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John L
black midi Lyrics


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Three encores of 'Oh Sonny Boy' backed only by accordion
Three rows of pale brunettes protect him from the crowd
And the curtain is a patchwork of imitation vermillion
And a red bulb hangs over the throne that has been found

This is the scene on Main Street, when John Fifty comes to town
Yes, this is the scene on Main Street, when John Fifty comes to town

Crowds of every age, creed and gender are abound
Senor Kitsch sings skits detailing each attendees sins
The first time anteaters lose themselves in the wings
With vigor they scratch red spots, overwhelmed by their king

In all the world there's no escape from this infernal din
In all the world there's no escape from this infernal din

"Children of Bethlehem, from all boys and girls
Come listen to these, my eternal words
Judge not who you see, by whatever they may say
But by their round eyes, lips, ears and curves
A man is his country, your country is you
All bad is forewarned, all good will come true"

These words are heard on Main Street, when John Fifty comes to town
(Yes, these are the words on Main Street, when John Fifty comes to town)

The gargling non-song whips throng into frenzy
And the echoes of his crooning now cease to be heard
No-longer-pale brunettes are broken in two
And thrown to the snouts of the anteater crew
John Fifty is in tatters, his soapbox usurped
His torn rob adorns the tree stumps of the earth
No hack with an army will last long
Before he breeds men who yearn for their own bloody glory

That was the scene on Main Street, when John Fifty came to town
(Yes, that was the scene on Main Street, when John Fifty came to town)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Black Midi's song "John L" describe the chaotic and frenzied scene that takes place on Main Street when John Fifty, a fictional character, comes to town. The first verse paints a vivid picture of the scene, with three encores of "Oh Sonny Boy" backed only by an accordion as the pale brunettes protect him from the crowd. The curtain is a patchwork of imitation vermillion, and a red bulb hangs over the throne that has been found. The chorus repeats that this is the scene on Main Street when John Fifty comes to town.


The second verse introduces the crowds of every age, creed, and gender, who are gathered to hear Senor Kitsch sing skits detailing each attendee's sins. The anteaters, who are likely a metaphor for the crowd, lose themselves in the wings with vigor, scratching red spots and overwhelmed by their king. The lyrics suggest that there is no escape from this infernal din.


The third verse includes the eternal words of John Fifty, encouraging the children of Bethlehem to judge people based on their physical features rather than what they say. The song ends with a violent climax, as John Fifty is torn apart and his rob is thrown to the tree stumps of the earth. The lyrics suggest that no hack with an army will last long before he breeds men who yearn for their own bloody glory.


Line by Line Meaning

Three encores of 'Oh Sonny Boy' backed only by accordion
He performed three additional plays of 'Oh Sonny Boy' using accordion as the only accompaniment.


Three rows of pale brunettes protect him from the crowd
John Fifty is protected by three rows of pale-skinned women.


And the curtain is a patchwork of imitation vermillion
The curtain is made of fake red paint patches sewn together.


And a red bulb hangs over the throne that has been found
A red light bulb hangs over the throne that has been discovered.


This is the scene on Main Street, when John Fifty comes to town
John Fifty's arrival in Main Street creates such a scene.


Crowds of every age, creed and gender are abound
People of all ages, religion, and gender are present in the crowd.


Senor Kitsch sings skits detailing each attendees sins
Senor Kitsch performs acts that detail the sins of every attendee.


The first time anteaters lose themselves in the wings
The first time anteaters are fully immersed in the show.


With vigor they scratch red spots, overwhelmed by their king
They ecstatically scratch red spots, overwhelmed by their admiration for John Fifty.


In all the world there's no escape from this infernal din
It is impossible to escape from this infernal noise in the entire world.


"Children of Bethlehem, from all boys and girls
John Fifty addresses the children of Bethlehem.


Come listen to these, my eternal words
He calls upon them to listen to his permanent words.


Judge not who you see, by whatever they may say
Don't judge people by what they say, observe their physical attributes instead.


But by their round eyes, lips, ears and curves
Judge them based on their round body attributes such as eyes, lips, ears and curves.


A man is his country, your country is you
A man is his country and vice versa.


All bad is forewarned, all good will come true"
He forewarns the audience of the bad things and assures them that all good will come true.


These words are heard on Main Street, when John Fifty comes to town
These words are spoken by John Fifty to the audience in Main Street.


The gargling non-song whips throng into frenzy
The confusing unsung tune provokes the crowd into a frenzied state.


And the echoes of his crooning now cease to be heard
The echo of his singing can no longer be heard.


No-longer-pale brunettes are broken in two
Those pale-skinned ladies are now broken into pieces.


And thrown to the snouts of the anteater crew
They are thrown to the anteater crew for them to feast on.


John Fifty is in tatters, his soapbox usurped
John Fifty is in rags, his platform has been taken over.


His torn rob adorns the tree stumps of the earth
His ripped robe is now decorating tree stumps around the area.


No hack with an army will last long
No leader with brute force will last forever.


Before he breeds men who yearn for their own bloody glory
Before he inspires men longing for their own violent version of glory.


That was the scene on Main Street, when John Fifty came to town
This was the occurrence in Main Street when John Fifty came to town.




Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: Cameron Overeynder, Geordie Wade Greep, Matthew Antony Kwasniwski-Kelvin, Morgann George Simpson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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