King Missile III 1998 - present
* John S. Hall - vocals: singing and spoken word
* Sasha Forte - bass, violin, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
* Bradford Reed - pencilina, drums, percussion, synthesizer, backing vocals
Mr. Johnson
King Missile Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he laughs at our bell-bottom trousers and our bare feet
And he calls us long-haired faggots as we walk by
But we don't get mad, because we know he's uptight
Chorus:
Hey Mr. Johnson
Won't you wear this flower in your hair
Love is all around you everywhere
Love is all around you everywhere
I've known Mr. Johnson since before I was born
But he still gets mad when we smoke pot on his lawn
But we never get mad, we simply walk away
He don't mean to be a drag, he's just brought up that way
(Chorus)
Love is all around you everywhere
Love is all around you everywhere
The lyrics to King Missile's "Mr. Johnson" tell the story of a neighborhood where a man named Mr. Johnson lives on the corner of the street. Mr. Johnson is portrayed as a negative figure who criticizes the appearance of the young people in the area, calling them "long-haired faggots" as they walk by. Despite his negative attitude, the singer and his friends do not get angry with him, acknowledging that he is "uptight," most likely a result of his being from a different generation.
The chorus of the song presents an alternative, hopeful message to Mr. Johnson. The singer asks Mr. Johnson to wear a flower in his hair, symbolically representing a change in attitude. By doing so, Mr. Johnson will "start seeing love is all around [him] everywhere." The song ends with the repetition of this message, reminding us that love is always present, even in difficult or unlikely places.
One interesting aspect of this song is that it was released in 1992, after the peak of the hippie movement that took place in the 1960s. Despite this, the song incorporates many of the ideas and symbols that were associated with that era, such as bell-bottom trousers and flowers in one's hair. It suggests that the message of love and acceptance that was central to the era is timeless and still relevant.
Line by Line Meaning
Mr. Johnson lives on the corner of our street
There's an old man named Mr. Johnson who lives nearby
And he laughs at our bell-bottom trousers and our bare feet
He finds our clothing and appearance amusing and ridiculous
And he calls us long-haired faggots as we walk by
He insults us by using a homophobic and derogatory term
But we don't get mad, because we know he's uptight
We don't get angry since we understand that he's narrow-minded and conservative
Hey Mr. Johnson
We address him directly
Won't you wear this flower in your hair
Could you please wear this flower to symbolize peace and love?
Then you'll start seeing
If you wear the flower, you'll realize
Love is all around you everywhere
That love and positivity exists all around us
I've known Mr. Johnson since before I was born
I have been aware of Mr. Johnson's existence my whole life
But he still gets mad when we smoke pot on his lawn
He still becomes angry when we smoke marijuana on his property
But we never get mad, we simply walk away
We never take offense, we just leave the area
He don't mean to be a drag, he's just brought up that way
He doesn't intend to cause trouble or be a downer, he's just been raised that way
Love is all around you everywhere
Love is present in the world, and all around us
Love is all around you everywhere
Love is always nearby, in the things we do and the people we love
Contributed by Miles V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.