Come On Eileen
Badly Drawn Boy (feat. Jules Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra) Lyrics


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Poor old Johnny Ray
Sounded sad upon the radio
Moved a million hearts in mono
Our mothers cried
Sang along, who'd blame them
Now you're grown, so grown, now I must say more than ever
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
And we can sing just like our fathers

Come on Eileen, oh I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
With you in that dress my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty
Ah come on Eileen

These people round here wear beaten down eyes
Sunk in smoke dried faces
They're so resigned to what their fate is
But not us (no never), no not us (no never)
We are far too young and clever
Remember
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
Eileen I'll hum this tune forever

Come on Eileen oh I swear (what he means)
Ah come on, let's take off everything
That pretty red dress Eileen (tell him yes)
Ah come on let's, Ah come on Eileen
That pretty red dress, Eileen (tell him yes)
Ah come on let's, ah come on Eileen
Please

Come on Eileen too-loo rye-aye
Come on Eileen too-loo rye-aye
Toora toora-too-loora

Now you have grown, now you have shown, oh Eileen
Come on Eileen, these things they are real and I know
How you feel
Now I must say more than ever




Things round here have changed
Too-ra loo-ra too-ra loo-rye-aye

Overall Meaning

The song "Come On Eileen" by Badly Drawn Boy features Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, and was released in 2002. The lyrics tell the story of a man reminiscing about his youth and listening to Johnny Ray on the radio, moving a million hearts in mono. The song mentions how they used to sing along and how the man is now grown and understands the power of music. The chorus repeatedly calls out to a woman named Eileen, asking her to come on and join them.


The song also talks about the people in the area and how they all seem to have given up on their dreams, while the man insists that they are far too young and clever to do so. The lyrics are fun and catchy, with an upbeat rhythm and a very cheerful tone. The music is a mixture of rock, folk and pop, with a prominent accordion sound adding to the cheerful vibe of the song.


Line by Line Meaning

Poor old Johnny Ray
Our musical tastes have changed, but we still remember the old songs


Sounded sad upon the radio
Johnny Ray's music had a melancholy quality to it


Moved a million hearts in mono
Johnny Ray's music had a wide appeal and was listened to on mono radios


Our mothers cried
The emotional quality of Johnny Ray's music resonated with our mothers


Sang along, who'd blame them
Our mothers couldn't help but sing along to Johnny Ray's music


Now you're grown, so grown, now I must say more than ever
Now that we are older, we have a more nuanced understanding of the world


Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
We still remember the old Irish songs we used to sing


And we can sing just like our fathers
We learned these songs from our fathers and they are still a part of us


Come on Eileen, oh I swear (what he means)
The singer is trying to convince Eileen to do something with him, and he is serious about it


At this moment, you mean everything
Eileen is very important to the singer right now


With you in that dress my thoughts I confess
The singer finds Eileen attractive and is having impure thoughts about her


Verge on dirty
The singer's thoughts are inappropriate or even obscene


Ah come on Eileen
The singer is trying to persuade Eileen to do something


These people round here wear beaten down eyes
The singer feels like the people around him are weary and defeated


Sunk in smoke dried faces
The people's faces are lined and aged prematurely from smoking


They're so resigned to what their fate is
The people have given up and accepted their lot in life


But not us (no never), no not us (no never)
The singer and Eileen refuse to be like the other people around them


We are far too young and clever
The singer and Eileen feel like they are too young and intelligent to be defeated by their circumstances


Remember
The singer is reminding Eileen of something important they talked about earlier


Eileen I'll hum this tune forever
The singer will always remember this moment with Eileen


Ah come on, let's take off everything
The singer is trying to persuade Eileen to get undressed


That pretty red dress Eileen (tell him yes)
The singer finds Eileen's dress attractive and is asking her to take it off


Please
The singer is making a polite request to Eileen


Come on Eileen too-loo rye-aye
The singer is encouraging Eileen to join in with the music and the fun


Toora toora-too-loora
This is a nonsensical chorus that is just meant to be fun


Now you have grown, now you have shown, oh Eileen
The singer recognizes Eileen's maturity and newfound confidence


Come on Eileen, these things they are real and I know
The singer is acknowledging the seriousness of their relationship and the challenges they face


Things round here have changed
The singer is aware that their surroundings have changed since they were young


Too-ra loo-ra too-ra loo-rye-aye
This is another nonsense chorus that just adds to the fun of the song




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: James Paterson, Kevin Rowland, Kevin Adams

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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