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

Tony Lyrics as written by Merv Griffin

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Tony song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

12 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +2
    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.

    bokononiston October 11, 2007   Link
  • +2
    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

    cmckinleyon November 24, 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."

    lbgfanon January 05, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    ack, sorry about the double post

    bokononiston October 11, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Lyrics chilled my spine, but I think they deserve a better song. it's way too 'poppy' for my liking.

    Zuuzon February 16, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Kind of a horrible song ain't it?

    ReptileKingon April 04, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Does anyone know whether this is refering to a real incident or not?

    LousyGuitariston April 07, 2005   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.

    that_sullen_girlon June 20, 2005   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.

    bokononiston October 11, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I loved patty's first couple of albums, thereafter not so much.

    foofoo22on August 01, 2009   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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.