We come on the sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

So hoist up the John B's sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the captain ashore
Let me go home
Let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah, yeah
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

The first mate, he got drunk
And broke in the captain's trunk
The constable had to come and take him away
Sheriff John Stone
Why don't you leave me alone? Yeah, yeah
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

So hoist up the John B's sail (hoist up the John B's sail)
See how the mainsail sets (see how the mainsail sets)
Call for the captain ashore
Let me go home
Let me go home
I wanna go home
Let me go home (hoist up the John B's sail)
(Why don't you let me go home?)
Hoist up the John B's sail (hoist up the John B's sail)
Feel so broke up
I wanna go home
Let me go home

The poor cook, he caught the fits
And threw away all my grits
And then he took and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why don't they let me go home?
This is the worst trip I've ever been on

So hoist up the John B's sail (hoist up the John B's sail)
See how the mainsail sets (see how the mainsail sets)
Call for the captain ashore
Let me go home
Let me go home
I wanna go home
Let me go home


Lyrics submitted by kevin

Sloop John B Lyrics as written by Brian Wilson

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Sloop John B song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

31 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +4
    General Comment

    This song has always been a favorite of mine since my parents played it when I was a little kid.

    Once on the inter-campus bus it started playing and I started to get into it and I noticed about 5 Rap-culture black kids picking on me for my "wimpy music." I wasn't going to let them ruin it and by the end of the song I had them all singing along with me.

    barfolimewon May 16, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    "Wimpy Music," HA! I am 18 and get made fun of because I listen to this "Granny" music. This is what I was raised on. Not rap. My parents had a big infulence on what I like.

    skylotton May 27, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I agree with sgrt144. He said it perfectly. Pet Sounds is definitely a brilliant album. I will go even farther and say it is a perfect album, only in competition with The Beatles great albums. It is definitely not whimpy music, though, I can laugh at that.

    Funny story. I was walking down the hallway, and had my walkman on listening to this exact song. I'm a bigger (mostly fat) guy, and walk quickly. This makes me look "mean" as some people have said it. Now, picture someone who's big, and looks mean walking toward you, listening to this song. It's quite funny.

    hydrobombon November 25, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    The Pet sounds album is probably the greatest album ever created. Sloop john B is one of the best songs on this albu simply because of how it starts and ends. It begins so simple and by the end it seems so complex, instrumentally, vocally musically in general. Everything about how it flows into itself and seems so effortless. However, during every new stanza they add a new sound and by the end you seem so overwhelmed instrumentally that it's hard to focus on the lyrics and the music. The harmonizing is incredible too just like in every Beach Boys album. Definitly a great song, hands down one of the greatest albums ever.

    Lookout42on January 27, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Pet Sounds is mostly a great album,but I cant believe that Brian could pad it out with those mediocre instrumental tracks(lets go away for a while/Pet Sounds)...it does'nt compare with Sgt.Pepper(which does'nt compare with Revolver!)

    oldfogeyon June 01, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Relient K rocks!!!

    Xaq27on January 14, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Being trapped somewhere awful always gets this song in my head. And then it reminds me of Touching the Void, wherein Joe can't get Boney M's Brown Girl in the Ring out of his head. Perhaps Sloop John B will play on my deathbed? I think I'd like that. I think I just decided it's my funeral song.

    sweetadeleiiineon August 09, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i love this song, i first heard it on the movie, Forrest Gump

    njrockstarbanditon May 30, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    That's the Beach Boys versh, isn't it? I love it, personally. Brian, apparently, didn't like the recording afterward, and certainly in retrospect, since there was way too much (and it's evident more on the mono Pet recording) sliding to the top notes. I have to agree that it exists, but I always thought that that was purely for effect. Is there a Gump soundtrack available?

    Bobo192on June 08, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    yea, and it kicks ass, alot of good songs on it. i personally like this song though. man, i just wish i lived in the same decades as forrest gump did...

    njrockstarbanditon June 11, 2002   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example: "'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.