, feeling like they forget,I let it slide this time,like 25 years I've been high and no less.
43:15The phrasing, I Let It Slide, seems to nod to Mack's debut album Blue Slide Part,which charted number one,supporting his claim he's been high or topping the chartsince day one. Mack here is also reminding us of all he's accomplished by the young age of 25,which we assume is how old he was when recording this track. Finally, the verse closes out,shit I know, I don't guess, rather glow, I won't stress. Better say that shit with your chest.Saying something with your chest means to speak confidently, which Mac has done all song long.But beneath these bars, we've sent some defensiveness throughout the track, as if the ego is
43:49being used to compensate for deeper insecurities about loneliness and substance use.This makes the line, I know, I don't guess, ironic, as it directly follows a song titledDunno, slang for don't know. This last run of boast about his position in hip-hop recontextualizesthe final chorus, forcing us to consider another reading. I'm a be here for a while, longer thanI did expect to, now feels like a statement about his status and relevance in the music industry,while being in the clouds and never running out of jet fuel becomes a boast about his continuedmusical dominance. As Mack told Craig Jenkins at the time, quote,I'm less concerned about being king of the hill than being able to put shit out, unquote.
44:27In this sense, the jet fuel is used to power the steady flight.It's Max's undisputed work ethic leveling out into the cruising altitude of a life making music for a devoted fan base.Okay, okay, well, I'm going to be here for a while longer than I did expect to.I was out of town getting lost till I was rescue.Now I'm in the clouds.Come down when I run out of jet fuel.But I never run out of Jet Fuel.After the final chorus, Jet Fuel winds down into an instrumental passage
44:59where we hear Lacey's solo guitar and Mack's vocal harmonies.And then suddenly, the song transitions into an entirely new soundscape.In the official credits of swimming, this outro section is titled Now is Only Now,produced entirely by Mack himself.It's in the same key as Jet Fuel, making the transition smooth between the parts,almost as if Mack's backing vocals morph into the reverse electric piano we hear,giving the part a warped, ungrounded feeling.When Mac begins to sing, we notice his voice has autotune on it,
45:46which isn't a typical choice for Mac.He also dips in and out of singing in a high falsetto.Given all of JetFuel's talk of a sustained high,this outro section feels like a sonic depiction of Mac in the clouds.There's a foggy, almost divine quality to the part,but also a feeling of vulnerability and loneliness.It's certainly a sudden shift from the defiant bragana dosio that dominated jet fuel, but also reflects the undercurrent of isolation we've detected
46:11beneath all that egotism. Mac begins this section singing,Fate in Your Hands, while you're waiting for me. Once again, we get this motif of Mackeeping others waiting and being late, which we heard on small worlds, perfecto, ladders,and most recently on Dunnow. It's unclear who the you is addressing here, but given thatwaiting has previously been used to address Mac keeping his love interest waiting,we might assume the same here. Mac puts fate into thetheir hands, leaving it up to them to decide whether or not to wait for Mack to come back to Earth.Here we can't help but think of that we can spin that wheel line back on Dunnow, and it's
47:33possible allusion to the Wheel of Fortune, the classic circular symbol of fate controlledby a divine feminine or goddess. It's a notable parallel as Mac quite literally puts fate intoher hands here on the outro of Jet Fuel, enclosing these two songs in a mini circle.Mac then reveals, I'm already there, falling in deep. Being already there would seem to imply thatMac is actually the one that's waiting. Falling in deep might mean falling deeply in love,and if this were the case, Mac would be saying he's already committed to this relationship,waiting for them to also fall in deep, to fully commit and dive in. This would reinforce the openingline of fate being in their hands, as Mac is ready to go all in as soon as they are. There's also
48:12the possibility Mac is personifying drugs in this outro, especially given JetFuel's consistent focuson substances. In this reading, Mac would be putting fate into the drug's hands, with the waitingfor Meiline, perhaps implying times of temporary sobriety. Meanwhile, I'm already there falling in deepwhen insinuate drug use, as Mack drowns in the substances. Next Mac sings, Now is Only Now. This feels likea call to being present in the moment. We've heard this call to presence throughout the album,but is distilled here in one of its most potent articulations. It's an original phrase that might beinspired by the book, Be Here Now, or Remember Be Here Now, a 1971 book on spirituality, yoga,and meditation by Rom Doss.
