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Come out Virginia, don't let 'em wait
You Catholic girls start much too late
Aw but sooner or later it comes down to faith
Oh I might as well be the one
Well, they showed you a statue, told you to pray
They built you a temple and locked you away
Aw, but they never told you the price that you pay
For things that you might have done
Only the good die young
That's what I said
Only the good die young
Only the good die young
You might have heard I run with a dangerous crowd
We ain't too pretty we ain't too proud
We might be laughing a bit too loud
Aw but that never hurt no one
So come on Virginia show me a sign
Send up a signal and I'll throw you the line
The stained-glass curtain you're hiding behind
(you know)
Never lets in the sun
Darlin' only the good die young
Woah
I tell ya
Only the good die young
Only the good die young
You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation
You got a brand new soul
Mmm, and a cross of gold
But Virginia they didn't give you quite enough information
You didn't count on me
When you were counting on your rosary
(oh woah woah)
They say there's a heaven for those who will wait
Some say it's better but I say it ain't
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun
You know that only the good die young
That's what I said
I tell ya
Only the good die young
Only the good die young
Well your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation
Aw a hey never cared for me
But did she ever say a prayer for me? oh woah woah
Come out come out come out Virginia don't let 'em wait,
You Catholic girls start much too late
Oh sooner or later it comes down to faith
Oh I might as well be the one,
You know that only the good die young
I'm telling you baby
You know that only the good die young
Only the good die young
Only the good
Only the good die young
Only the good
Only the good die young
You Catholic girls start much too late
Aw but sooner or later it comes down to faith
Oh I might as well be the one
Well, they showed you a statue, told you to pray
They built you a temple and locked you away
Aw, but they never told you the price that you pay
For things that you might have done
Only the good die young
That's what I said
Only the good die young
Only the good die young
You might have heard I run with a dangerous crowd
We ain't too pretty we ain't too proud
We might be laughing a bit too loud
Aw but that never hurt no one
So come on Virginia show me a sign
Send up a signal and I'll throw you the line
The stained-glass curtain you're hiding behind
(you know)
Never lets in the sun
Darlin' only the good die young
Woah
I tell ya
Only the good die young
Only the good die young
You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation
You got a brand new soul
Mmm, and a cross of gold
But Virginia they didn't give you quite enough information
You didn't count on me
When you were counting on your rosary
(oh woah woah)
They say there's a heaven for those who will wait
Some say it's better but I say it ain't
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun
You know that only the good die young
That's what I said
I tell ya
Only the good die young
Only the good die young
Well your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation
Aw a hey never cared for me
But did she ever say a prayer for me? oh woah woah
Come out come out come out Virginia don't let 'em wait,
You Catholic girls start much too late
Oh sooner or later it comes down to faith
Oh I might as well be the one,
You know that only the good die young
I'm telling you baby
You know that only the good die young
Only the good die young
Only the good
Only the good die young
Only the good
Only the good die young
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Q. "Only The Good Die Young" was controversial for the time. Did you know that was going to happen when you wrote it?
A. We thought we might get some flack for it. I took it to the guys in the band, a couple of them are Catholic and I said "Do you have a problem with this?" and they said "No it's true." There'd been all these novels written and movies made about Jewish guilt and there was nothing about Catholic guilt which to me was the ying to the yang of Jewish guilt. Jewish guilt was all visceral and physical gut guilt. Catholic guilt is all incense and bats in the belfry and mental torment. The point of it wasn't anti-Catholic as much as it was pro-lust. In the end the girl kept her virginity...she remained chaste. When there was all this brouhaha, I was like "What's the problem?" But it did get banned. It got banned at Seton Hall University which was a Catholic college and I think the Archdiocese of St. Louis said "Don't buy this record." As soon as you tell kids they can't have something they want it. I wrote them a letter afterwards saying "Please ban my next record."
They built you a temple and locked you away
But they never told you the price that you pay
For things that you might have done....."
"You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation
You got a brand new soul
And a cross of gold
But Virginia they didn't give you quite enough information
You didn't count on me
When you were counting on your rosary"
HE IS CRITICIZING THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND PEOPLE IN IT FOR ONLY WORRYING ABOUT THEMSELVES. "dont get near that kid, he's bad news..." "dont associate urself with those people..."
he is saying why dont you stop critizing other people and start helping them??
BILLY JOEL IS BRILLIANT
(i do not nessecarily agree with Billy Joel's opinions, just explaining, and respecting them)
"They say there's a heaven for those who will wait
Some say it's better but I say it ain't
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
Sinners are much more fun..."
do you agree?