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jack johnson Lyrics
have you heard about jack johnson, hes a hero in this land. i dont like to sing about boxing but i hope youll understand. it was the 1st year they gave teh heavyweight to a black man and in 1908 it aint so easy. he was born right after slavery died, right after reconstruction died, born right after none of that stuff really died at all. he would walk down the streets wearing gold & diamonds, always hold his head up high, & he never had to say yes sir or no sir to the white forlks as they passed him by, or as he passed them by. so the great white hope was pulled out of retirement to nurse the bruised & shattered white pride. & when johnson beat him down there wasnt a man around at his side. when the fight was over there was beatings & murders, the worst race riot this country has seen. all because they didnt want a black man winning in their ring. who said heroes had to be role models anyway?
Song Info
Submitted by
202033 On Apr 12, 2005
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good song
agreed
Great song, I agree. It's obviously about Jack Johnson, a black boxer who managed to defeat the (white) Heavyweight champion. Look up Jack Johnson on Wikipedia if you don't understand the lyrics.
I do have one question, though. At the beginning of the song, it calls Jack Johnson a hero, which almost the rest of the song confirms. However, the end of the song says
"who said heroes had to be role models anyway?"
Jack Johnson had several flaws, but as none of them are mentioned in the song, I am hesitant to say that is the reason for that line. Does anyone have any ideas?
I most definitely agree with you (fortherechord) of your implication of the last line in this kick ass song. I think it's meaning may have something to do with the fact that Johnson was one of the very few black boxers of his time, and as we all know, his talent led to extreme mayhem. The majority of boxers/boxing fans of his time were against him. Therefore, as a boxer AND individual, he was more frowned upon than looked up to. I have no idea if this even applies to the true meaning of "who said heroes had to be...
I most definitely agree with you (fortherechord) of your implication of the last line in this kick ass song. I think it's meaning may have something to do with the fact that Johnson was one of the very few black boxers of his time, and as we all know, his talent led to extreme mayhem. The majority of boxers/boxing fans of his time were against him. Therefore, as a boxer AND individual, he was more frowned upon than looked up to. I have no idea if this even applies to the true meaning of "who said heroes had to be role models anyway?" but it's just a thought.
The issue of Jack Johnson's life were left out of the song, this is true. He was known to cohort with prostitutes often and ended up marrying a former prostitute (she was white). He was also a bit of a drinker and a gambler. He had a penchant for buying fast cars and expensive jewelry. When you think of Jack Johnson, frame him as the kid recently drafted to the NBA that blows $15k partying with his friends and ends up arrested. That's Jack Johnson out of the ring. He was hardly a role...
The issue of Jack Johnson's life were left out of the song, this is true. He was known to cohort with prostitutes often and ended up marrying a former prostitute (she was white). He was also a bit of a drinker and a gambler. He had a penchant for buying fast cars and expensive jewelry. When you think of Jack Johnson, frame him as the kid recently drafted to the NBA that blows $15k partying with his friends and ends up arrested. That's Jack Johnson out of the ring. He was hardly a role model to base your life on; however, he stood up and broke racial barriers like they were the faces of those he fought.