Jimmy and Johnny two friends of mine
Skinheads what they claimed
Outside similarities but they don't feel the same
Johnny thinks Jimmy is a mod
And Jimmy thinks Johnny's a punk
Jimmy listens to ska
And Johnny likes last resort
Jimmy and Johnny in the trenches
We down tonight
Drinking Guinness smoking 555's
Once you're in the middle you feel alright
Skinheads tats and a Fred Perry
There's a was in the cemetery
Start to fight stop drinking
What the fuck were they thinking

Jimmy and Johnny tell me what you're seeing
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Jimmy had his two tone girl on the back of his scooter that night
Johnny had a jacks up Chevy that could blow you right off the line
Skinheads tats and a Fred Perry
There's a was in the cemetery
Start to fight stop drinking
What the fuck were they thinking

Jimmy and Johnny tell me what you're seeing
Yeah yeah yeah yeah


Lyrics submitted by Kpizzle

The Ballad of Jimmy & Johnny Lyrics as written by Timothy Armstrong Roger M. Freeman

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

The Ballad Of Jimmy And Johnny song meanings
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16 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is awesome.

    MightyMohawkGirlon July 27, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Best rancid album! My interpretation to this song: two skinhead friends that stop having fun and start having trouble .Maybe two Tim friends,dont know Any help?

    unity4peaceon May 23, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i cant really help but it seems that they both are skins. but jimmys more of a trad skin and johnnys a boot boy. difference is boot boys listen to more oi (last resort, opressed ect) and trads listen to oi but will also listen to alot of ska and reggea

    j0k3r_31on November 27, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i think the point of this song, j0k3r 31, is that stupid labels like "boot boys" and "trad skins" only split people apart and while it might be fun to create an identity for yourself like that it shouldnt get in the way of a friendship, fuck i've never heard of either of those things. They "think" the other is a mod or a punk. when he says "tell me what your seein'" its because they are seeing each other differently to the way he is, and he doesnt like the way its going "what the uck were they thinking". still i dont get why he says "Outside similarities but no they don't feel the same" because that suggests that they look the same but are different inside, which seems like the opposite of the rest of the song.

    joeytheboyon January 12, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    im thinkin maybe Jimmy is the famous St. Jimmy from the Green Day, American Idiot album. . . think about, there is already a link between the two bands. . . that link bein that BillieJoe Armstrong, the lead singer for Green Day, composed the song "Radio" for Rancid. . . maybe that isnt the only link between the 2 bands. . . i also think that when he says, "Jimmy and Johnny, tell me what your seein" he is implying that Jimmy and Johnny r the same person, seeing the same thing, just through different viewpoints because they r separate personalities of the same person, and they r fighting for full control over the mind of a confused skinhead. . . if i'm way off, please let me know, but i think i present a good arguement.

    skataboion February 12, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    honestly, skataboi, i think the whole jimmy thing is a coincidence. I mean there are tons of jimmys in the world, but w/e. this song reminds me of myself and my friend steve. I would definatley be jimmy, cuz ska rules!

    catliketheifon June 26, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song could be about the internal strife in the skinhead world. There are racist skins and there are skins who are against racism and whose members include all races. (like SHARP Skin Heads against racial prejudice)

    The Green Day connection is a STRETCH , but NOFX came out with a song afterwards that is a story about a guy named Johnny that has the lyrics:

    He's a teenage vegetable This is the LAST RESORT He's got PCP in his veins He lives inside a quart Johnny was a good man Till the day that he got shot He had a jacked up chevy That could blow you off the spot

    JeffKaos71on March 27, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The song above i mentioned by NOFX is called Knee Jaw Music

    JeffKaos71on March 27, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    and the lyrics of the NOFX song go:

    He's a teenage vegetable He listens to LAST RESORT

    (on-line lyrics sites got it wrong)

    JeffKaos71on March 28, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Skataboi, you're a moron, this song came out like 10 years before St. Jimmy came out.

    poolhallXjunkieon March 28, 2006   Link

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