48:53In Max Ellie Mansion, he had a copy of this book placed on his piano where sheet music typicallygoes, seemingly to provide inspiration while he composed.This feels especially relevant considering Max stated that playing piano is one of the bestways to get out of his own head.Among the book's many notable passages is, quote,early in the journey, you will wonder how long the journey will take and whether youwill make it in this lifetime.Later you will see that where you are going is here and you will arrive now, so you stop
49:20asking, unquote. This kind of emphasis and meditative focus on the present moment is a commonantidote to anxiety, which is typically caused by trauma or regrets of the past and worries about thefuture, focusing on what did happen or what could happen instead of what is happening.The lessons of Be Here Now have been present throughout swimming, whether the aware presenceof wings or the acceptance of perfecto. Even recently on Jet Fuel, when Mack shouted,I don't need to be nobody, it's possible he was voicing the teachings of Ram Dass, who tells us thateveryone is so busy trying to be somebody, when really the way is in becoming nobody,and giving up the armor of identity in the body. But here with now as only now feeling like a
49:59grounding mantra, we have perhaps Mack's most direct nod to Romdoss's iconic work.The final line of the outro is a bit of a twist, as Mac pleads, head back to the ground deer.This seems to confirm our initial suspicion that this section depicts Mack in the clouds.Given JetFuel's consistent references to the high of drugs, we might assume Mac in this outro isdepicting one of those highs. We also recall that on Dunnow, the clouds were being used as an elevatedplace that he and his lover and habit went together, intimately focused on olling each other,ignoring outside worries, but it was also the literal high of them smoking weed together.Max saying dear seems to imply that he's speaking to someone, calling for them to leave the high
50:38of this place and return to the ground, or a normal state of mind. In terms of the relationship describedon Dunno, this feels akin to Mack's refrain, wouldn't you rather get along? It feels like Mac ispushing them away, or at least letting them know it's okay to leave, as he doesn't want tokeep them waiting any longer. But the implication here feels like Mack wants to remain in the clouds,perhaps revealing a primary reason for the disconnect in the relationship, his continued use ofdrugs and his subsequent detachment from reality. But taking a look at these outro lyrics as awhole, there's another possible interpretation, that is actually Mack in conversation with someoneelse. In this reading, Mac would be saying, fate in your hands, while you're waiting for me,
51:16to which someone responds,I'm already there, falling in deep,now as only now, head back to the ground, dear.Here the respondent could be Mack's lover,reassuring him that they aren't waiting for him,that they are already deeply in love with him.They then encourage Mack to be presentand head back down to Earth,
51:32to come down from the high.This interpretation bodes wellin relation to our reading of Dunnoas a depiction of Mack and Grande's relationship.Indeed, while neither of them have spoken at lengthon record about the end of the relationship,it seems clear that Max struggles withsubstance abuse was a central issue, at least from Grande's perspective. In response to a viral,
51:51heartless tweet blaming Grande for Mack's DUI car accident, Grande described feeling like a babysitterand a mother to Mac and noted that she supported and cared for him during his attempts at sobriety.There's also the possibility that Mack in a hallucinated state is in conversation with himself,or even friends and family who encourage him to find sobriety. The abstraction of this beautifuloutro allows for multiple interpretations, but any way you look at it, it ultimatelyends with a request to descend from the sustained high Mack described throughout JetFuel's first half.Fittingly, it's directly after this request that the ethereal lightness of the outro's harmonydisintegrates, and the song ends on an unexpected and sustained dissonance, perhaps a sobering
52:30musical depiction of the comedown. Conclusions. Between Dunno and JetFuel, Mac paints a balancedportrait of the highs he seeks, love, drugs, and continued success-making music. On Dunno, he'swarm and comforting, depicting the love he feels when in the presence of the same.of his partner as an ethereal lightness, lost in the free and formless clouds that bind air andwater, yin and yang, male and female. On jet fuel, he's defiant and boastful, using an endlesssupply of drugs and turboboos of ego to sustain his high. And Walmack states that he'll never runout of jet fuel, the contrasting outro of the song would seem to say otherwise. While he's still in theclouds, his drug use seems to have led him to feeling isolated and alone, revealing that his
53:43pursuits of different highs have conflicted with one another. To sustain one,It seems he must give up the other.Thus, the final lyrics, Now is Only Now, head back to the ground deer, feel like a call to return to reality, to be present, present with himself, with his emotions, with those around him.And while we touched on the book, remember, be here now as a possible source of inspiration for this line.Mack's alteration to this motto demands consideration.Notably, he adds the phrase, only now, which seems to imply something like, this moment is only this moment, and it's bound to change in the future.Inherent in this is the idea of rebirth, that whatever you're feeling now, whoever you are in this moment, is not what you will feel or who you'll be in the next.Max seemed fascinated with this idea of rebirth.
54:28In our first episode of the season, we documented the way Mack thought of each album as a life cycle, ending with death and beginning with rebirth.On the aforementioned song, Inertia, part of Mack's introduction to the swimming era, he ended the track rapping, You Ain't Nothing Till You Die and Come Back to Life Iller, a fitting bridge into the album's first track, coming.back to Earth. Rebirth would also inspire Mack's prominent lotus flower tattoo on his neck.When asked what it meant, Mack stated, rebirth. It would go on to say, quote,a lotus flower shines most beautiful and the murkiest of waters, unquote.Mack here is referencing the fact that lotus flowers typically grow in mud and bloom each morningbefore submerging themselves underwater at night. This is key to understanding their symbolicmeaning, that out of dirt and destruction can grow beauty and harmony, that everything is
55:14interconnected in this way, and that each day, each moment offers us a chance to be reborn,to bloom, to transcend the darkness we can at times inhabit. This all feels present in Mac'sNow is Only Now, a motto that takes on additional significance when we realize that it was, in a way,Mac's final words to the world. In the early morning hours on the day he passed, Mac posted two tweetsthat were later deleted. The second tweet, ultimately his last, was simply those four words.Now is only now.In retrospect, it's hard to think of a more perfect parting statement.The motto is a potent distillation of the eternal wisdom
55:52mac imparted to us all through his music.We can imagine him now in his home among the clouds,reminding us to stay present,reminding us that each moment is fleeting,encouraging us to embrace that what we're feeling now won't last forever.So we ought to cherish the good times when they comeand remain hopeful during the bad,knowing that the feeling is temporary,
56:12that now is only now.that each moment presents an opportunity to change, to be better, another chance to be reborn.This episode of Dysect was written by Camden Ostrander and me.If you enjoyed today's episode, please tell a friend about the show or share on social media and tag at Dysect Podcast.It really helps.Limited Season 9 merchandise is available at Dysectpodcast.com.Theme music by Bureaucratic.Song Recreations by Andrew Atwood.
57:16Audio editing by Eric Bass and me.All right, thanks everyone.Talk to you next week.
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