My My Hey Hey
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Lyrics


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My my, hey hey
Rock and roll is here to stay
It's better to burn out than to fade away
My my, hey hey

Out of the blue and into the black
They give you this, but you pay for that
And once you're gone, you can never come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black

The king is gone but he's not forgotten
This is the story of a Johnny Rotten
It's better to burn out than it is to rust
The king is gone but he's not forgotten

Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die




There's more to the picture than meets the eye
Hey hey, my my

Overall Meaning

"My My Hey Hey" is a song that confronts the idea that rock and roll will die out eventually, and instead proclaims that it will never die. The song starts with the lines "My my, hey hey, rock and roll is here to stay," emphasizing that rock and roll is a genre that has cemented its relevance in society and will continue to do so. However, as the song progresses, Young adds a darker tone. He sings "It's better to burn out than to fade away", implying that if rock and roll's time is up, it's better to go out in a blaze of glory rather than fading away into obscurity. This becomes the centerpiece of the song and its concept: embracing the idea of going out with a bang and being remembered forever, rather than simply fading away until no one cares anymore.


The second half of the song further explores this concept with Young examining the idea of paying for your success; "They give you this, but you pay for that." Young examines the reality of the industry: once you are gone, you can never come back. He sings about musicians such as Johnny Rotten and how it was better for them and their legacy to burn bright and die young instead of growing old and forgotten. The song concludes with a final proclamation that rock and roll music will never die.


Overall, Young's lyrics serve as a commentary about the nature of the music industry, with him ultimately arguing that an artist's legacy should not be measured by the length of their career or the number of hits they produced, but rather by the impact they made on the genre and on society.


Line by Line Meaning

My my, hey hey
Hello and welcome, rock music is here to stay


Rock and roll is here to stay
The genre of rock music will always remain popular and relevant


It's better to burn out than to fade away
It's more important to live life to the fullest and make a lasting impact than to slowly fade away into obscurity


My my, hey hey
Goodbye for now, rock music will always endure


Out of the blue and into the black
Suddenly and unexpectedly moving from a positive situation to a negative one


They give you this, but you pay for that
You may be given something desirable, but often at a hidden cost or tradeoff


And once you're gone, you can never come back
Once you've left a situation or place, you cannot return to it in the same way as before


When you're out of the blue and into the black
When you suddenly find yourself in a negative situation without warning


The king is gone but he's not forgotten
A famous and influential figure has passed away, but their legacy and memory live on


This is the story of a Johnny Rotten
The next lines will focus on the story of a specific individual, Johnny Rotten


It's better to burn out than it is to rust
It's preferable to go out in a blaze of glory rather than slowly deteriorating over time


The king is gone but he's not forgotten
The same idea as before, emphasizing that the legacy of important figures remains after their death


Hey hey, my my
Hello again, rock music will never truly die


Rock and roll can never die
The spirit of rock music, and other similar timeless values, will always endure


There's more to the picture than meets the eye
There are often deeper meanings and complexities to situations beyond what is initially apparent


Hey hey, my my
Goodbye once more, rock music will live on forever




Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Jeff Blackburn, Neil Young

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@acyddoomgravenosociety-und6058

Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye

Out of the blue and into the black
They give you this, but you paid for that
And once you're gone, you can never come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black

The king is gone, but he's not forgotten_ _ _ (Chorus: Johnny Rotten, Johnny Rotten)

This is the story of Johnny Rotten _ _ _ (Chorus: Johnny Rotten, Johnny Rotten)

It's better to burn out than it is to rust
The king is gone but he's not forgotten

Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll will never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye
Hey hey, my my



@user-ni7io5xd6y

Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye
Hey hey, my my
Out of the blue and into the black
You pay for this, but they give you that
And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black
The king is gone but he's not forgotten
Is this the tale of Johnny rotten?
It's better to burn out than fade away
The king is gone but he's not forgotten
Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye
Hey hey, my my



All comments from YouTube:

@LesDexia13

This guy can play absolutely nasty distortion guitar that pounds your soul, fries your nerves and boils your blood, then turn around and bring a smile or some tears with a delicate 12-string melody. Legendary...

@anthonypellico2235

Nobody does it like Neil

@danielsweep6968

as good as it gets wonderful that someone in the music business actually has integrity 🤠

@No1Armadillo

.... in my lifetime, i have always considered Neil to be the King of Tone! so, yeah!

@dantheman1534

well written my friend

@jeanrae6801

Neil is legendary!!

5 More Replies...

@dusty2good

What a crowd! Imagine if people today were even 5% as cool as this crowd was. Epic era

@Dizmal0ne

best comment I've resonated with years. Seriously. I came back to this just for the crowd. And that crazy horse young.

@bradleylovej

I was thinking the same thing. God they look like they are having so much fun

@UncleGwendolyn

Reminds me of the mob who ransack the city in Police Academy.
Fucking epic.

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