They made a name for themselves by consistently touring over the United States. Rather than signing with a known label, they initially decided to found their own, Chunksaah Records (named after their long-time friend Timmy Chunks), but are now releasing their albums on Epitaph Records.
The Bouncing Souls are one of the best selling and longest lived of the punk bands from New Jersey, following the legacy of previously successful punk bands Adrenalin OD and the Misfits.
DISCOGRAPHY
Studio albums
The Good, The Bad & The Argyle (1994)
Maniacal Laughter (1996)
Bouncing Souls (1997)
Hopeless Romantic (1999)
How I Spent My Summer Vacation (2001)
Anchors Aweigh (2003)
The Gold Record (2006)
Ghosts on the Boardwalk (2010)
Comet (2012)
Live and Compilation albums
The Bad the Worse and the Out of Print (2002)
Live (2005)
Splits
BYO Split Series, Vol. 4 (With Anti-Flag) (2002)
EPs
The Greenball Crew (1993)
Tie One On (1998)
Fight to Live (1999)
Gone (2001)
DVDs
Do You Remember? 15 Years of the Bouncing Souls (2003)
Live at the Glasshouse (2005)
""7" Records"
Ugly Bill (1991) (pressed on black and also transparent green wax)
"The Argyle e.p. (1993) (pressed on black, yellow, green, and red wax, some had green and yellow covers)
"Tales Of Doomed Romance" (1994) (split ep with the band Buglite pressed on red and black wax)
"Neurotic" (1994) (pressed on black and yellow wax)
"Bouncing Souls/Weston split" (1994) (pressed on black and red wax)
"Split EP" (1995) (pressed on black with the bands basic skills, youth gone mad, and the reviled, some have red stamped cover some black)
"Johnny X" (1995) (pressed on black wax)
"Fight to Live" (1999) (pressed on orange wax, distributed by epitaph europe)
"Tales Of Doomed Romance" (2001) (reissued split ep with the band ZeroZero pressed on yellow and black wax)
"Bouncing Souls/Lucky Stiffs Split" (2005) (pressed on splatter wax and 1500 picture disks)
The Ballad of Johnny X
The Bouncing Souls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Johnny says he keeps them always one turn out of tune
Johnny never listens to the kids that say
Johnnyx ain't never done the right thing anyway
Johnny wears his leather like a crown of thorns
Johnny spends alot of time wishing he was never born
Johnny waits at journal square and tells himself again
Johnny you're the patron saint of spitting in the wind'
Johnny's past is his guide but he can't remember where he's been.
Johnny looks up through the steam of his caffine and says
"life a train i barely caught just to find out i ain't got the fare"
i got my records of the king to keep me the red red wine in
the air is drifting four chords and the spite to use them and just enough
wisdom to ignore the truth.
The Ballad of Johnny X by The Bouncing Souls tells the story of a man named Johnny who is a rebel and an outcast. In the opening lines, Johnny claims he is bound to this world by only six strings, referring to the strings of his guitar. He keeps them out of tune, possibly to create a unique sound, but more likely to rebel against the norm. The next two lines indicate that Johnny doesn't listen to the advice of others and has a reputation for doing the wrong thing. Johnny wears his leather jacket like a crown of thorns, suggesting that the jacket, which identifies him as a punk or rebellious youth, is a burden he carries. The lyrics tell us that Johnny spends a lot of time wishing he was never born, indicating feelings of hopelessness and despair.
The song talks about how Johnny is his own worst enemy; he has many scars, but he doesn't learn from them. His past is his guide, but he can't remember where he has been. He describes life as a train he barely caught, suggesting that he's found himself in a difficult situation that he didn't anticipate. The next line indicates that Johnny can't afford to pay the fare, which may either be a tangible or more metaphorical cost, such as the emotional cost of his choices. Johnny has his records to keep him company and indulge his nostalgia. He has a taste for wine and a love for music, but somewhere along the way has lost touch with reality. He admits that he has just enough wisdom to ignore the truth, suggesting that he is aware of his mistakes but chooses to ignore them.
Line by Line Meaning
Johnny says he's bound by only six strings to this world
Johnny thinks that his guitar strings are the only thing that tie him to this world
Johnny says he keeps them always one turn out of tune
Johnny always keeps his guitar strings slightly out of tune
Johnny never listens to the kids that say
Johnny ignores advice from younger people
Johnnyx ain't never done the right thing anyway
Johnny has never done the right thing in life
Johnny wears his leather like a crown of thorns
Johnny wears his leather jacket with a sense of pain and hardship like a burden
Johnny spends alot of time wishing he was never born
Johnny often wishes that he was never born and feels like he doesn't belong in this world
Johnny waits at journal square and tells himself again
Johnny regularly goes to journal square and reminds himself of his purpose in life
Johnny you're the patron saint of spitting in the wind'
Johnny believes that he is the leader of those who rebel against society
Johnny's got all the scars but he'll never learn from them
Johnny has a lot of emotional wounds but he never learns from them
Johnny's past is his guide but he can't remember where he's been.
Johnny is guided by his past experiences but he can't remember some of them
Johnny looks up through the steam of his caffine and says
Johnny gazes up through the steam of his coffee and talks to himself
"life a train i barely caught just to find out i ain't got the fare"
Johnny believes that life is like a train that he just managed to catch, but he doesn't have the means or resources to live it properly
i got my records of the king to keep me the red red wine in
Johnny listens to his records of Elvis Presley while drinking red wine
the air is drifting four chords and the spite to use them and just enough
Johnny feels like there are only four chords in the air and he has enough anger to use them in his music
wisdom to ignore the truth.
Johnny has the wisdom to ignore the harsh reality of life
Lyrics © TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
RukiKatiakicz
This is on Maniacal Laughter aswell - both different versions. Greg sounds more 'snotty' in this one, and it's more rough, less melodic. First time hearing this version... I like it. Both versions are cool for their own reasons.
peanuts17
This is the best version imo
Juan Zubia
johnny X; one inside of everyone.
Mr420ways
JOHNNY WEARS HIS LEATHER LIKE A CROWN OF THORNZ, JOHNNY SPENDS ALOT OF TIME WHISHIN HE WAS NEVER BORN
Bladderpores 84
Neat
slovibond
Johnny, your the patron saint of spitting in the wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind!
lkfjlf adad
I am the Patron Saint of Spitting i to the Wind.
Bekkah Campbell
BYO 7" Ballad of Johnny X
Mr420ways
@RukiKatiakicz i think the reason it sounds cleaner on maniacal laughter cuz that was BYO records and epitaph didnt get ahold of it yet..lol and they probly just had more $ and time to spend on making it "better"?!?!
kaseypb
live how u feel