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Me and Johnny sittin' in the green grass -
I don’t remember too much from that far back in the past,
But man, oh man, was Johnathan a laugh
In those days.
Apparently he was my very best friend -
We spent warm summer days wishing they would never end -
But I only know from photographs I look at
Every now and again.
And J-J-Johnny -
Ooh, ooh, all he left us was an apple tree,
And ooh, where'd he go, and ooh, why'd he leave,
And ooh, why do I grieve?
Now I don’t ever see Johnathan no more,
But my life rolls on just like it did before,
And I only wonder what it is
That I even miss him for.
Me and Timory holdin' hands -
I was shakin' hers, ‘cause she said she was a fan,
There was an awkward pause, and something that should’ve began
Just passed us by.
But I watched her sing along with every word,
In the prettiest voice that I never heard,
And I still see her dancing, wearin' my shirt:
Right there.
And t-t-timorous me -
All Timory left me was a memory.
And ooh, I was blind, and ooh, now I find
That I can’t see.
Now me and Jodi spend a lot of our time
Just sittin' in silence, driving late at night,
And maybe even wonderin' what’s on each other’s mind
This time.
But I know she’s like me, so I let it ride -
She’s dwelling in that quiet space left behind,
Where only peace can answer why,
And you abide
The birds must fly.
I don’t remember too much from that far back in the past,
But man, oh man, was Johnathan a laugh
In those days.
Apparently he was my very best friend -
We spent warm summer days wishing they would never end -
But I only know from photographs I look at
Every now and again.
And J-J-Johnny -
Ooh, ooh, all he left us was an apple tree,
And ooh, where'd he go, and ooh, why'd he leave,
And ooh, why do I grieve?
Now I don’t ever see Johnathan no more,
But my life rolls on just like it did before,
And I only wonder what it is
That I even miss him for.
Me and Timory holdin' hands -
I was shakin' hers, ‘cause she said she was a fan,
There was an awkward pause, and something that should’ve began
Just passed us by.
But I watched her sing along with every word,
In the prettiest voice that I never heard,
And I still see her dancing, wearin' my shirt:
Right there.
And t-t-timorous me -
All Timory left me was a memory.
And ooh, I was blind, and ooh, now I find
That I can’t see.
Now me and Jodi spend a lot of our time
Just sittin' in silence, driving late at night,
And maybe even wonderin' what’s on each other’s mind
This time.
But I know she’s like me, so I let it ride -
She’s dwelling in that quiet space left behind,
Where only peace can answer why,
And you abide
The birds must fly.
Lyrics submitted by hollyhoxnj
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Definitely getting a James Joyce/The Dead vibe from the third verse, especially given the subject of the first two.
He talks about his best friend Johnny, who he barely remembers anymore. Though he cherishes the memories they had he doesn't seem to miss him at all.
Yet he meets Timory at a show for five minutes and hasn't forgotten her.
I think it's all about connection. There are certain people in your life that you will only have known for a short period of time, but are going to have a lifelong impact on you.
It's about the special connection you make with another person for a split second that lets you know how beautiful things can be, yet he never got to experience it with Timory.
My favorite line is "In the prettiest voice that I never heard"
It's heartbreaking actually.
its telling you to get over the fact youre no good with people by showing you what you can miss.
I ask me the same thing !
thanks internet2 for posting the correct ones!
this song is so good!!! he performed it live the two times i saw him recently and it was amazing
I like how this song moves forward chronologically. First verse about a childhood playmate, second about a girl he briefly met when he was younger, and the last one is a perfect portriat of two people who are in a long-term relationship. That last verse especially reminds me of something from a Springsteen song. Very wistful.
Me and Johnny sittin' in the green grass -
I don’t remember too much from that far back in the past,
But man, oh man, was Johnathan a laugh
In those days.
Apparently he was my very best friend -
We spent warm summer days wishing they would never end -
But I only know from photographs I look at
Every now and again.
And J-J-Johnny -
Ooh, ooh, all he left us was an apple tree,
And ooh, where'd he go, and ooh, why'd he leave,
And ooh, why do I grieve?
Now I don’t ever see Johnathan no more,
But my life rolls on just like it did before,
And I only wonder what it is
That I even miss him for.
Me and Timory holdin' hands -
I was shakin' hers, ‘cause she said she was a fan,
There was an awkward pause, and something that should’ve began
Just passed us by.
But I watched her sing along with every word,
In the prettiest voice that I never heard,
And I still see her dancing, wearin' my shirt:
Right there.
And t-t-timorous me -
All Timory left me was a memory.
And ooh, I was blind, and ooh, now I find
That I can’t see.
Now me and Jodi spend a lot of our time
Just sittin' in silence, driving late at night,
And maybe even wonderin' what’s on each other’s mind
This time.
But I know she’s like me, so I let it ride -
She’s dwelling in that quiet space left behind,
Where only peace can answer why,
And you abide
The birds must fly.
Anyway, I think that this song is, like prilla1206 said, about the friendships we have throughout our lives, whether they last or not. I also think, however, that it is about the potential friendships that pass us by, and the regret of not knowing someone better. This is where I see the Timory Hyde thing come in.
"Me and Timory holding hands.
I was shaking her's cause she said she was a fan.
There was an awkward pause and something that should have began
just past us by.
But I watched her sing along with every word
in the prettiest voice that I never heard
and I still say I can't so where am I shine right there? Timorous me.
All Timory left me was a memory
and oh I was blind
and oh now I found that I can't see. "
This part makes me think that Timory once saw Ted Leo in his older band (I forget the name, but I read in her friend's blog that he saw him that year... she could have been with him,) and that she met him briefly ("me and timory holding hands, i was shaking her's 'cause she said she was a fan"). I found out that her friend, Elliot, who fell with her know's Ted Leo's brother, soo it works. That's not the point, though... i just think that Ted Leo is expressing that odd feeling that comes with meeting someone that you see great things in (potential) and then finding out that something terrible happened to them. It is very sad, and knowing the story of Timory Hyde makes this song really really powerful.
PS- Just so everyone knows, I wasn't stalking Timory's family or friends, I just wanted to learn more about what they went through and everything, because the story was just so unbelievably sad to me.