So this has been.my favorite song of OTEP's since it came out in 2004, and I always thought it was a song about a child's narrative of suffering in an abusive Christian home. But now that I am revisiting the lyrics, I am seeing something totally new.
This song could be gospel of John but from the perspective of Jesus.
Jesus was NOT having a good time up to and during the crucifixion. Everyone in the known world at the time looked to him with fear, admiration or disgust and he was constantly being asked questions. He spoke in "verses, prophesies and curses". He had made an enemy of the state, and believed the world was increasingly wicked and fallen from grace, or that he was in the "mouth of madness".
The spine of atlas is the structure that allows the titan to hold the world up. Jesus challenged the state and in doing so became a celebrated resistance figure. It also made him public enemy #1.
All of this happened simply because he was doing his thing, not because of any agenda he had or strategy.
And then he gets scourged (storm of thorns)
There are some plot holes here but I think it's an interesting interpretation.
Bring back, bring back, bring back that Leroy Brown, yeah!
Bring back, bring back, gotta ring that Leroy Brown, yeah!
Bet your bottom dollar bill you're a playboy, yeah, yeah!
Daddy cool, with a ninety dollar smile (oh yeah)
Took my money out of gratitude
And he get right out of town
Well, I gotta getty up steady up, shoot him down
Gotta hit that latitude, babe
Bring back, bring back, bring back that Leroy Brown, yeah!
Bring back, bring back, gotta ring that Leroy Brown, yeah!
Big, bad Leroy Brown - he got no common sense
No, no, he got no brains, but he sure gotta lot of style
Can't stand no more in this, here, jail
I gotta rid myself of this sentence
Gotta get out of the heat, step into the shade
Gotta get me there dead or alive, babe
Woo, woo, big, bad Leroy
Woo, woo, woo, woo
Big, bad Leroy Brown
Bring back, bring back, bring back that Leroy Brown, yeah!
Bring back, bring back, gotta bring back Leroy Brown, yeah!
Big mama Lulu Belle - she had a nervous breakdown
She had a nervous breakdown
Leroy's taken her honey child away
But she met him down at the station, ooo-hoo
Put a shotgun to his head, and, unless I be mistaken
This is what she said
Big bad big boy, big bad Leroy Brown
I'm gonna get that cutie pie
Bring back, bring back, bring back that Leroy Brown, yeah!
Big bad caused a mighty fine sensation, yeah, yeah!
Gone and got himself elected President
We want Leroy for President
Next time you gotta hit a bitty baddy weather
This time like a shimmy shammy leather
He's a big boy, bad boy Leroy
I don't care where you get him from
Bring that big, bad Leroy back
Want him back
Bring back, bring back, gotta ring that Leroy Brown, yeah!
Bet your bottom dollar bill you're a playboy, yeah, yeah!
Daddy cool, with a ninety dollar smile (oh yeah)
Took my money out of gratitude
And he get right out of town
Well, I gotta getty up steady up, shoot him down
Gotta hit that latitude, babe
Bring back, bring back, bring back that Leroy Brown, yeah!
Bring back, bring back, gotta ring that Leroy Brown, yeah!
Big, bad Leroy Brown - he got no common sense
No, no, he got no brains, but he sure gotta lot of style
Can't stand no more in this, here, jail
I gotta rid myself of this sentence
Gotta get out of the heat, step into the shade
Gotta get me there dead or alive, babe
Woo, woo, big, bad Leroy
Woo, woo, woo, woo
Big, bad Leroy Brown
Bring back, bring back, bring back that Leroy Brown, yeah!
Bring back, bring back, gotta bring back Leroy Brown, yeah!
Big mama Lulu Belle - she had a nervous breakdown
She had a nervous breakdown
Leroy's taken her honey child away
But she met him down at the station, ooo-hoo
Put a shotgun to his head, and, unless I be mistaken
This is what she said
Big bad big boy, big bad Leroy Brown
I'm gonna get that cutie pie
Bring back, bring back, bring back that Leroy Brown, yeah!
Big bad caused a mighty fine sensation, yeah, yeah!
Gone and got himself elected President
We want Leroy for President
Next time you gotta hit a bitty baddy weather
This time like a shimmy shammy leather
He's a big boy, bad boy Leroy
I don't care where you get him from
Bring that big, bad Leroy back
Want him back
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Ave Grave
Thee More Shallows
Thee More Shallows
Spirit Within
Bertoldi Brothers
Bertoldi Brothers
Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
Grand Theft Auto
Insane Ian
Insane Ian
The way this song speaks to me🥺🥺when I sing it I feel like I relate
Fortnight
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
The song 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word 'fortnight' shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Jim Croce wrote/sang the famous song "TIme in a Bottle". By chance I walked past someone watching a Jim Croce concert on DVD and he happened to be talking about a certain 'Leroy Brown' - from what I remember, a friend of his, in the army, who was constantly messing around and having a good time. I was surprised to hear him talking about 'Leroy Brown', having been well-acquainted with this Queen song. Therefore that second comment might be valid...would be interesting if someone could give a more concrete explanation.