How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

In track 8 of Frank Ocean’s 2012 Channel Orange album, he discusses the topic of first love and compares it with a drug by using the double entendre Pilot Jones. This is because a pilot is one who drives or steers, likening how lovers are “jonesing” or craving each other to a pilot that is driving them toward each other. Alternatively, a pilot episode is the first in any line of a TV series, hinting at this being a first love. Further adding to this extended metaphor is that the first love he discusses in the song may or may not smoke frequently, so he could be using drugs as an easy comparison to the love that they share.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Translations
Genius Answer
What have other artists said about the song?
Genius Answer

It’s really interesting that he uses seed ideas or tools to write that really don’t have anything to do with the song. It’s just a way for him to access himself, and then the song comes out, and then the track is built around what he writes.

Rick Rubin in conversation with Jeff Himmelman.

What did Frank Ocean say about "Pilot Jones"?
Genius Answer

I was like, ‘I gotta get this song out.’ I always knew the track would have to change.

Frank Ocean in conversation with Jeff Himmelman.

Comments