Does anyone remember Tony
A quiet boy, little over weight
He had breasts like a girl
When I wasn't too busy feeling lonely
I'd stare over his shoulder
At a map of the world
He always finished all his homework
Raised his hand in homeroom
He called the morning attendance
With the pledge allegiance to the (gloom) ?

Hey Tony, what's so good about dying
He said I think I might do a little dying today
He looked in the mirror and saw
A little fagot starin' back at him
Pulled out a gun and blew himself away

I hated every day of high school
It's funny, I guess you did too
Its funny how I never knew
There I was sitting right behind you
They wrote it in the local rag
Death comes to the local fag
I guess you finally stopped believing
That any hope would ever find you
Well I know that story,
I was sitting right behind you

Hey Tony, what's so good about dying
He said I think I might do a little dying today
He looked in the mirror and saw
A little fagot starin' back at him
Pulled out a gun and blew himself away

Hey Tony what's so good about dying, dying
Hey Tony what's so good about dying, dying
Hey Tony, what's so good about dying
He said I think I might do a little dying today
He looked in the mirror and saw
A little fagot starin' back at him
Pulled out a gun and blew himself away
Pulled out a gun and blew himself away
Pulled out a gun and blew himself away
Tony



Lyrics submitted by nightkite13

Track duration: 04:10

"Tony" as written by Merv Griffin

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Tony song meanings
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12 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I like it. Defiant. Terrible story about a suicide presumably related to a gay guy feeling oppressed. She's obviously sympathetic. But in the end, Patty is challenging: what's so good about dying?
    Flag tquinn554on May 10, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Lyrics chilled my spine, but I think they deserve a better song. it's way too 'poppy' for my liking.
    Flag Zuuzon February 16, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Wow, the lyrics and the melody, the way it's sung create a somewhat weird feeling. The story is definitely sad, yet if you listen to the melody alone you will probably hear that it is somehow... I'm not sure - joyful, perhaps?
    Strange.
    But it's a great song, anyway :)
    Flag MuminPLon January 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I loved patty's first couple of albums, thereafter not so much.
    Flag foofoo22on August 01, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:wow, I'd sure have to disagree with that first comment. A remarkable and sympathetic song, uses a slur to illustrate how guys like Tony are treated when they are young. Patty is just about the best
    Flag cmckinleyon November 24, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:ack, sorry about the double post
    Flag bokononiston October 11, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The opening of the second verse always gets to me: "I hated every day of high school/It's funny I guess you did too/Funny how I never knew"

    It makes me think about how I was so miserable during my high school years I didn't even consider how many people around me were probably just as miserable, if not moreso.
    Flag bokononiston October 11, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:The opening of the second verse always gets to me: "I hated every day of high school/It's funny I guess you did too/Funny how I never knew"

    It makes me think about how I was so miserable during my high school years I didn't even consider how many people around me were probably just as miserable, if not moreso.
    Flag bokononiston October 11, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:At a concert I attended, Patty Griffin said the following about the song Tony:

    "This is song about a kid I went to high school with, kind-of. It's loosely based on him."
    Flag lbgfanon January 05, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is a very sad song, but I think it's written to draw attention to the way people isolate themselevs, for feeing different, especially as children. Weather Tony is real or just an example - Only Patty knows.
    ''Hey tony, whats so good about dying''. I think the person in this song who remembers Tony, is still feeling very lonely, just like Tony was.
    My favourite lines =
    I guess you finally stopped believing,
    Any hope would ever find you
    I knew that story,
    I was sitting right behind you.
    Flag that_sullen_girlon June 20, 2005   Link

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