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.
The early morning light falls
on a window in the hall
and she was sittin' in the kitchen
on a chair against the wall
and I think
it mighta been october
I'm not sure
I just knew it was getting colder
She writes a letter to her lover
still asleep beneath the covers
and a leaf outside a window
in the wind just kind of hovered
for a moment
then it started blowing
and like that leave
she was set on going
And she wrote
"I know when you waken
you will find
I've been most unkind
but just as I was
your first love
well, you know Johnny he
he was mine, he was mine
Johnny was mine
I never told you 'bout him
'cause he was in the county pen
for a hold up at a filling station
someone said he killed a man
and lookin' at 9 to 90
took all i had
to leave Johnny behind me
The other day while you was working
I was ironing my shirts
and heard a rumblin' in the driveway
and when i pushed aside the curtains
on the window in the parlor
well, there was Johnny
on the porch
lookin' like a hundred dollars
Well it seemed his lawyer knew the mayor
someone owed someone a favor
and so Johnny got out early
on account a good behavior
and now he makes an honest living
he's got a job somewhere in Boston
and he wants me with him.
Now in Johnny's glove compartment
There's a lease for an apartment
It's a little further north
than i'd wanted
but the road department's
payin' 50 dollars a day
and that' just enough for
me and Johnny and a baby"
And she wrote
"I know when you waken,
you will find
I've been most unkind
but just as I was
your first love
Well, you know Johnny he
he was mine, he was mine
Johnny was mine.
Well there's more to tell you but
I think i hear Johnny's truck
and I'll be halfway up the freeway
by the time you're waking up
and i just wanna say
I'm sorry
so long, good luck
and goodbye Charlie."
And she signed and sealed the letter
and she said goodbye forever
hesitating in the doorway
just to button up her sweater
she shivered
it was colder
now i'm not sure
it must of been october.
And she wrote
"I know when you waken,
you will find
I've been most unkind
but just as I was
your first love
Well, you know Johnny he
he was mine, he was mine
Johnny was mine."
on a window in the hall
and she was sittin' in the kitchen
on a chair against the wall
and I think
it mighta been october
I'm not sure
I just knew it was getting colder
She writes a letter to her lover
still asleep beneath the covers
and a leaf outside a window
in the wind just kind of hovered
for a moment
then it started blowing
and like that leave
she was set on going
And she wrote
"I know when you waken
you will find
I've been most unkind
but just as I was
your first love
well, you know Johnny he
he was mine, he was mine
Johnny was mine
I never told you 'bout him
'cause he was in the county pen
for a hold up at a filling station
someone said he killed a man
and lookin' at 9 to 90
took all i had
to leave Johnny behind me
The other day while you was working
I was ironing my shirts
and heard a rumblin' in the driveway
and when i pushed aside the curtains
on the window in the parlor
well, there was Johnny
on the porch
lookin' like a hundred dollars
Well it seemed his lawyer knew the mayor
someone owed someone a favor
and so Johnny got out early
on account a good behavior
and now he makes an honest living
he's got a job somewhere in Boston
and he wants me with him.
Now in Johnny's glove compartment
There's a lease for an apartment
It's a little further north
than i'd wanted
but the road department's
payin' 50 dollars a day
and that' just enough for
me and Johnny and a baby"
And she wrote
"I know when you waken,
you will find
I've been most unkind
but just as I was
your first love
Well, you know Johnny he
he was mine, he was mine
Johnny was mine.
Well there's more to tell you but
I think i hear Johnny's truck
and I'll be halfway up the freeway
by the time you're waking up
and i just wanna say
I'm sorry
so long, good luck
and goodbye Charlie."
And she signed and sealed the letter
and she said goodbye forever
hesitating in the doorway
just to button up her sweater
she shivered
it was colder
now i'm not sure
it must of been october.
And she wrote
"I know when you waken,
you will find
I've been most unkind
but just as I was
your first love
Well, you know Johnny he
he was mine, he was mine
Johnny was mine."
Lyrics submitted by StickityWicket
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Alright! They posted it! Tried to find lyrics to identify the word in that "club compartment" line. Don't know what that is, but it's the only lyric in the song i can't make out, and I was given Jeremy's fantastic album by a friend years ago, and it lacked any liner notes. Anyway...
This is perhaps one of the saddest songs i think I've ever heard. The lyrics alone are sad enough, but when you hear this song played and sung, its like having your heart torn out of your chest by a slow contraption designed for torture by Satan. With each passing verse it just hurts more and more and your heart goes out to each character, particularly Charlie.
If you've ever been in a situation even close to this you know the heartache on display here. I don't even care if you were the "Johnny" of this situation, or the girl writing, or "Charlie" himself - there's simply just no winners here, if you ask me. It certainly sucks more for Charlie than Johnny, or even the girl, but this girl is gonna live with that guilt for a long time - Johnny well, that kind sucks getting bagged for something you didn't do (which i believe is the implication) and to have your true love torn from you and for her to go off and find someone new. I hope those two find true happiness together with their baby (perhaps the most heart wrenching line in the song) and that Charlie can put it all back together eventually. Poor Charlie.
I know it may seem silly for me to be carrying on as though these characters as real people (and who knows, maybe they are) but that's that just a testament to Jeremy Wallace's songwriting. This song will hit you in every valve of your heart, and if it doesn't, i question the integrity of your heart and your status as a human and music lover.
Jeremy Wallace is a fantastic songwriter and musician. His albums "My Lucky Day" (which Johnny is off of) and "She Used To Call Me Honey" are both incredible. I wish he would get some more exposure, and I'm just trying to do my part. Get the word out on this guy, if you are into country, folk or just plain old fashioned great songwriting, Jeremy Wallace is your man. Look for more soon.