He was the author of "The Basketball Diaries" later turned into a movie of the same name. It was an account of his high school years spent hustling and as a part of the hard drug scene of the late 60's New York.
Carroll died on September 13, 2009 in Manhattan.
People
The Jim Carroll Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fell from the roof on East Two-nine
Cathy was 11 when she pulled the plug
On 26 reds and a bottle of wine
Bobby got leukemia, 14 years old
He looked like 65 when he died
He was a friend of mine
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
G-berg and Georgie let their gimmicks go rotten
So they died of hepatitis in upper Manhattan
Sly in Vietnam took a bullet in the head
Bobby OD'd on Drano on the night that he was wed
They were two more friends of mine
Two more friends that died / I miss 'em--they died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room
Bobby hung himself from a cell in the tombs
Judy jumped in front of a subway train
Eddie got slit in the jugular vein
And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others,
And I salute you brother/ This song is for you my brother
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
Herbie pushed Tony from the Boys' Club roof
Tony thought that his rage was just some goof
But Herbie sure gave Tony some bitchen proof
"Hey," Herbie said, "Tony, can you fly?"
But Tony couldn't fly, Tony died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
Brian got busted on a narco rap
He beat the rap by rattin' on some bikers
He said, hey, I know it's dangerous,
But it sure beats Riker's
But the next day he got offed
By the very same bikers
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
The Jim Carroll Band's song "People Who Died" is a poignant reflection on the individual tragedies of a group of people known to the singer, who died young under various circumstances. The song is a tribute to the memories of the people who lost their lives in various situations that could have been both avoidable or out of their control. The first verse describes Teddy, who passed away at age 12, due to sniffing glue and falling from a rooftop. Cathy, at 11 years old, overdosed on drugs and alcohol by pulling the plug on 26 bottles of red, and a bottle of wine. Bobby, who was just 14, died of leukemia, but he looked 65 years old due to the treatments he went through.
The central theme of the song is the idea that life, though often unpredictable, manages to interweave countless lives together before ultimately coming to an end. The song stays true to that theme as it describes the deaths of the various friends the singer had shared moments with but ultimately moved on. Jim Carroll conveys the pain and anguish of death, especially when it affects young people who still have so much life ahead of themselves.
The song, released in 1980, did not initially make it to the charts but was later picked up by various DJs and radio stations, eventually becoming a cult classic. The song has been covered by several artists over the years, including John Cale, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Ice-T.
Line by Line Meaning
Teddy sniffing glue he was 12 years old
Fell from the roof on East Two-nine
Teddy was a young boy addicted to inhaling glue who accidentally fell to his death off of a rooftop.
Cathy was 11 when she pulled the plug
On 26 reds and a bottle of wine
Cathy was only 11 years old when she took a fatal overdose of 26 red pills and a bottle of wine.
Bobby got leukemia, 14 years old
He looked like 65 when he died
He was a friend of mine
Bobby was a young teenager who suffered from leukemia and looked far beyond his years. He sadly passed away and was a personal friend of the songwriter.
G-berg and Georgie let their gimmicks go rotten
So they died of hepatitis in upper Manhattan
G-berg and Georgie were two people who let their poor lifestyle choices catch up with them, ultimately causing their deaths due to hepatitis in New York City.
Sly in Vietnam took a bullet in the head
Bobby OD'd on Drano on the night that he was wed
They were two more friends of mine
Sly was killed in action while serving in Vietnam, while another friend, Bobby, tragically took his own life by ingesting Drano on the night of his wedding.
Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room
Bobby hung himself from a cell in the tombs
Judy jumped in front of a subway train
Eddie got slit in the jugular vein
And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others,
And I salute you brother/ This song is for you my brother
Mary took her own life by jumping from a hotel room, while Bobby hanged himself in an imprisonment facility. Judy tragically committed suicide by jumping in front of a moving train, and Eddie was the victim of a violent crime. The songwriter especially mourns the loss of Eddie and dedicates the song to him.
Herbie pushed Tony from the Boys' Club roof
Tony thought that his rage was just some goof
But Herbie sure gave Tony some bitchen proof
"Hey," Herbie said, "Tony, can you fly?"
But Tony couldn't fly, Tony died
Herbie, in an act of aggression, pushed Tony from a rooftop in a juvenile detention center. Even though Tony thought Herbie's anger was just a joke, the push ultimately resulted in his death.
Brian got busted on a narco rap
He beat the rap by rattin' on some bikers
He said, hey, I know it's dangerous,
But it sure beats Riker's
But the next day he got offed
By the very same bikers
Brian was arrested for a narcotics-related crime but was able to avoid charges by informing on a group of bike gang members. He knew that this decision would come with consequences, but believed it was worth it to avoid going to Riker's Island jail. However, the very next day, he was killed by the very same bikers he informed on.
