Josie

This song always makes me laugh, and I'm not sure why. :>)

Josie seems to be the local "go-to girl" for fun--the gal you go to for, among other various illicit acts, sex. I don't think Josie is actually Catholic, but she's so fervent and wild and generally intense that she may act like a pious Roman Catholic deep in prayer. She sounds like a capricious young lady, which is why she is at both once your best friend and your worst enemy.

I heard one person speculating that Josie is a wild child sent away to a convent, or some such thing, for "reform," and though she continues to live a wild life when she comes home during the summer or whatever, part of her is guilty, and so she prays fervently even as she sleeps with every guy in town, loiters around the town center at midnight, whatever. This theory definitely has its merits, and its irony would certainly make it trademark 'Dan.

"prays like a roman" - I think this is a reference to the debauchery of Rome: having orgies to worship the gods. Perhaps Josie is the sexual 'shaman' for the neighborhood, and yes, her parents sent her away to become 'so good'.... but not long after she's back home, and the orgies pick up again, she's back to being 'so bad'.... 8-)

I agree with the sexual innuendo of the song. "She prays like a Roman with her eyes on fire" may be a simple reference to screaming "Oh God" or something similar during sex.

Such a catchy tune. This is one of those that sticks with you for awhile after you here it.

I think 'She prays like a Roman with her eyes on fire' might refer to a sexual act Josie performs. Think of Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' being down on her knees etc. Anyway I love that line and it's such a great upbeat track to finish the album. I remember going all tingly when I heard it the first time.

Its insane how in nearly all SD songs the key words of choice imply multiple meanings on an almost triple entendre scale ! Thats why im not to hasty to give an interpretation, because I lose myself midway...If there is one thing I can say, these guys have certainly built a brilliantly bizzare mystique about themselves !

Josie's homecoming takes on a far more sinister meaning in the second verse. While the first verse describes the revelry of someone's homecoming (from school, from jail??), and carefree activities such as having sex on the beach, very different and violent activities are proposed in the second verse.

More like street thugs going out to look for trouble, or more specifically, for some heads to bash in. The "battle apple" refers to a mace, and their plans to "shake 'em all down," "mix in the street," and "dance on the bones" indicate their intent to seek out people to attack. Rival gangs or just innocent people who walk by at the wrong time--who knows?

In any case, Josie sounds like she is anything but the "pride of the neighborhood."

I don't think Josie is supposed to be a real woman at all. Think about it: have you ever known or even heard of a young woman -- or man, except maybe Arthur Fonzarelli -- who could have that kind of a hold on a town or neighborhood? A woman who makes even the other women join in the debauched fun "throw down the jam till the girls say when")? Who riles everyone up to the point where they are fighting in the streets? So "Josie" may not be a woman at all. It could be a representation for drugs or rock and roll or who-knows-what. But I think a more likely interpretation is that this is a woman (real or conjured) in one teenage boy's or young man's head, where he has idealized her to the point where he thinks she has this kind of hold on everybody, when in reality it's only on him.

Song seems to be about a group of friends who are awaiting the return of the wildest one among them, a girl named Josie. Josie was the life of every party, sexually available if it suited her, and she could convince other girls in their circle to be as wild as she is.

The first verse seems about a beach party they're planning, while the second verse sounds like they're planning a "night on the town," both with Josie in tow. The singer expects that sooner or later his entire group of friends will have a chance to bump uglies with Josie, because she's not super discerning.

The line about "prays like a Roman," I think that's a sex act. "Prays" as in, on her knees, and "like a Roman" referring to the pantheon of multiple Roman Gods. It means that Josie isn't going romantically to be tied down to one person, she's gonna "pray" to all of this circle of friends eventually.

Best guess. Sounds like Becker lyrics. He always wrote the shadier stuff.

lmao, i typed my name in to song titles and this is one of the songs i got!! it must be good though! first post woo hoo. i wonder if anyone will ever come to this and read this...

Good comments already that I'll try to add to. It isn't just Josie entertaining all the boys ("til the girls say when"). She's not merely promiscuous -- she's a catalyst for the whole clique/neighborhood to get wild.

There's a great syllepsis in these lyrics: "Lay down the law and break it"... "Lay down the law" and "break the law" mean very different things, and aren't referring to the same "law". That's a smooth rhetorical device when you hear it.

The first reference to revelry in the song is "hats and hooters", which are elements of a child's party. It's very hard to imagine these youths actually partying with hats and hooters -- they're a metaphor. It's interesting that the song starts with these, then turns into late-night outdoor sex. That progression suggests that these kids are making that progression about now themselves, that they are teens not twentysomethings.

I've always been curious about the line "She prays like a roman with her eyes on fire." I imagine that she is, out of some familial requirement, bound to attend church or other situations involving prayer, but that you can see a wild look in her eye when she's praying, and know that her mind is on something else.

The music is a wonderful match for the lyrics. Larry Carlton has a jazzy instrumental version that's also good.