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.
Little johnny's all messed up
'Cause first he jumped and then he looked
Those tracks of time those tracks are mine
Little johnny's occupied
Come on, come together
Come on, come together
Little johnny had an ache
That hung around the poor boy's mate
Every time that johnny ate
The little sucker fed the ache
Come on, come together
Come on, come together
Little j's a messed up boy
Who doled the pain but killed the joy
And little j he's gotta confess
That when he's offered just says yes
Little j is all messed up
First he jumped and then he looked
The tracks of time those tracks of mine
Little j is occupied
Come on, come together
Come on, come together
'Cause first he jumped and then he looked
Those tracks of time those tracks are mine
Little johnny's occupied
Come on, come together
Come on, come together
Little johnny had an ache
That hung around the poor boy's mate
Every time that johnny ate
The little sucker fed the ache
Come on, come together
Come on, come together
Little j's a messed up boy
Who doled the pain but killed the joy
And little j he's gotta confess
That when he's offered just says yes
Little j is all messed up
First he jumped and then he looked
The tracks of time those tracks of mine
Little j is occupied
Come on, come together
Come on, come together
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More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
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:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
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.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
It's not quite a bullshit metaphor. Story goes like this, and this is very, very brief: We have Jason Pierce, AKA J. Spaceman, who was dating Spiritualized's keyboardist Kate Radley. However, unbeknown to Pierce, Radley had gone and secretly married Richard Ashcroft, who you may know of because of his band The Verve. This was shortly before Ladies & Gentlemen... was released, causing Pierce to jump from recreational user to complete and total addict. This is where lines like “Sometimes have my breakfast right off of a mirror / And sometime have it straight out of a bottle” ("Home of the Brave") and the John Prine reference in "Cop Shoot Cop..." ("Hey man, there's a hole in my arm where all the money goes") come from. And, of course, "Come Together."
Without context, Ladies and Gentlemen... stands as a record of the howling pangs of the lovelorn, but in context (keep in mind, Radley was still in the band for the record), it serves as the permanent article of what can go wrong with somebody.
There are no real metaphors here. Little Johnny is a fucked-up user, and he doesn't hurt, but he doesn't feel a lot of anything else either. He even goes as far as to refer to him as "Little J," for God's sake. It's pretty straightforward.