Lyrics ยฉ O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Brian Ladd Linsley, Jim Dennis Carroll, Steve Linsley, Terrell Winn, Wayne Woods
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mr. MiguelV237
Teddy sniffing glue he was twelve years old
Fell from the roof on East Two-nine
Cathy was eleven when she pulled the plug
On twenty six reds and a bottle of wine
Bobby got leukemia, fourteen years old
He looked like sixty five when he died
He was a friend of mine
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends and just died
G-berg and Georgie let their gimmicks go rotten
So they died of hepatitis in upper Manhattan
Sly in Vietnam, bullet in the head
Bobby OD'd on Drano on the night that he was wed
They were two more friends of mine (two more friends that died)
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends and they died
Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room
Bobby hung himself from a cell in The Tombs
Judy jumped in front of a subway train
Eddie got slit in the jugular vein
And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others
And I salute you brother
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
Herbie pushed Tony from the Boys' Club roof
Tony thought that his rage was just some goof
But Herbie sure gave Tony some, some bitchen proof
Hey, Herbie said, Tony, can you fly?
But Tony couldn't fly, Tony died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends and they died
Brian got busted on a narco rap
He beat the rap by rattin' on some bikers
He said, hey, I know it's dangerous
But it sure beats Riker's
But the next day he got offed
By the very same bikers
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
Teddy sniffing glue he was twelve years old
Fell from the roof on East Two-nine
Cathy was eleven when she pulled the plug
On twenty six reds and a bottle of wine
Bobby got leukemia, fourteen years old
He looked like sixty five when he died
He was a friend of mine
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
G-berg and Georgie let their gimmicks go rotten
They died of hepatitis in upper Manhattan
Sly in Vietnam, took a bullet in the head
Bobby OD'd on Drano on the night that he was wed
They were two more friends of mine, I miss 'em, they died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends and they died
Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room
Bobby hung himself from a cell in the tombs
Judy jumped in front of a subway train
Eddie got slit in the jugular vein
And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others
This song is for you my brother
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
48sharks
People Who Died Lyrics
(sometimes people like to see them all at once)
[Intro]
Teddy sniffing glue, he was twelve years old
Fell from the roof on East Two-Nine
Cathy was eleven when she pulled the plug
Twenty-six reds and a bottle of wine
Bobby got leukemia, fourteen years old
He looked like sixty-five when he died
He was a friend of mine
[Chorus]
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
[Verse 1]
G-berg and Georgie let their gimmicks go rotten
So they died of hepatitis in upper Manhattan
Sly in Vietnam? Bullet in the head
Bobby OD'd on Drano on the night that he was wed
They were two more friends of mine
Two more friends that died
[Chorus]
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
[Verse 2]
Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room
Bobby hung himself from his cell in the Tombs
Judy jumped in front of a subway train
Eddie got slit in the jugular vein
And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others
And I salute you, brother
[Chorus]
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
Guitar solo
[Verse 3]
Herbie pushed Tony from the Boys' Club roof
Tony thought that his rage was just some goof
But Herbie sure gave Tony some, some bitchin' proof
Hey, Herbie said, Tony, can you fly?
But Tony couldn't flyโTony died
[Chorus]
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
[Verse 4]
Brian got busted on a narco rap
He beat the rap by rattin' on some bikers
He said, hey, I know it's dangerous
But it sure beats Riker's
But the next day he got offed
By the very same bikers
[Chorus]
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
[Verse 5]
Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room
Bobby hung himself from a cell in the tombs
Judy jumped in front of a subway train
And Eddie got slit in the jugular vein
And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others
This song is for you, my brother
Teddy sniffing glue, he was twelve years old
Fell from the roof on East Two-Nine
Cathy was eleven when she pulled the plug
On twenty-six reds and a bottle of wine
Bobby got leukemia, fourteen years old
He looked like sixty-five when he died
He was a friend of mine
[Chorus]
G-berg and Georgie let their gimmicks go rotten
They died of hepatitis in upper Manhattan
Sly in Vietnam took a bullet in the head
Bobby OD'd on Drano on the night that he was wed
They were two more friends of mine
I miss 'emโthey died
[Chorus]
Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room
Bobby hung himself from a cell in the tombs
Judy jumped in front of a subway train
And Eddie got slit in the jugular vein
And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others
This song is for you, my brother
[Chorus]
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
[Outro]
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died
Pablo668
Classic song. It carries a strong message, don't be friends with Jim Carroll.
Jessica Williams
Especially if you're named Bobby
David Bullis
Or Sharon Tate for that matter. Or Herbie, cause Herbie pushed Tony from the boys club roof . Jim is dead..
Tony couldn't fly , Tony died . I think the lesson here is not to rat anybody out, especially bikers.. although I might rat them out rather t than go to Rikers . What a hellhole that place is, ain't been in the tombs , by the way, we sure have some great weed here in Vancouver BC, I can't stop writing this shat
wannabecarguy
Everyday I hear about someone dying in their sleep. I think about this song constantly.
Flap Jackson
Jim Carroll died, died. ๐ฅบ
Jack Crow
Jim had a heart attack, I miss him more than all the others, this song's for you, I salute you, brother!
budbackeast
Now THIS is how lyrics should be displayed in a music video. Thank you for a job well done Patrick Conrad. You've set the bar.
Patrick Conrad
Thank you! Glad you like it!
J B
@Patrick Conrad
Quit your day job, I have seen lots of lyric videos, but you do them the best.
Patrick Conrad
@J B I'd love to quit my day job but my videos are non-monetized. :(