Douglas Glenn Colvin was born in Fort Lee, Virginia, and raised in Berlin, Germany (later to move back to the Forest Hills, Queens, NYC, NY, USA), the son of an American soldier stationed there and a German woman. His parents separated shortly after his birth, and he lived in Berlin until the age of 16, when he and his mother moved to the Forest Hills section of New York City's borough of Queens. There he met Johnny Ramone (John Cummings) and Tommy Ramone (Tommy Erdelyi), then playing in a band called The Tangerine Puppets, named after a Donovan song of the same name. They quickly became friends, being outcasts in that heavily middle class neighborhood. In 1974, Johnny and Dee Dee formed the Ramones with then-drummer Jeffrey Hyman, soon to be Joey Ramone, who took over vocal duties after Dee Dee decided that he could not sing lead and play bass well at the same time. Tommy then became the drummer.
Colvin wrote a considerable amount of the Ramones' material, such as "53rd and 3rd" (a song about rent boys; Dee Dee had been a prostitute on 53rd and 3rd, even though he refuses to speak about it, saying in the Ramones documentary "End of the Century," when asked about that situation, that he would like to "bypass that" and that "everyone blows up the negative"), "Glad To See You Go" (written about his then-girlfriend, Connie, a stripper and fellow drug user with a volatile personality), "It's A Long Way Back to Germany", "Chinese Rocks" (originally recorded by Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers as Johnny Ramone, a former addict himself, was not enthusiastic about the Ramones doing songs about drugs) and "Warthog".
In 1989, after quitting the Ramones, Colvin started a brief -- and to some fans, rather embarrassing -- career as rapper Dee Dee King with the album "Standing in the Spotlight". After the album failed, he returned to punk rock with various bands like Sprokkett and The Spikey Tops.
In 1991 Ramone was briefly involved with transgressive punk rock performance artist GG Allin, playing second guitar with Allin's backup band The Murder Junkies. DeeDee's involvement lasted a week, enough for him to be briefly interviewed during the filming of the Allin documentary Hated: GG Allin And The Murder Junkies; rehearsal recordings of Ramone with Allin appear on the Hated soundtrack, and on the posthumous live Allin compilation Res-Erected; while video footage of rehearsals is available on DVD through Allin's estate's website.
In 1992 he formed new band called The Chinese Dragons, which was followed by ICLC from 1994 to 1996. With ICLC Ramone also did an EP and a full-length album "I Hate Freaks Like You."
He reunited with The Ramones one last time in 1996. After Ramones retired, Colvin formed a Ramones tribute band called The Ramains with his girfriend Barbara and former Ramones drummer Marky Ramone. He also recorded several solo albums under his old name Dee Dee Ramone: "Zonked/Ain't It Fun" (1996), "Hop Around" (1999) and "Greatest & Latest" (2000). In new millenium he teamed with Paul Inderk Kostabi, leader of the hardcore punk band Youth Gone Mad and former guitarist of the White Zombie. Kostabi helped Colvin to start a new career as painter, but they also recorded several songs together.
Colvin was found dead on the evening of June 5, 2002, by his wife Barbara Zampini ("Barbara Ramone") at his Hollywood, California apartment. A heroin overdose was the official cause of death. He is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California, as is his former bandmate, Johnny Ramone, who died a little more than two years later.
COME ON NOW
Dee Dee Ramone Lyrics
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Come on now
We got no wheels to race
Come on now
Come on now
Police are every place
Come on now
We got no skirts to chase
I'm just a junk food guy
Now I am telling you why
I am living at the matinee, yeah
I just want to sleep and play
Come on now
Come on now
When the folks are not around
Come on now
Come on now
Nagging 'about the sound
Come on now
Come on now
To turn that racket down
I'm just a comic book boy
There's nothing scary to enjoy
Freak admission stroll inside
I was born on a roller coaster ride
Come on now
Come on now
Police are every place
Come on now
Come on now
We got no skirts to chase
I'm just a comic book boy
There's nothing scary to enjoy
Freak admission stroll inside
I was born on a roller coaster ride
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah come on now
In Dee Dee Ramone's song "Come On Now," he speaks about his desire to escape the mundanity of daily life, feeling limited and trapped by society's expectations. The repetition of the phrase "come on now" emphasizes his urgency to break free from his mundane reality, as he's longing for something more exciting. However, he quickly acknowledges the limitations that hold him back from this experience - "we got no wheels to race" and "we got no skirts to chase," reflecting a lack of transportation and things to do.
Dee Dee Ramone then shifts the focus to his personal interests and the frustration he feels towards the people in his life who do not share his same passions. He's "just a comic book boy," finding joy in "freak admission stroll inside." However, the people around him nagging him "about the sound" and asking him "to turn that racket down," demonstrate that they do not understand his hobbies and interests, further alienating him from society.
In essence, "Come On Now" is a call to break free from societal expectations and to find joy and purpose outside of the norms that limit us. Dee Dee Ramone's repetition emphasizes the urgency to do so, with the recognition that societal constructs can make it difficult to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on now
Encouragement to act and have fun
Come on now
Reiteration of the above
We got no wheels to race
There are no opportunities for excitement in the form of drag racing
Police are every place
The police are out in high numbers and it's difficult to have fun without getting caught
We got no skirts to chase
There are no women to pursue
I'm just a junk food guy
The singer has an unhealthy diet
Now I am telling you why
The singer is explaining their behavior
I am living at the matinee, yeah
The artist enjoys attending daytime movies in place of other activities
I just want to sleep and play
The artist is content with a simple lifestyle involving rest and leisure activities
When the folks are not around
The artist can only enjoy free time when their parents or guardians are not present
Nagging 'about the sound
The singer's parents are complaining about the volume of the singer's music
To turn that racket down
The artist is being instructed to lower the volume of their music
I'm just a comic book boy
The singer enjoys reading comic books
There's nothing scary to enjoy
The singer does not find thrill or excitement in horror or other scary genres
Freak admission stroll inside
The singer is interested in visiting amusement parks and sideshows
I was born on a roller coaster ride
The artist has always been drawn to excitement and thrills, like a roller coaster ride
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah come on now
Reiteration of the initial encouragement
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: DEE DEE RAMONE, DOUGLAS COLVIN, JEFFREY HYMAN, JOEY RAMONE, JOHN (RAMONE) CUMMINGS, JOHNNY RAMONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind