The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
When Johnny comes marching home again,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
We'll give him a hearty welcome then,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Oh, the men will cheer the boys will shout
The ladies they will all turn out,
And we'll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home.
And we'll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home.
Get ready for the Jubilee,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
We'll give the hero three times three,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Well, the laurel wreath is ready now
To place upon his loyal brow,
And we'll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home.
And we'll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home.
In eighteen hundred and sixty-one
Hurrah! Hurrah!
That was when the war begun,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
In eighteen hundred and sixty-two,
Both sides were falling to,
And we'll all drink stone wine,
When Johnny comes marching home.
And we'll all drink stone wine,
When Johnny comes marching home.
In eighteen hundred and sixty-three,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Old Abe, he ended slavery
Hurrah! Hurrah!
In eighteen hundred and sixty-three
Old Abe, he ended slavery
And we'll all drink stone wine,
When Johnny comes marching home.
And we'll all drink stone wine,
When Johnny comes marching home.
In eighteen hundred and sixty-four,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Abe called for five hundred thousand more,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
In eighteen hundred and sixty-five,
They talked rebellion--strife;
And we'll all drink stone wine
When Johnny comes marching home.
And we'll all drink stone wine
When Johnny comes marching home.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
We'll give him a hearty welcome then,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Oh, the men will cheer the boys will shout
The ladies they will all turn out,
And we'll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home.
And we'll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home.
Get ready for the Jubilee,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
We'll give the hero three times three,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Well, the laurel wreath is ready now
To place upon his loyal brow,
And we'll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home.
And we'll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home.
In eighteen hundred and sixty-one
Hurrah! Hurrah!
That was when the war begun,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
In eighteen hundred and sixty-two,
Both sides were falling to,
And we'll all drink stone wine,
When Johnny comes marching home.
And we'll all drink stone wine,
When Johnny comes marching home.
In eighteen hundred and sixty-three,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Old Abe, he ended slavery
Hurrah! Hurrah!
In eighteen hundred and sixty-three
Old Abe, he ended slavery
And we'll all drink stone wine,
When Johnny comes marching home.
And we'll all drink stone wine,
When Johnny comes marching home.
In eighteen hundred and sixty-four,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Abe called for five hundred thousand more,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
In eighteen hundred and sixty-five,
They talked rebellion--strife;
And we'll all drink stone wine
When Johnny comes marching home.
And we'll all drink stone wine
When Johnny comes marching home.
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
When Johnny Comes Marching Home Lyrics as written by Kris Ife Traditional
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.