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"
A little ditty 'bout Jack & Diane
Two American kids growing up in the heart land
Jack, he's gonna be a football star
Diane's debutante, back seat of Jacky's car
Suckin' on chilli dog outside the Tastee Freez
Diane sitting on Jacky's lap
Got his hands between her knees
Jack he says
"Hey, Diane, let's run off behind the shady trees
Dribble off those Bobby Brooks
Let me do what I please"
Saying "Oh yeah
Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone"
Saying "Oh yeah
Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone"
They walk on
Jack he sits back, collects his thoughts for the moment
Scratches his head, and does his best James Dean
"Well then, there, Diane, we ought to run off to the city"
Diane says
"Baby, you ain't missing nothing"
But Jack he says, yeah
"Oh yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone"
"Oh yeah"
He's saying "Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone"
Oh, let it rock, let it roll
Let the bible belt come and save my soul
Holdin' on to sixteen as long as you can
Change is coming 'round real soon
Make us women and men
"Oh yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone"
"Oh yeah"
He's saying "Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone"
A little ditty 'bout Jack and Diane
Two American kids doin' the best they can
Two American kids growing up in the heart land
Jack, he's gonna be a football star
Diane's debutante, back seat of Jacky's car
Suckin' on chilli dog outside the Tastee Freez
Diane sitting on Jacky's lap
Got his hands between her knees
Jack he says
"Hey, Diane, let's run off behind the shady trees
Dribble off those Bobby Brooks
Let me do what I please"
Saying "Oh yeah
Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone"
Saying "Oh yeah
Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone"
They walk on
Jack he sits back, collects his thoughts for the moment
Scratches his head, and does his best James Dean
"Well then, there, Diane, we ought to run off to the city"
Diane says
"Baby, you ain't missing nothing"
But Jack he says, yeah
"Oh yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone"
"Oh yeah"
He's saying "Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone"
Oh, let it rock, let it roll
Let the bible belt come and save my soul
Holdin' on to sixteen as long as you can
Change is coming 'round real soon
Make us women and men
"Oh yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone"
"Oh yeah"
He's saying "Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone"
A little ditty 'bout Jack and Diane
Two American kids doin' the best they can
Lyrics submitted by Boonechic_21, edited by force263
Jack & Diane Lyrics as written by John Mellencamp
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Little ditty about Jack and Diane = Story about Jack and Diane Two American kids growin up in the heartland = Self explanatory Jackies gonna be a football star = Dreams of being a football player Diane debutante backseat of Jackies car = She becomes a woman in the backseat of his car Suckin on chilli dogs outside the tastee freeze = Kids just chillin' Diane sittin on Jackies lap = Self explanatory Hes got his hands between her knees = Messin' around Jackie say, "Hey Diane lets run off Behind a shady tree = Lets goe somewhere more private and finish fooling around Dribble off those Bobby Brooks = Take those cloths off (Bobby Brooks popular in 70's and 80's) Let me do what I please" = Let me go all the way And Jackie say a
CHORUS: Oh yeah life goes on = Self explanatory Long after the thrill of livin is gone = She gets pregnant and they have a quick shock to adulthood Oh yeah life goes on = Self explanatory Long after the thrill of livin is gone They walk on = Even though they screwed up "they walk on"
Jackie sits back reflects his thoughts for a moment = Thinking about his life Scratches his head and does his best James Dean = (Actor: Rebel Without a Cause) Trying to look tough and grown up Well you know Diane we oughtta run of the city = Grow up and get jobs take on responsibility Diane says, "Baby you aint miss no-thing" = She calms him in stating that life goes on no hurry Jackie say a
CHORUS: Oh yeah life goes on Long after the thrill of livin is gone Oh yeah life goes on Long after the thrill of livin is gone
Gonna let it rock Let it roll = Lets see where life takes us Let the bible belt come down And save my soul = They know what they did was wrong Hold on to 16 as lang as you can Changes comin round real soon Make us women and men = Stay kids without kids; life already comes at you fast enough
Little ditty about Jack and Diane = Finishing up the story Two American kids doin the best they can = Had a kid and mow have to deal with it
Did any of you see the "Nightline" segment on ABC this past week? "Nightline" interviewed John Cougar Mellencamp to ask him what songs influenced him and to talk about his own music. <br /> <br /> He said that this song, "Jack and Diane," is about an interracial couple; Jack is black and Diane is white and they realize that life is hard and that their love isn't necessarily accepted in the world in which they live.<br /> <br /> He said he wrote the song when he was very young, and that he was surprised by himself and the level of deep meaning this song has, and that he was able to achieve such a deep song at such a young age.
@SniperFox I’m not saying it’s me who’d do the punching, but when I see morons post line by line “dissections” of songs, it makes me hope that they receive a punch in the face soon after every time they do so.
@SniperFox I’m not saying it’s me who’d do the punching, but when I see morons post line by line “dissections” of songs, it makes me hope that they receive a punch in the face soon after every time they do so.