Why Ratings Exist

The System Behind the System

Tom Jensen's catalog spans 29 years and every kind of human experience — from children's-book clean to explicit content a reasonable person would want a warning before encountering. Rather than restrict access or bury honest work, the catalog uses a rating system so readers can navigate freely.

The ratings are applied honestly. G means genuinely all-ages. X means explicitly mature content — language, subject matter, or both. Every rating in between represents a real distinction, not a conservative default.

You'll see these ratings on every song, every album, and every Quick Guide page on the site. This page explains exactly what each one means.

The Six Tiers

What Each Rating Means

G
General
All Audiences
No profanity. No explicit content. Accessible to any age.
G-rated songs in this catalog are clean by any reasonable standard. The subject matter may be serious — loss, longing, identity — but the language is accessible and the imagery is not explicit. A G-rated song is something you could read aloud to anyone.
Notable G albums: Song List 1 — The Last Man Singing · Song List 5 — Love Without a Doubt
PG
Parental
Parental Guidance Suggested
Mild language. Mature themes handled with restraint. Generally safe.
PG songs may include mild language or emotionally mature content that a parent might want to discuss with a younger reader. Nothing graphic. Nothing explicit. The equivalent of a PG film — the subject matter is real, but the presentation is measured.
Notable PG albums: Set List 2 — Plurality · Song List 4 — A Traveler in the Distance
PG-13
13+
Parents Strongly Cautioned
Stronger language and themes. Not explicit, but honest about adult reality.
PG-13 is the sweet spot for a lot of this catalog. Songs with real emotional weight, adult situations, and language that doesn't sanitize the experience — but without graphic content. The equivalent of an honest drama. Teens can handle it; the warning is just a heads-up.
Notable PG-13 albums: Set List 1 — Glass Half Something · Set List 9 — Thralls of the Flame
R
Restricted
Restricted — Adult Themes
Explicit language, dark subject matter, or mature content requiring adult context.
R-rated songs use profanity, deal with violence, addiction, sexuality, trauma, or other adult subjects without filtering. These aren't shock-value exercises — the content is there because the subject requires it. But this is not appropriate content for all readers and the rating means it.
Notable R albums: Set List 3 — Self in the Mirror · Set List 18 — Corrugation Row · Set List 20 — The Cost of Light
NC-17
Adults
No One 17 and Under Admitted
Explicit sexual content, extreme language, or mature subject matter for adult audiences only.
NC-17 is used for content with explicit sexual material, sustained extreme language, or subject matter that is specifically intended for an adult audience and would be inappropriate regardless of context for minors. This is not a rating used lightly in this catalog.
Notable NC-17 albums: Set List 17 — Smirks, Swears, Moans and Cries · Set List 24 — Bi Ride or Die
X
Explicit
Explicit — Adults Only
The catalog's most explicit content. Graphic language, explicit sexual content, or extreme subject matter.
X-rated songs contain the most explicit content in the catalog. This includes graphic sexual content, extreme profanity, or subject matter that is deliberately unfiltered and not suitable for any reader who has not actively chosen to engage with this level of content. The X rating is honest — these songs require that choice.
Notable X albums: Set List 23 — Zionation · Selected tracks across multiple albums
Catalog Distribution

How the 34 Albums Break Down

Rating Album Count % of Catalog Distribution
G 3 albums 9%
PG 7 albums 21%
PG-13 8 albums 24%
R 12 albums 35%
NC-17 2 albums 6%
X 2 albums 6%

54% of the catalog (18 of 34 albums) is G, PG, or PG-13. The majority of the catalog is accessible to a broad audience.

The Quick Guides

Browse the Catalog by Rating

The Quick Guide pages let you browse all 34 albums sorted by rating tier — from cleanest to most explicit.

G · PG · PG-13
Albums 1–12
PG-13 · R
Albums 13–25
NC-17
Albums 23–NC-17
X Rated
X Section
Brief Intro Book Section: G to X Switchboard — All Pages