1
Johanna drove slowly into the city
The Hudson River all filled with snow
She spied the ring on His Honor's finger
Oh-oh-oh
A thousand years in one piece of silver
She took it from his lily-white hand
Showed no fear--she'd seen the thing
In the young men's wing at Sloan-Kettering
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey, 'ey!
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey!
His Honor drove southward seeking exotica
Down to the pueblo huts of New Mexico
Cut his teeth on turquoise harmonicas
Oh-oh-oh
I saw Johanna down in the subway
She took an apartment in Washington Heights
Half of the ring lies here with me
But the other half's at the bottom of the sea
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey, 'ey!
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey, 'ey!
The Hudson River all filled with snow
She spied the ring on His Honor's finger
Oh-oh-oh
A thousand years in one piece of silver
She took it from his lily-white hand
Showed no fear--she'd seen the thing
In the young men's wing at Sloan-Kettering
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey, 'ey!
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey!
His Honor drove southward seeking exotica
Down to the pueblo huts of New Mexico
Cut his teeth on turquoise harmonicas
Oh-oh-oh
I saw Johanna down in the subway
She took an apartment in Washington Heights
Half of the ring lies here with me
But the other half's at the bottom of the sea
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey, 'ey!
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey, 'ey!
Lyrics submitted by tippy_typewriter
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Hi all. I have an entirely different idea as to what this song means. For me Johanna is a 'working girl' His Honour was the main client. She knows he is dying, he may have called her to come to see him. She has perhaps seen many young men she knew dying of cancer (AIDS?) and to her has numbed her to the point of being ruthless. By the time she gets to see him he has died. An idea comes into her head, the ring he wears, having been passed down through generations on his well to do side of the family, has become a source of income for her. She steals it.
The 2nd verse is more a 'back in time' thing to show you how he dies. He was down in New Mexico having a 'good time' cutting his teeth on turqouoise harmonicas, means he was playing for the first time with say, playthings of underage girls/boys, or perhaps just hookers. He may have never done that kind of thing before...but being in a position of power (a Judge) he took advantage of having a 'secret life' for many many years.
Now he has become older and 'be-friended' Johanna, (perhaps he took her away from New Mexico, and supported her) he dies before he sees her. She takes his ring and sells it. Her life goes downhill as the money runs out. Hence moving to Washington Heights.
The one half of the ring is with me, this is the 'narrator' of the song, being perhaps the son of His Honour....who knew about Johanna, perhaps much later...he sees her from a distance....and he knows she stole the ring. He may have found out his father was 'employing' her services. The ring is symbolic for him as the family virtue. The other half lies at the bottom of the sea....meaning all the hopes for his father's memory are dashed away...thrown to the bottom of the sea. But in the end, she is still a prostitute, but a lower grade one by now....the 'raincoats' are a slang term for the guys wearing condoms. Her lack of enthusiasm as she says Oh...is because it is her life, her job, just another day.
Anyway, I would love to make a mini-movie about my take on it!
I hope you can see my version is alot different than most of the peoples on here!