Blog Post 1 - Comparison of John Mayer and Archilocus

“Stop This Train” Excerpt – John Mayer

So scared of getting older

I'm only good at being young

So I play the numbers game to find a way to say that life has just begun

Had a talk with my old man

Said help me understand

He said turn 68, you'll renegotiate

Don't stop this train

Don't for a minute change the place you're in

Don't think I couldn't ever understand

I tried my hand

John, honestly we'll never stop this train

See once in a while when it's good

It'll feel like it should

And they're all still around

And you're still safe and sound

And you don't miss a thing

'til you cry when you're driving away in the dark.

Archilocus Fragment 133

No one enjoys respect among his fellow townsmen or is spoken of

Once he is dead. Rather, we all pursue the favor of the living

While we ourselves are alive, and the dead always have the worst of it.

            Though written centuries apart, both John Mayer’s song and Archilocus’ fragment reflect a dread of death that is an inherent aspect of being human. Mayer laments the fleeting nature of life and expresses fear for the inevitable passing of his loved ones and, implicitly, himself, while Archilocus addresses a certain superiority that comes with living over being dead. Though each raises different concerns regarding passing away, both “poems” show that anxiety regarding our limited time on Earth is a natural part of the human experience.

            In his song, Mayer analogizes growing older with a moving train. Though he wishes he could “stop this train”, his father assures him that this is a futile effort; it is best for one to accept his or her current place in life, as there is nothing one can do to change it. Mayer goes on to say that the world becomes a darker place once one’s parents—and presumably other loved ones—have passed. There is no longer the comfort of knowing they are “still around”; instead, one is, in a way, alone in the world, left to continue moving forward “in the dark”. This suggests that while his own inevitable death is also of concern, Mayer worries for the future death of his loved ones and recognizes the grief that will surely accompany their passing.

            Archilocus, on the other hand, addresses a different concern regarding death: acquiring a certain irrelevance to those who are still alive. As he says, “No one enjoys respect among his fellow townsmen or is spoken of // Once he is dead.” He seems to believe the living lose interest in those who have died; they will no longer be courteous toward them or even acknowledge that they once existed. The living are concerned with the living—perhaps because favors can only be returned by people who are alive—leaving the dead to be forgotten entirely. Unlike Mayer who acknowledges the life-changing force of losing people one was close to in life, Archilocus admits that one’s acquaintances—“his fellow townsmen”—will quickly move on from one’s death, as the dead person will no longer be of importance to them.
            While Mayer and Archilocus express different perspectives on death, their writings make it clear that consideration of death is a timeless aspect of human nature, and is something that everyone must address on their own terms.