Southside Johnny (real name John Lyon, born December 4, 1948 in Neptune, New Jersey) is an American singer, harmonica player, and songwriter, who usually fronts his band The Asbury Jukes.
Lyon grew up in Ocean Grove, New Jersey and graduated from Neptune High School. As an artist, Southside Johnny first achieved prominence in the mid-1970s as the second act to emerge from the Jersey Shore music scene and be considered part of the Jersey Shore sound, following Bruce Springsteen. Southside's first three albums, I Don't Want to Go Home (1976), This Time It's For Real (1977), and Hearts of Stone (1978), were Stax-influenced R&B arranged and produced by the co-founder of the band and Springsteen confederate Steven Van Zandt and largely featured songs written by Van Zandt and/or Springsteen. The Van Zandt-written "I Don't Want To Go Home" became Southside's signature song, an evocative mixture of horn-based melodic riffs and sentimental lyrics. Other notable songs included "The Fever","Talk to Me," "This Time It's For Real," "Love on the Wrong Side of Town," and the definitive version of Springsteen's " Hearts of Stone."
Southside has long been considered the Grandfather of "the New Jersey Sound." Jon bon Jovi has acknowledged Southside as "his reason for singing."
In 1982 the Rolling Stone Magazine voted the album Hearts of Stone among the top 100 albums of the 70's and 80's.
Cast under Springsteen's long shadow, national commercial success eluded Southside and the Jukes, and in 1979 they were dropped by their record company. Now working without Van Zandt, they released The Jukes in 1979 and Love is a Sacrifice in 1980. Neither of these achieved much success either. The band's first official live release also came out in 1980, the double album Reach Up and Touch the Sky.
During the 1980s Southside Johnny's recording contracts continued to change almost by album, but he continued to release records: Trash It Up (1983), a disco influenced album written by Billy Rush and produced by Nile Rodgers; In the Heat (1984) an album trying to reach out to "Adult Oriented Radio"; and At Least We Got Shoes (1986) where guitarist and Jersey shore fixture Bobby Bandiera, who often plays a custom guitar built by First Act Guitars took over songwriting and guitar work from Billy Rush and led the Asbury Jukes back to their original sound. Songwriting credits on At Least We Got Shoes also contain a song co-written by Bandiera and singer Patti Scialfa, who was known as a Jukes collaborator since the 1980 album Love is a Sacrifice and who became a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band in 1984.
In 1988 Southside Johnny released his first solo record Slow Dance containing ballads and love songs, but also "Little Calcutta" which is still discussed as Southside's most political song of his career, describing the life and environment of the homeless in New York City.
More record label switches, Jukes personnel changes, tours and club dates followed.
Jukes' recording career was re-launched with the album Better Days (1991), which featured production by Van Zandt, songs by Springsteen, and vocal performances from Van Zandt, Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. With Bobby Bandiera driving the band, the Jukes were gaining new energy for a world wide tour supporting the album. But once again, Southside Johnny's bad luck with the industry was shown when the record label went bankrupt while the tour was still rolling.
Southside performed the theme song for the 1990s sitcom Dave's World, a cover of Billy Joel's "You May Be Right."
Southside eventually relocated to Nashville taking a break from the music business. A few members of the Asbury Jukes would end up being part of The Max Weinberg 7 on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien television show, while some others went on tour and into the recording studio with artists like Jon Bon Jovi, Mink DeVille, Graham Parker, Robert Cray.
In 1998 Southside Johnny came back into the spotlight with an independent release titled Spittin' Fire, a live record with a semi-acoustic Jukes lineup released in France containing a 20 song set recorded during a series of 10 shows at the "Chesterfield Café" in Paris, France.
After a decade without a record contract Southside finally founded his own record label in 2001 under the name of Leroy Records, and started releasing and distributing his new records fully under his own control: Messin' with the Blues (2000), Going to Jukesville (2002), Missing Pieces (2004), Into the Harbour (2005).
Southside continues to perform, and maintains substantial audience followings in some regions of the U.S., such as New Jersey, New York, northeast Ohio, and abroad, in the UK and continental Europe, as 2002's Live At The Opera House DVD, filmed at a sell-out performance in Newcastle upon Tyne, demonstrates. As of 2005, he resides on the Delaware Bay. His annual appearances at Springsteen's Asbury Park holiday shows draw as much crowd excitement as Springsteen himself.
