‘This Is Us’: Took Us Back to Jack’s Gut-Wrenching Death With One Song — The Full Lyrics Will Break You
Many fans are calling this week’s episode of This Is Us one of the best. It also might be the second most heart-wrenching — after the crockpot incident. The producers know how to make viewers reach for the tissues. Let’s take a look at how the re-playing of one song brought Jack’s (Milo Ventimiglia) death up all over again.
[Warning: This Is Us Season 4 spoilers ahead]
Kate, Kevin, and Randall dig up a time capsule that Jack buried with them
When the siblings were around ten-years-old, Jack asks them to each pick one item to bury in a time capsule. While, in the present day, Kate (Chrissy Metz), Randall (Sterling K. Brown), and Kevin (Justin Hartley) bond after digging up the old-time capsule.
Not only do they find what they put in it almost thirty years ago, but a tape that Jack recorded. On the tape, he describes the family’s dream home — then in Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) capsule is the sketch Jack drew of the home.
Later, during a flash-forward, Kevin is holding the drawing of Jack and Rebecca’s dream home, and then the house comes to life before us, while the song, “To Build a Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra plays.
For some, it seems like the perfect song to play while you look at the new home. However, many fans remember the lyrics from a disastrous time in the family’s life.
Why is the song ‘To Build a Home’ so significant on ‘This Is Us’?
“There is a house built out of stone, wooden floors, walls, and window sills,” begins the song. “Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust. This is a place where I don’t feel alone. This is a place where I feel at home.”
This song plays while we watch the dream home appear, but it also was heard while the family’s first home burnt to the ground. It was on while Jack cleaned up the kitchen before he went to bed the night of the Super Bowl — before he tragically died.
“And I built a home for you, for me, until it disappeared, from me, from you,” the song continues. “And now, it’s time to leave and turn to dust.”
The song perfectly describes how the family made their house feel like a home, and then Jack died, and it all disappeared. He turned to dust, and so did the home. Now, in the future, Kevin brings the family home to fruition, except Rebecca is about to die there. The symbolism is heavy.
Fans describe how the song placement was gut-wrenching in ‘This Is Us’
“Music is the quickest way to get to my heart and take me back to a moment in time,” wrote one Reddit user.
The song took us all back to that moment where the family lost their father.
“Using ‘To Build A Home’ again in this place in the story was perfect,” added another fan. “This was one of my favorite reuses of a meaningful song in a show ever. The timing was perfect.”
It was great timing, even if it made everyone use another entire box of tissues.
“The time capsule was a beautiful gift,” wrote another Redditor. “And I loved how they played the same song that was playing when their house burned down. Reminding us that Rebecca brought them through it all as best she could. This is why I love this show.”
It does allude to Rebecca getting everyone through the heartbreak of Jack’s death. However, many fans also feel that it is going to end with her dying in that new home.
“It made my stomach turn into knots, too,” added one viewer.
We are afraid this won’t be the last time we hear this song. Listen for it in an upcoming episode of This Is Us, which airs Tuesdays at 9 pm ET on NBC.
Read more: ‘This Is Us’: 3 Solid Reasons Why We Know That Madison is Not Kevin’s Future Fiance
