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.
Now Jimmy
Well do you want an explosion now
Yeah Jimmy
Do you want to explode now
Yeah monkey
Are you seein' red now
Yeah monkey
Jumpin' on the bed now
Hoo x16
Green apples
On the tree and growing now
Green apples
Are gonna be exploding now
Yeah monkey
Are you seein' red now
Yeah monkey
Jumpin' on the bed now
Hoo x16
Well do you want an explosion now
Yeah Jimmy
Do you want to explode now
Yeah monkey
Are you seein' red now
Yeah monkey
Jumpin' on the bed now
Hoo x16
Green apples
On the tree and growing now
Green apples
Are gonna be exploding now
Yeah monkey
Are you seein' red now
Yeah monkey
Jumpin' on the bed now
Hoo x16
Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery
Jimmy the Exploder Lyrics as written by Jack White
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
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Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Like anybody else I may be wrong, but so far I find the song's interpretations here adorably naive rather than anything holding much weight.
To me the lyrics seem to be pretty clearly about reaching sexual maturity. A song about sex, just like so many of Led Zeppelin's songs, which have been a noticeable influence on the White Stripes in general, but especially so on this debut album of theirs.
Let's start with the title; it's about a character named Jimmy--Jimmy, "the exploder." If you still don't get what that could mean, the line "Do you want to explode now?" should do the job. Green apples are premature and they turn red when they become ripe. Jimmy "sees red now", and is "jumping on the bed," have a passionate loss of virginity, giving in to his animalistic urges, like a monkey. The lyrics could've also used a rabbit as a symbol, but I guess that wouldn't have been as cool. Oh, and don't get me started on all those sexual "whoo"s.
Kickass song.