Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya
Dropkick Murphys Lyrics


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When on the road to sweet Athy,
Hurroo Hurroo
When on the road to sweet Athy,
Hurroo Hurroo
When on the road to sweet Athy
A stick in the hand, a drop in the eye
A doleful damsel I heard cry
"Johnny, I hardly knew ya"

Where are the eyes that looked so mild,
Hurroo Hurroo
Where are the eyes that looked so mild,
Hurroo Hurroo
Where are the eyes that looked so mild
When my poor heart you first beguiled
Why did ya run from me and the child
Johnny, I hardly knew ya

We had guns and drums and drums and guns,
Hurroo Hurroo
We had guns and drums and drums and guns,
Hurroo Hurroo
We had guns and drums and drums and guns
The enemy never slew ya
Johnny, I hardly knew ya

Where are the legs with which you run,
Hurroo Hurroo
Where are the legs with which you run,
Hurroo Hurroo
Where are the legs with which you run,
When first you went to carry a gun
Indeed your dancing days are done
Johnny, I hardly knew ya

We had guns and drums and drums and guns,
Hurroo Hurroo
We had guns and drums and drums and guns,
Hurroo Hurroo
We had guns and drums and drums and guns
The enemy never slew ya
Johnny, I hardly knew ya

You hadn't an arm, you hadn't a leg,
Hurroo Hurroo
You hadn't an arm, you hadn't a leg,
Hurroo Hurroo
You hadn't an arm, you hadn't a leg
You're a spinless, boneless, chickenless egg
You'll have to be put with the bowl to beg
Johnny, I hardly knew ya

We had guns and drums and drums and guns,
Hurroo Hurroo
We had guns and drums and drums and guns,
Hurroo Hurroo
We had guns and drums and drums and guns
The enemy never slew ya
Johnny, I hardly knew ya

I'm happy for to see ya home,
Hurroo Hurroo
I'm happy for to see ya home,
Hurroo Hurroo
I'm happy for to see ya home
From the isle of Ceylon
Johnny, I hardly knew ya

We had guns and drums and drums and guns,
Hurroo Hurroo
We had guns and drums and drums and guns,
Hurroo Hurroo
We had guns and drums and drums and guns




The enemy never slew ya
Johnny, I hardly knew ya

Overall Meaning

"Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya" is a traditional Irish song that has been given new life by the Boston-based punk band Dropkick Murphys. The song paints a picture of a woman who is lamenting the loss of her lover, who has returned from war severely injured and unrecognizable to her. The song speaks to the horrors of war and the toll it takes on those who fight it.


The lyrics describe a woman on the road to Athy. She hears a doleful damsel crying for Johnny, whom she barely recognizes after he returns from war. The woman wonders where the eyes that first beguiled her have gone and why Johnny has run off with their child. She recalls the days when they had guns and drums and the enemy never slew Johnny. She wonders where the legs with which he ran to carry a gun are and notes that his dancing days are done. The final stanza describes Johnny's return home from Ceylon without limbs or vitality, with the implication that he'll have to beg to survive.


The song decries the waste of human life that war causes and highlights the human toll that it takes. Anyone who goes to war is irrevocably changed, and those left behind are left to pick up the pieces. The bittersweet refrain of "Johnny I hardly knew ya" speaks to the cruel irony that a person can go to war and come back so changed that they're unrecognizable to those who love them.


Line by Line Meaning

When on the road to sweet Athy, Hurroo Hurroo When on the road to sweet Athy, Hurroo Hurroo When on the road to sweet Athy A stick in the hand, a drop in the eye A doleful damsel I heard cry "Johnny, I hardly knew ya"
As I was on a sweet journey to Athy, I saw a woman in distress with a stick in her hand and tears in her eyes lamenting about how much Johnny has changed that she barely knows him now.


Where are the eyes that looked so mild, Hurroo Hurroo Where are the eyes that looked so mild, Hurroo Hurroo Where are the eyes that looked so mild When my poor heart you first beguiled Why did ya run from me and the child Johnny, I hardly knew ya
The woman remembers how sweet and kind Johnny once was, and how he won her heart, but she can't understand why he ran away from her and their child, that she barely recognizes him anymore.


We had guns and drums and drums and guns, Hurroo Hurroo We had guns and drums and drums and guns, Hurroo Hurroo We had guns and drums and drums and guns The enemy never slew ya Johnny, I hardly knew ya
The woman remembers when Johnny left to fight in the war, how much excitement there was with drums and guns, but now she barely recognizes him since he came back safe, though not completely unscathed.


Where are the legs with which you run, Hurroo Hurroo Where are the legs with which you run, Hurroo Hurroo Where are the legs with which you run, When first you went to carry a gun Indeed your dancing days are done Johnny, I hardly knew ya
The woman remarks on how Johnny's old and new selves are so different that she barely recognizes him anymore. His legs which once carried him to dance, now carry him to war, and his dancing days may be forever over.


You hadn't an arm, you hadn't a leg, Hurroo Hurroo You hadn't an arm, you hadn't a leg, Hurroo Hurroo You hadn't an arm, you hadn't a leg You're a spinless, boneless, chickenless egg You'll have to be put with the bowl to beg Johnny, I hardly knew ya
The woman encounters Johnny again after the war, but he is missing limbs and has become miserable and lost his spirit. She hardly recognizes him as the person she knew and calls him a weak and helpless man.


I'm happy for to see ya home, Hurroo Hurroo I'm happy for to see ya home, Hurroo Hurroo I'm happy for to see ya home From the isle of Ceylon Johnny, I hardly knew ya
Even though Johnny has changed so much, the woman is still happy to see him back home from his travels to the Isle of Ceylon, although she can barely recognize him now.




Lyrics © SPIRIT TWO SMA
Written by: AL BARR, TIM BRENNAN, KEN CASEY, MATT KELLY, JAMES LYNCH, MARC ORRELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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