The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Say hey Johnny boy, the battle call.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Together we are what we can't be alone,
We came to this country, you made it our home.
This man so humble, this man so brave.
A legend to many, he fought to his grave.
Saved family and friends from the hardship and horror,
in a land of depression he gave hope for tomorrow.
Say Johnny me boy, this ones for you.
With the strength of many and the courage of few.
To what do we owe this man who's fight
was for the masses, he gave his life.
Say hey Johnny boy, the battle call
United we stand, divided we fall.
Together we are what we can't be alone,
We came to this country, you made it our home.
A friend to the locals who dabbled in crime.
He'd give you a job and he'd give you his time.
He wasn't a crook, but he couldn't be conned.
John knew the difference between right and wrong.
Say Johnny me boy, you live no longer,
Others forgotten, your memory's stronger.
Lets drink to the causes in your life:
Your family, your friends, the union, your wife.
Say hey Johnny boy, the battle call.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Together we are what we can't be alone.
We came to this country, you made it our home.
Say hey Johnny boy, the battle call.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Together we are what we can't be alone.
We came to this country, you made it our home.
And the boys on the docks needed John for sure.
When they came to this country he opened the door.
He said "Man I'll tell ya, they don't like our kind.
Though it starts with a fist it must end with your mind."
Say hey Johnny boy, the battle call.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Together we are what we can't be alone.
We came to this country you made it our home.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Together we are what we can't be alone,
We came to this country, you made it our home.
This man so humble, this man so brave.
A legend to many, he fought to his grave.
Saved family and friends from the hardship and horror,
in a land of depression he gave hope for tomorrow.
Say Johnny me boy, this ones for you.
With the strength of many and the courage of few.
To what do we owe this man who's fight
was for the masses, he gave his life.
Say hey Johnny boy, the battle call
United we stand, divided we fall.
Together we are what we can't be alone,
We came to this country, you made it our home.
A friend to the locals who dabbled in crime.
He'd give you a job and he'd give you his time.
He wasn't a crook, but he couldn't be conned.
John knew the difference between right and wrong.
Say Johnny me boy, you live no longer,
Others forgotten, your memory's stronger.
Lets drink to the causes in your life:
Your family, your friends, the union, your wife.
Say hey Johnny boy, the battle call.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Together we are what we can't be alone.
We came to this country, you made it our home.
Say hey Johnny boy, the battle call.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Together we are what we can't be alone.
We came to this country, you made it our home.
And the boys on the docks needed John for sure.
When they came to this country he opened the door.
He said "Man I'll tell ya, they don't like our kind.
Though it starts with a fist it must end with your mind."
Say hey Johnny boy, the battle call.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Together we are what we can't be alone.
We came to this country you made it our home.
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
""the line "united we stand, divided we fall" might be taken from the agnostic front song "gotta go"... who knows""
no
i love this song...my great-grandfather worked on the docks for a long time...the message is just so cool.
This song is GREAT. The message is great. I love the end, He said men I'll tell ya they don't like our kind Though it starts with a fist it must end with your mind. It's a guy John Kelly, who opened the door for the Irish who fought for there freedom.
this song is actually written for ken casey's(dkm lead singer) grandfather john kelly.<p><b><i>Edited by oofus on January 23 2005, at 07:23PM</i></b></p>
the line "united we stand, divided we fall" might be taken from the agnostic front song "gotta go"... who knows
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_we_stand,_divided_we_fall<br /> <br /> i wouldn't give either agnostic front or dropkick murphys too much credit for that phrase.<br /> <br /> ""United we stand, Divided we fall" is a phrase that has been used in mottos, from nations and states to songs."<br /> <br /> "The first attributed use in modern times is to John Dickinson in his revolutionary war song The Liberty Song. In the song, first published in the Boston Gazette in July 1768, he wrote: “Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!”"<br /> <br /> kick ass song anyway!
"Ken Casey's Grandfather, John Kelly, is the man referred to in the song. This song caught on like wildfire when it came out. Also a fan favorite."
I think this song is about how John Kelly helped paved the way for the Irish coming to America so that they and their families could live good lives and ease some of the hardships they were facing.
it was written about ken caseys(the BASS player) grandfather, its about how he helped all the irish kids comeing to this country and ended up in boston, he gave them jobs so they could survive
"the line "united we stand, divided we fall" might be taken from the agnostic front song "gotta go"... who knows"
The phrase "United We Stand Divided We Fall" has been around for at least 200 years. It is the state motto of Kentucky and can be traced as far back as the Revlutionary War when the USA was born.
It is also found printed on the Great Seal of Missouri which dates back to 1822.
i think this song is about when irish started coming to america people didnt like them because they were imigrants and they had to stick together