Virginia was a "lot lizard" from F.L.A.
She had a compound fracture in the "trunk"
It started when she ran away
Thumbs out on the interstate
She hitched a ride to misery

"Mr. Whirly" had a catastrophic incident
He fell into a city by the bay
He liquidated his estate
Now he sleeps upon the Height
Panhandling misery

He's gonna get high high high
When he's low low low
The fire burns from better days
And she screams why oh why
I said I don't know
The catastrophic hymns from yesterday
Of misery

Vinnie was a hustler out of Amsterdam
He ran the drug cartel in "Tinseltown"
They found him in a Cadillac
Bludgeoned with a baseball bat in the name
Of misery

Gina hit the road to new york city
Mysteriously the night Vinnie croaked
She stopped in Vegas to elope
With Virgina and the dope
And kissed the bride eternally

They're gonna get high high high
When they're low low low
The fire burns from better days
And she screams why oh why
I said I don't know
The catastrophic hymns from yesterday
Of misery

Hell hounds on your trail now once again, boy
Its groping on your leg until it sleeps
The emptiness will fill your soul with sorrow
Because its not what you make, its what you leave

And we're gonna get high high high
When we're low low low
The fire burns from better days
And she screams why oh why
I said I don't know
The catastrophic hymns from yesterday
Of misery



Lyrics submitted by kevin

Track duration: 05:06

"Misery" as written by Billie Joe/wright Iii Armstrong

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Misery song meanings
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56 Comments

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  • 0
    My Opinion:Maybe in the song Billie uses Misery as a Synonym of Drugs...
    Flag OfMiseryon January 04, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:My favourite Green Day song, on my favourite Green Day album. I love how Green Day just moved on from Dookie and showed that they didn't just do generic punk, and actually have variety, which is shown in songs like this, along with Hold On & Macy's Day Parade.
    Flag MetalHead101on July 20, 2011   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:this song is great.. and some people dont get the lyrics but i dont really mind if the song may not make sense to people. as long as billie joe armstrong understands the song it doesnt matter to me.. and green day made this song so that means this song is created by the best damn band in the world well in my opinion at least..
    Flag GreenDayLover17on June 11, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Misery loves company
    Flag blednghrt94on July 31, 2009   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:umm would anyone know who this song is originally by?.. cuz if you dont know already, Green Day didn't write it..
    Flag HiImAlexon July 11, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think it tells a story about several people who's own personal stories become inter connected.

    virginia hitched a ride from florida
    "mr. whirly" was a drug dealer who died in san fransisco because he burned his house to destroy evidence
    vinnie was one of mr whirly's sellers who was murdered in amsterdam.
    gina is the one who killed vinnie and fled to new york then went to vegas (after picking up the hitchiker named virgina) with virginia and the dope
    Flag dpdpp1on July 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I'm surprised no one else mentioned this..
    The lines:

    She stopped in Vegas to elope
    With Virginia and the dope
    And Kissed the bride eternally

    So everyone's been saying that she and Virginia get married in Vegas and then she kills Virginia or something. I think "kissed the bride eternally" could also mean she got hooked on dope and used it all time aka "eternally".. I say this because she "elopes" with Virginia AND the dope but that's my obscure interpretation.
    Flag skyepotatoon June 07, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:pan·han·dle 2 (pnhndl)
    n.
    1. The handle of a pan.
    2. often Panhandle A narrow strip of territory projecting from a larger, broader area, as in Alaska, Idaho, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia.
    . pan·han·dled, pan·han·dling, pan·han·dles Informal
    v.intr.
    To approach strangers and beg for money or food.
    v.tr.
    1. To approach and beg from (a stranger).
    2. To obtain by approaching and begging from a stranger: panhandled money. See Synonyms at cadge.
    Flag mrblackon April 10, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think the story's pretty obvoius, some of you are close, here's how I see it. listen to the song after reading this and you'll enjoy it more

    virgina is a miserable meph addict in LA, she leaves her husband whirly to meet up with an old gf in san fran. she stops off at vinnie's, a drug dealer, to pick up first. She ends up getting into a fight with him killing him, throws his body in the trunk of his car and steels his drugs.

    virgina leaving whirly is catastrophic for him, his life falls apart, he looses his property, ends up on the streets of san fran.

    virgina hooks up with gina, they skip town head to NYC to start fresh be happy. they stop off in vegas to party with the drugs, virgina ends up over dosing

    a song about bad things happening to ppl, and misery chasing them like hell hounds
    Flag dounga2on July 21, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Err, I'll just assume then that I'm the only one whom this song reminds slightly of 'Bound' then?
    Flag Tiroskanon July 15, 2008   Link

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