Poor Jenny
The Everly Brothers Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I took my little Jenny to a party last night
At ten o'clock it ended in a heckuva fight
When someone hit my Jenny she went out like a light
Poor Jenny

And then some joker went and called the cops on the phone
So everybody scattered out for places unknown
I couldn't carry Jenny so I left her alone
Poor Jenny

Well Jenny had her picture in the paper this mornin'
She made it with a bang
Accordin' to the story in the paper this mornin'
Jenny is the leader of a teenage gang

Jenny has a brother and he's hot on my trail
Her daddy wants to ride me out of town on a rail
I hope I'll be around when Jenny gets out of jail
Poor Jenny

I went downtown to see her, she was locked in a cell
She wasn't very glad to see me, that I could tell
In fact, to tell the truth, she wasn't lookin' too well
Poor Jenny

Her eye was black, her face was red, her hair was a fright
She looked as though she'd been a'cryin' half of the night
I told her I was sorry, she said "Get out of sight"
Poor Jenny

It seems a shame that Jenny had to go get apprehended, a heckuva fate
This party was the first one she ever had attended
It had to happen on our very first date

Jenny has a brother and he's hot on my trail
Her daddy wants to ride me out of town on a rail




I hope I'll be around when Jenny gets out of jail
Poor Jenny

Overall Meaning

The Everly Brothers' song "Poor Jenny" is a cautionary tale about a teenage girl named Jenny and her wild behavior. The song is narrated by her boyfriend, who takes her to a party that ends in chaos. Someone hits Jenny, and she passes out cold, so the singer has to leave her there. Later, he finds out that she has been arrested for leading a teenage gang. Jenny's brother and father are out for revenge against the singer, who regrets getting involved with Jenny in the first place.


The lyrics of the song highlight the consequences of reckless behavior. Jenny's wild behavior has led her into trouble, and the singer is left to deal with the fallout. He shows remorse for getting involved with Jenny, who is now paying the price for her actions. The song's message is clear: actions have consequences, and it's important to think before you act.


Line by Line Meaning

I took my little Jenny to a party last night
I brought my girlfriend Jenny to attend a party last night.


At ten o'clock it ended in a heckuva fight
At 10 pm, the party turned into a big fight.


When someone hit my Jenny she went out like a light
Jenny was hit and lost consciousness.


And then some joker went and called the cops on the phone
An unknown person called the police to report the incident.


So everybody scattered out for places unknown
Everyone fled to unknown locations to avoid the police.


I couldn't carry Jenny so I left her alone
I couldn't carry Jenny and had to leave her behind.


Well Jenny had her picture in the paper this mornin'
Jenny's picture was on the newspaper this morning.


She made it with a bang
She made it to the headlines with a great impact.


Accordin' to the story in the paper this mornin'
Based on the news article in the paper this morning.


Jenny is the leader of a teenage gang
Jenny is reported to be leading a teenage gang.


Jenny has a brother and he's hot on my trail
Jenny's brother is chasing after me.


Her daddy wants to ride me out of town on a rail
Jenny's father wants me to leave town immediately.


I hope I'll be around when Jenny gets out of jail
I hope to still be in town when Jenny is released from jail.


I went downtown to see her, she was locked in a cell
I went to the police station to visit Jenny, who was in jail.


She wasn't very glad to see me, that I could tell
Jenny was not happy to see me when I visited her.


In fact, to tell the truth, she wasn't lookin' too well
To be honest, Jenny's appearance was not good.


Her eye was black, her face was red, her hair was a fright
Jenny had a black eye, red face, and messy hair.


She looked as though she'd been a'cryin' half of the night
Jenny appeared to have cried for half the night.


I told her I was sorry, she said "Get out of sight"
I apologized to Jenny and she asked me to leave.


It seems a shame that Jenny had to go get apprehended, a heckuva fate
It's sad that Jenny got caught and had to face the consequences.


This party was the first one she ever had attended
This was the first party that Jenny had ever attended.


It had to happen on our very first date
Unfortunately, all of this happened on our very first date.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOUDLEAUX BRYANT, FELICE BRYANT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@mathieuschuler366

I took my little Jenny to a party last night
At ten o'clock it ended in a heckuva fight
When someone hit my Jenny she went out like a light
Poor Jenny
And then some joker went and called the cops on the phone
So everybody scattered out for places unknown
I couldn't carry Jenny so I left her alone
Poor Jenny
Well Jenny had her picture in the paper this mornin'
She made it with a bang
Accordin' to the story in the paper this mornin'
Jenny is the leader of a teenage gang
Jenny has a brother and he's hot on my trail
Her daddy wants to ride me out of town on a rail
I hope I'll be around when Jenny gets out of jail
Poor Jenny
I went downtown to see her, she was locked in a cell
She wasn't very glad to see me, that I could tell
In fact, to tell the truth, she wasn't lookin' too well
Poor Jenny
Her eye was black, her face was red, her hair was a fright
She looked as though she'd been a'cryin' half of the night
I told her I was sorry, she said "Get out of sight"
Poor Jenny
It seems a shame that Jenny had to go get apprehended, a heckuva fate
This party was the first one she ever had attended
It had to happen on our very first date
Jenny has a brother and he's hot on my trail
Her daddy wants to ride me out of town on a rail
I hope I'll be around when Jenny gets out of jail
Poor Jenny



All comments from YouTube:

@thomastimlin1724

Anyone who puts a thumbs down for the Everly Brothers is deaf, these are beautiful harmonies of the highest quality no matter WHAT they sing, or whether you like the song or not. This song is all in good humor and NOT meant to be heavy metal music, or Stairway to Heaven or whatever, get real.

@jenniferkay4038

This is the USA 'Ten o'clock version' - in UK, the party ended at ONE o'clock... banned in America! I love both versions but this super-twangy rockabilly sound has to be my favourite. I saw The Everly Brothers onstage many times in England, their music has coloured my life along with Elvis, Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney and all the rockers and balladeers of the era. I was so lucky - great times, great music - shine on in Heaven all you stars, you music will never be forgotten x

@Joestudly

I've been an everly brothers fan for years, I have just discovered this gem of a song

@melodykey

and me it makes me chuckle! its got such a rhythm to it! my mother listens to the everly brothers all the time I love them!

@oldermusiclover

THIS SONG WAS JOKE WITH MY LATE OLDEST BROTHER ALTHOUGH I SPELL MINE DIFFERENT

@fredpearson5204

Really funny song. I never get tired of listening to it.

@delossbrown5804

If Bob Dylan can get a Nobel Prize, Boudleaux and Bryant deserve one. Conception and rhymes are delightful.

@tubecrazy65

My Dad was a big Everly Brothers fan so we heard this one a lot my dad is also the reason I love the Everly Brothers fan I miss you pop love you very much

@ladbol521

This was the first I heard of the Everly Bros, on the flip side of Take a Message to Mary. Those tracks became our family anthem in those days...They still bring the nolstalgia even now that I am old

@reedbaylor2210

a tip: you can watch series at Flixzone. I've been using it for watching loads of movies these days.

More Comments

More Versions