After the Sex Pistols broke up in 1978, he started Public Image Ltd. also called PiL. The group lasted for fourteen years with John Lydon as the only consistent member. In 2010, Lydon reassembled PIL and embarked on a successful tour of Europe, as well as re-visiting the United States for the first time in 18 years.
In 1997 he released a solo album on called Psycho's Path. He wrote all the songs and played (almost) all the instruments on the album.
Besides music, John has written a book called "Rotten - No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs", been in British reality television show, "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!", hosted the short-lived VH1 show "Rotten TV", co-starred in the movie "Copkiller" along with Harvey Keitel and hosted "It's a Rotten Day", a minute-long, syndicated US radio feature, in which he would offer cynical commentary on the day's headlines.
Psychopath
John Lydon Lyrics
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I put my life on it
And as I reach into the sky, the devil and the angels just pass me by
I put my life on it
Like a drowned man, clutching at straws
Written contract with a hidden clause
I put my life on it
No way out
(Dressed as a clown in my psyche, pulling me down)
And all my friends just talking crap
What kind of feeling is that?
What I have, I don't heed
What I don't have, I need
I put my life on it
The most evil thing I can do, is to give my body to you
The most evil thing I can do, is to give my body to you
I'm going to be all over you
Like a rash, like a voodoo
I put my life on it
And all these things what we don't have
All these things to be believed
Too much nonsense to tell the difference
Too much fusion from fact to fiction
(Psychopath)
What I don't have, I want
(Psychopath, dressed as a clown)
I put my life on it, I want
(In my psyche, pulling me down)
I like to wallow in sin, there is nowhere I fit in
And all these things in my head
And all these things that I said
And all these things that I do
They just stick to me like glue
A headache full of ghosts
(The most evil thing I can do)
A parasite to the host
(Is to give my body to you)
(The most evil thing I can do is to give my body to you)
I put my life on it
(The most evil thing I can do is to give my body to you)
All these things running through my head
(The most evil thing I can do is to give my body to you)
(The most evil thing I can do is to give my body to you)
John Lydon's song "Psychopath" contains introspective and emotional lyrics that address the singer's inner conflict with his psyche. In the first verse, he describes the presence of a psychopath dressed as a clown in his mind, weighing him down and pulling him further away from his goals. He is unsure of how to escape this internal battle and is left reaching for help from external sources, but even the devil and angels pass him by. The character is left clutching at straws and stuck in a situation where there seems to be no way out.
In the second verse, Lydon describes the frustration of his friends' inaction to help him. They instead choose to speak frivolously, causing him to feel unheard and misunderstood. Lydon's character has an internal conflict between what he possesses and what he desires. He is unable to adequately differentiate between reality and fiction due to the overwhelming fusion of the two. His longing for materialistic things and what he deems as happiness cause him to make irrational decisions, and he proclaims that he will be all over someone like a rash or voodoo. He wallows in sin and feels as though he doesn't fit into society, and his thoughts and actions stick to him like glue.
Overall, the lyrics of "Psychopath" paint a picture of a man struggling with his inner demons and unable to escape the turmoil that exists within him. The character repeatedly emphasizes that he puts his life on it, implying that he is willing to risk everything to get what he desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Psychopath dressed as a clown in my psyche, pulling me down
I feel like there's a part of me that's trying to drag me down, and it reminds me of a creepy clown - it's making me feel crazy.
I put my life on it
I'm really sure of what I'm saying and doing right now, and I'm willing to risk everything for it.
And as I reach into the sky, the devil and the angels just pass me by
I'm searching for something higher than myself, but it seems like there's no good or bad forces to help guide me.
Like a drowned man, clutching at straws
I'm desperate for something, and trying to grab onto anything that might help me survive.
Written contract with a hidden clause
I'm worried that I've signed a deal that's going to turn out badly for me, even though I don't know what the bad part is yet.
No way out
It feels like I'm stuck in this situation, and there's no escape route.
And all my friends just talking crap
I don't feel like my friends are really supporting or understanding me - they're just saying meaningless things.
What kind of feeling is that?
I'm just really frustrated and confused at the lack of empathy or understanding from others.
What I have, I don't heed
I'm not paying attention to what I already have in my life, even though it might be good for me.
What I don't have, I need
I'm so focused on what I'm missing in my life that I can't appreciate what I already have.
The most evil thing I can do, is to give my body to you
If I let someone else control me, especially if they're bad for me, it's going to end really badly.
I'm going to be all over you, like a rash, like a voodoo
If I let someone into my life who is bad for me, I'm going to end up feeling like they've taken over and infected me.
All these things what we don't have, all these things to be believed
There's this constant pressure to aspire for more, but it's hard to tell what's actually worth chasing after and what's not.
Too much nonsense to tell the difference
There's so much conflicting and confusing advice out there that it's hard to know what's right or truthful.
Too much fusion from fact to fiction
There are too many instances where speculation and opinions get mixed in with real evidence, making it tough to tell what's true or not.
What I don't have, I want
Even if I already have enough, my craving for more just doesn't stop.
I like to wallow in sin, there is nowhere I fit in
I'm almost comfortable with being bad or broken in some way, because it seems like no matter what I do, I don't belong.
And all these things in my head, and all these things that I said
I'm plagued by my own thoughts - even the things that I tell myself don't seem to make any sense to me.
And all these things that I do, they just stick to me like glue
The consequences of my actions don't seem like they'll ever truly go away, no matter how much I try to move on from them.
A headache full of ghosts
I'm haunted by memories or thoughts that just won't go away, and it's causing me a lot of distress.
A parasite to the host
If someone is trying to control or manipulate me, they're just causing me pain and taking up all my energy.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JOHN LYDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind