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.
Trapped Again
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to break these chains that surround me
If I look a little different it's 'cause I've changed
Half-painted pictures are all that remains
I can't let my past mistakes, let 'em bring me down
I ain't waitin' on no angel of mercy
I tried my best and I can't help myself
I'm trapped again
I can't get out without losing you
I'm trapped again
Why can't you feel what I'm going through?
I'm trapped again
I need an answer, girl, can't you see?
I'm trapped again
Come and rescue me
Monday morning came so fast
What a fool to think that dreams would last
Close my eyes and it's still so clear
Remember the night, girl, the world disappeared
Can't let the hand of fate, let it drag me down
I can't get no angel of mercy
I came to stay but I got swept away
I'm trapped again
I can't get out without losing you
I'm trapped again
Why can't you feel what I'm going through?
I'm trapped again
I need an answer, girl, can't you see?
I'm trapped again
Come and rescue me
Can't let the hand of fate, let it drag me down
I can't get no angel of mercy
I came to stay but I got swept away
I'm trapped again
I can't get out without losing you
I'm trapped again
Why can't you feel what I'm going through?
I'm trapped again
I need an answer, girl, can't you see?
I'm trapped again
Come and rescue me
In the song "Trapped Again," Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes express the feeling of being stuck in a situation where one cannot escape without losing something important. The lyrics suggest that the singer is in a relationship that is making him feel trapped. He wants to break free from the chains that surround him, but he cannot do so without losing the person who is causing him to feel trapped. The singer has changed, and all that remains are half-painted pictures of his past. He cannot let his past mistakes bring him down, but he also cannot move forward without losing something precious.
The second verse suggests that the singer had dreams about this relationship that did not last. Monday morning came, and the singer realizes that he was foolish to think that the dreams would last. He remembers the night when everything seemed perfect, and the world disappeared. Again, he cannot let the hand of fate drag him down, but he cannot escape the situation without losing something important.
Overall, the lyrics of "Trapped Again" convey the feeling of being stuck in a situation where one cannot break free without losing something precious. The song suggests that sometimes, we have to make tough choices in life, and not everything we want is what we need.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I am, baby, right where you found me
I am exactly where you left me, without any progress or moving forward in my life.
Trying to break these chains that surround me
I am struggling and making sincere efforts to break free from my current situation.
If I look a little different it's 'cause I've changed
I may appear to be different because I have made some changes in myself and/or my life, but I feel stuck nonetheless.
Half-painted pictures are all that remains
I have only partly finished projects and unfulfilled dreams that serve as remnants of my past.
I can't let my past mistakes, let 'em bring me down
I don't wish to let my mistakes in the past affect my current situation and drag me down.
I ain't waitin' on no angel of mercy
I am not looking or relying on anyone's mercy or kindness, but rather taking control of my own life.
I tried my best and I can't help myself
I have put my best efforts forward but I still feel powerless in my current situation.
I'm trapped again
I find myself stuck and unable to move forward in my life.
I can't get out without losing you
I know that I cannot escape my current situation without losing someone or something that matters to me deeply.
Why can't you feel what I'm going through?
I wish that you could understand and empathize with the pain and struggle I am going through.
I need an answer, girl, can't you see?
I need help and a way out of my current situation, and I am reaching out to you for assistance.
Come and rescue me
I am desperately hoping for someone to come and save me from my current situation.
Monday morning came so fast
Time seems to be moving quickly, and I am aware that I need to make changes before it's too late.
What a fool to think that dreams would last
I realize now what a foolish mistake it was to believe that my dreams could sustain me forever.
Close my eyes and it's still so clear
Despite my best efforts to forget, my past is still very vivid in my mind.
Remember the night, girl, the world disappeared
There was a time when everything seemed to stop and it was just you and me, but now that time has passed.
Can't let the hand of fate, let it drag me down
I refuse to let fate dictate my life, and instead want to take control of my own destiny.
I came to stay but I got swept away
I had planned to stay in my current situation, but things got out of control and I feel helpless.
Why can't you feel what I'm going through?
I wish that you could understand and empathize with the pain and struggle I am going through.
I need an answer, girl, can't you see?
I need help and a way out of my current situation, and I am reaching out to you for assistance.
Come and rescue me
I am desperately hoping for someone to come and save me from my current situation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, STEVE VAN ZANDT, LYON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark Sasahara
I need an answer, girl, can't you see?
I'm trapped again
Come and rescue me
Can't let the hand of fate, let it drag me down
I can't get no angel of mercy
I came to stay but I got swept away
Everything is just perfect!
Ron mullins
Congratulations to Southside Johnny and the Asbury jukes on their nomination to the rock and roll hall of fame👍
Lily Of The Valley
Yesssss! 👏🏻🏆 Well deserved.
maddman18210
Music Perfection. Always reminds me of the best times of my life down on the Jersey Shore with my best friends. Summers were always the best!
Lily Of The Valley
Same here. Totally agree with you.
Toni
Yes, still the best times of my life. What I'd give up to go back to those days.. Wildwood!!!
admiral37
The best Bruce Springsteen album that was never released. Ok, maybe a bit of hyperbole but the album was produced by Steven Van Zandt. Springsteen wrote the title track "Hearts of Stone" and Southside Johnny collaborated with The Boss and Little Steven to write this song. Add Max Weinberg and the Miami Horns. What a great song!
Bill Schwalb
Admiral, I'd make a slight correction. What a great fuckin' song!
v0n1b0
@mr. Pug This. Johnny just SINGS and keeps his yap shut the rest of the time.
SHOW5TOPPER
@mr. Pug That is like a crime to say that, SSJ couldn't pick up Bruce's dry cleaning...
Ftank Pyle
Bruce and Steve wrote a lot these songs when ssj covers Bruce such as 10th Ave and sherry darling no way ssj is better and I love ssj my favorite is I don't wanna go home and talk to me but Bruce rules