The Ballad of Johnny X
The Bouncing Souls Lyrics


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Johnny says he's bound by only six strings to this world
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 got all the scars but he'll never learn from them
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.

Overall Meaning

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

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Comments from YouTube:

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

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