He bought a sterilized hypo
To shoot a sex machine drug
He got 24 hours
To shoot all Paulene's between the legs he'll throw
96 tears through 24 hours
Sexed once every hour

Johny hit and run Paulene

L.a. bus doors open
Kicking both doors open
When it rested on 6th street
That's when he drug a girl inside
He was spreading her legs and didn't understand dying
She was still awake

Johny hit and run Paulene

When he was waking up
Beside the bed
He found clumps of hair
The last Paulene wouldn't cooperate
She wasn't what you'd call living really
But she was still awake

Johny hit and run Paulene


Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings

Johny Hit And Run Paulene Lyrics as written by John Doe Exene Cervenka

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Hipgnosis Songs Group

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Johny Hit and Run Paulene song meanings
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20 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment

    Pretty brutal, disturbing lyrics. It tells the story of "date rape" and knockout drugs like GHB. The main character, Johnny, is obviously a hideously amoral person who first knocks out his victims. Names don't matter, personalities don't matter, souls don't matter. They're just "sex machine" bodies to him. They might as well all be named Paulene, for all Johnny cares. When the last "Paulene" doesn't cooperate (she evidently stays awake and probably resists), he takes violent action against her, ripping out hair and probably doing worse to her, because Paulene is left in either a drugged, zombie-like stupor (not quite living, not quite dead), or she is in a coma. Brutal story. Should be enough to shock any listener into understanding, and being disgusted by, the realities of "date rape" drugs.

    Bluewaveson June 24, 2007   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    yep... it's an anti-rape song.

    a-streeton June 06, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song is about rape "he found clumps of hair the last paulene wouldn't cooperate"

    spookykidon March 11, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Its more complicated than rape its more about a drug manufactured that allows this man to have sex once every hour but instead of just being able to he needs to and so it leads to rape and murder. This was before viagra was invented mind you.

    Red_Left_Handon December 18, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Obviosly about rape, but I'm not sure how much deeper it goes. Anyway, it's a good song. It's a weird song to use that Johnny B. Goode riff in though..

    Inside_Voiceon March 26, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song is not about ghb or date rape drugs. in "decline of western civilization" john doe talks about how it stemmed from a conversation between he and exene about a fictional drug that would allow men to have sex every hour for 24 hours. the rest of the song is obviously about rape to satisfy this ability/need.

    marveletteon September 11, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    A guy named Johny buys a drug that allows males to have sex every hour for 24 hours. Johny goes on a rampage across LA, raping women. When the drug wears off, Johny wakes up to discover a girl that he brutalized next to him in a coma. Johny thinks so little of women that he refers to all women as 'Pauline'. John Doe came up with the idea of the drug...

    thegitsfanon September 19, 2020   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    he plans the rape he will inject her and i think she was end up in a coma

    oac seton April 13, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    it's certainly a song about rape and the use of drugs.

    velvetsisteron February 13, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I remember reading in some review or other that this song was "vaugley disturbing". I don't see anything vauge about it, it is disturbing. But really, one my fav X songs. Agree with the above about being anti-rape, and the drug connection.

    taffydavenporton March 11, 2006   Link

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