Take It Inside
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before you judge
Now I'm the kind of man
That looks before he touch
But I ain't never touched nothin'
That didn't hit me back, oh no
And the way we live is the way we die
How hard do you try?
You don't ask no questions
You don't find out why
As you watch your life pass you by
You've got to take it inside
Take it inside
Take it inside
Take it inside
Now I do believe
A wound heals if you let it
I can learn to forgive
But I will never forget it
You call my name
And like a fool I'm back again
And I'm watching you die girl
A little at a time
While I stay hard pretending
That I don't mind
I turn my head
But I can't deny
The hurt that I try to hide
You got to take it inside
Take it inside
Take it inside
Take it inside
It's your life, girl
I can't take you there
I try to help
But you're still nowhere
I tell myself, girl
That I don't care
I still can't let it ride
The lyrics of "Take It Inside" by Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes deal with the complexities of relationships, forgiveness, and the struggles of moving on. The song suggests that we should try to understand the situations of others before judging them, and that the way in which we live ultimately determines the way in which we die. The singer admits to being the kind of man who looks before he touches, but he has still experienced pain and regret. He has also witnessed the slow decay of a loved one and is grappling with how to deal with it.
The chorus of the song, "Take it inside," seems to imply that the answers to life's most difficult questions lie within ourselves. The singer urges us to look inward, accept our wounds, and work toward healing. He admits that he's not sure how to do this himself, but acknowledges that failure to do so will cause us to watch our lives "pass us by." Additionally, the song suggests that we must learn to forgive while not forgetting our past traumas, and that relationships are complicated and often painful, but we must take the time to figure things out before making judgments or decisions.
Overall, "Take It Inside" is a song about accepting our own flaws and struggles while acknowledging the difficulties of navigating the intricacies of relationships with others. It reminds us that our actions and decisions ultimately determine our fate, and that we must take responsibility for ourselves before trying to help others.
Line by Line Meaning
Try to understand
Before making judgments, take the time to understand.
Before you judge
Don't be quick to judge someone without comprehending their situation.
Now I'm the kind of man
I am a person who believes in being cautious before acting.
That looks before he touch
I don't want to make a move without thinking of the possible consequences.
But I ain't never touched nothin'
I have never attempted something without assessing the risks.
That didn't hit me back, oh no
I have never faced the repercussions of a decision I made without considering the impacts.
And the way we live is the way we die
How we lead our lives determines how we end up.
How bad do you want it?
How much do you yearn for success?
How hard do you try?
How much effort are you willing to put in?
You don't ask no questions
You don't seek to understand.
You don't find out why
You don't try to learn why things turned out the way they did.
As you watch your life pass you by
As you realize that life is passing you by without you truly living.
You've got to take it inside
You need to deal with your issues internally, within yourself.
Now I do believe
I have hope and faith in this idea.
A wound heals if you let it
Emotional pain can heal if you allow it to.
I can learn to forgive
I can comprehend and accept others' mistakes and wrongdoings.
But I will never forget it
I will not overlook the actions that hurt me or others.
You call my name
You seek my attention and help.
And like a fool I'm back again
I return even when I know it's possibly not in my best interest.
And I'm watching you die girl
I observe as you self-destruct bit by bit.
A little at a time
Slowly, but surely.
While I stay hard pretending
I maintain my tough exterior and pretend like it doesn't affect me.
That I don't mind
That it doesn't bother me.
I turn my head
I look away.
But I can't deny
I can't ignore, disregard, or reject.
The hurt that I try to hide
The pain that I attempt to conceal.
It's your life, girl
You have complete control over your life.
I can't take you there
I can't assist you in achieving your desired life.
I try to help
I make an effort to provide support.
But you're still nowhere
But you haven't made any progress.
I tell myself, girl
I try to convince myself.
That I don't care
That it doesn't concern me.
I still can't let it ride
I still can't let it be and not do anything about it.
Take it inside
Deal with it internally, within yourself.
Take it inside
Handle it within yourself.
Take it inside
Address your issues privately and find a solution from within.
Take it inside
Don't let it out; deal with it alone and discretely.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVEN VAN ZANDT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind