I Only Wrote This Song for You
Johnny Thunders Lyrics


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I only wrote this song for you
It's about the way I feel

Oh you, you made my life
Oh you, you made everything alright
You took away my tears
You gave me new ideas
And now you're gone

Don't go away

Oh I, I was so fine
Remember when we drank wine
I'm sorry we never had a home
But baby I feel so alone
And don't go

Don't go away

Now there's so much pain
Without you
Now life doesn't seem
The way it used to
I'm so sorry
Let me make it up to you
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry

I wanna spend my life with you
I don't want nobody else but you
Can you see that I love you?
Don't go

Don't go away

Don't go
Don't go away





Don't go
Don't go away

Overall Meaning

The poignant composition of Johnny Thunders's "I Only Wrote This Song for You" delves into the heart-wrenching emotions experienced when losing a loved one. The lyrics describe the emotions of the singer and their deep love for someone who left them. The song's opening line, "I only wrote this song for you / It's about the way I feel," sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The songwriter admits that the sole purpose of this song is to convey how much he loves and misses his lost love.


The artist also remembers the moments they shared, from the happy times to the sad, like when they "drank wine" but didn't have something as basic as a home to call their own. The lyrics reflect on the role his lover played in the songwriter's life, who made everything feel right, took away his pain and sadness, and filled him with fresh ideas. The relationship meant the world to the songwriter, and they long for their gone love to come back and not leave them alone.


In conclusion, "I Only Wrote This Song for You" is a poignant message of love, loss, and heartbreak that perfectly captures the raw emotions experienced when mourning the loss of someone you love deeply.


Line by Line Meaning

I only wrote this song for you
This song is specifically written for you


It's about the way I feel
This song describes my feelings


Oh you, you made my life
You made my life better


Oh you, you made everything alright
You made everything better for me


You took away my tears
You comforted me when I cried


You gave me new ideas
You inspired me to think differently


And now you're gone
But now you're not here


Don't go away
Please don't leave


Oh I, I was so fine
I was happy


Remember when we drank wine
We had good times together


I'm sorry we never had a home
I feel bad we didn't have a stable place to live


But baby I feel so alone
Without you here, I feel very lonely


And don't go
Please don't leave


Now there's so much pain
There's a lot of pain now


Without you
Since you left


Now life doesn't seem
Life doesn't feel


The way it used to
The same as it was before


I'm so sorry
I feel bad


Let me make it up to you
Give me a chance to make things better


I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry
I'm very sorry


I wanna spend my life with you
I want to be with you forever


I don't want nobody else but you
I only want you


Can you see that I love you?
Do you realize that I love you?


Don't go
Please don't leave


Don't go away
Please don't leave


Don't go
Please don't leave


Don't go away
Please don't leave




Contributed by Leah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@phyllismauro8481

Johnny was my friend ,I just want people to know and remember him as a man who was of superior intelligence ,look at the songs he wrote.He used to. write.

@phyllismauro8481

Johnny was a friend of my husband and me.I want people to know that he was very creative and intelligent. In fact of,supet intelligence. When he came to our apartment on E12th street he always had some type of book or paper an pen and was writing words for songs.I wish they would stop associating JT with drugs.

@rocceymisiuk9310

Phyllis Mauro Ya was such a lucky one to got Him knew so.
I wish to could give Him such a huge hugh after everythin what He give us - His Fans. But I can't do it anymore. I can't visit His grave even, coz ima livin on the other part of the world...
He dedicated His life and Heart to His Music and Fan's, and He didn't got back such huge dose of love and attention as He should. And only Johnny Him self knew how badly sick He was at His final day's, but He never spoke hard enough about it, He focus on stuff He c'd do yet coz He knew that there ll be not enough long live He used to lived in.
I feel so very sory that I couldn't met Him back than but if I c'd I wish to tell Him how much He mean to me and how much I luv Him for the way He was...
Hopefully He jam there upstairs with mr.Razzle Dingley as well, Thay both was so great and Thay really like each other...
I wish that when there ll come my time to leave this world, Johnny ll waiting there for me and He ll hold my hand to help me to cross those eternal gates...
May He rest in peace... [*]

@pandorasparks6744

I never had the pleasure of meeting him but I can see this. It is a shame he isn't given the dignity of who he was and will continue to be.

@michaelseller5925

yes, i came to the Thunders and Heartbeakers appreciation club rather late. I have picked up on what you are saying. It does seem that Keith Richards statement about "it" casting a long shadow really applies here. People have this idea that they want to romanticize smack or they want to villifie the symbols of its destruction. As an example, the song "its not enough" is a powerful, emotional, slick piece of rock and roll balad. I read online that people identify this song with kicking heroin. Nowhere in that song is this idea suggested. But people want to associate Johnny with smack and that detracts from aplreciation of his work. Anyway, i rambled on too long but really appreciate you taking the approach you've taken in defending him

@bryanbaumgartner5302

I saw him perform 3 times. Always great shows and songs

@wherejustis4012

U r lucky iwish iknow him. Iwch movie about his story who killed him i'v tuched so much

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@1313RickyBobby

This video is so beautiful you can see the love and hurt in Johnny's eyes. But Johnny doesn't have to hurt anymore. R.I.P. Johnny Thunders 7/15/1952 entered into eternal rest 4/23/1991. Now he only lives in the hearts and minds of those of us who believe in the healing powers of dirty rock n' roll. Long live the king!

@shanelevene4864

Thunders is still alive... 1991 never happened. X

@LaFreem1

Thank you for this vid.I lived n worked (Im a master Tattoo Artist) for years blox from where Johnny died. I recently took a girl to NOLa, and we toasted his life as we sat on Willie DeVilles stoop. Poured a lil Jack Daniels on the doorway that they brought Johnny out of. Like Johnny, I too struggle with opiates/methadone. This vid hits home, the lyric is how I feel about that girl......she was all that and more. Shes since gone away. YOURE ALIVE THROUGH YOUR MUSIC JOHNNY, THANX FOR ALL U GAVE!

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