Discussion:
Johnny and Mary meaning?
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yaba jangur
2005-08-08 16:52:30 UTC
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Hello,

i love the song
"Johnny and Mary" by Robert Palmer.

The problem is: i dont know what he is singing about.
I found the lyrics, i can "translate" it, but i dont get the meaning.
What exactly does he want to say?
Are there any comments or interpretations of that song?
Or can somebody just give me a clue?

Thanks



MFG

Yaba
Stacey B. Marshall
2005-10-02 00:25:22 UTC
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Downloaded from a site for Robert Palmer Lyrics:
(It looks to me like they are both a little crazy, maybe she is locked
up at the funny farm and is counting the walls? Maybe he was drunk
when he wrote it?)

JOHNNY AND MARY
Johnny's always running around
Trying to find certainty
He needs all the world to confirm
That he ain't lonely
Mary counts the walls
Knows he tires easily
Johnny things the world would be right
If it would buy truth from him
Mary says he changes his mind
More than a woman
But she made her bed
Even when the chance was slim

Johnny says he's willing to learn
When he decides he's a fool
Johnny says he'll live anywhere
When he earns time to
Mary combs her hair
Says she should be used to it
Mary always hedges her bets
She never knows what to think
She says that he still acts like he's
Being discovered
Scared that he'll get caught
Without a second thought

Johnny feels he's wasting his breath
Trying to talk sense to her
Mary says he's lacking a real
Sense of proportion
So she combs her hair
Knows he tires easily

Johnny's always running around
Trying to find certainty
He needs all the world to confirm
That he ain't lonely
Mary counts the walls
Says she should be used to it



On Mon, 08 Aug 2005 18:52:30 +0200, yaba jangur
Post by yaba jangur
Hello,
i love the song
"Johnny and Mary" by Robert Palmer.
The problem is: i dont know what he is singing about.
I found the lyrics, i can "translate" it, but i dont get the meaning.
What exactly does he want to say?
Are there any comments or interpretations of that song?
Or can somebody just give me a clue?
Thanks
MFG
Yaba
Mrs. J
2005-10-02 18:35:23 UTC
Permalink
Post by Stacey B. Marshall
(It looks to me like they are both a little crazy, maybe she is locked
up at the funny farm and is counting the walls? Maybe he was drunk
when he wrote it?)
I don't know the song, but just from reading the lyrics it seems pretty
evident that they are married, but he is always "running around" (that means
he is cheating on her) and she is "counting the walls" (that means she is
bored, because she's stuck at home alone.) She sounds like she has resigned
herself to the fact that she's married a cheating man, but makes excuses for
him and says there's nothing she can do about it.

-Mrs. J
k***@gmail.com
2015-06-18 00:55:15 UTC
Permalink
It's deeper than just a cheater. He's a person who compulsively cheats to try and prove to himself worth. He lacks the ability to have a meaningful relationship. She is insuciant. She is more than bored . She is in denial and does not seek answers as she already knows but ignores and replaces with ritualistic behaviors that give her shallow comfort
s***@gmail.com
2016-05-23 03:45:57 UTC
Permalink
This song doesn't necessarily mean that he is a cheater, it could possibly mean that this man has an issue within himself that he needs to resolve and he does not know how to go about it and the woman is willing to stand by him while he goes on this journey to try and find himself.
a***@hotmail.co.uk
2016-10-19 21:58:29 UTC
Permalink
Post by k***@gmail.com
It's deeper than just a cheater. He's a person who compulsively cheats to try and prove to himself worth. He lacks the ability to have a meaningful relationship. She is insuciant. She is more than bored . She is in denial and does not seek answers as she already knows but ignores and replaces with ritualistic behaviors that give her shallow comfort
Hi i did hear the song is about Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun.There are a few clues in the video,The goose step and the 1040s vib..I heard the late Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy mention it once,,as a friend of Robert Palmer i think he was correct.!
s***@googlemail.com
2018-05-30 11:24:29 UTC
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Absolutely. It's a very sad song
a***@hotmail.co.uk
2016-10-19 21:31:29 UTC
Permalink
Post by yaba jangur
Hello,
i love the song
"Johnny and Mary" by Robert Palmer.
The problem is: i dont know what he is singing about.
I found the lyrics, i can "translate" it, but i dont get the meaning.
What exactly does he want to say?
Are there any comments or interpretations of that song?
Or can somebody just give me a clue?
Thanks
MFG
Yaba
a***@hotmail.co.uk
2016-10-19 21:35:07 UTC
Permalink
Post by yaba jangur
Hello,
i love the song
"Johnny and Mary" by Robert Palmer.
The problem is: i dont know what he is singing about.
I found the lyrics, i can "translate" it, but i dont get the meaning.
What exactly does he want to say?
Are there any comments or interpretations of that song?
Or can somebody just give me a clue?
Thanks
MFG
Yaba
Hi I did hear the song is about Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun.There are a few clues in the video.The goose step and the 1940s vib etc.!
g***@otenet.gr
2018-01-24 18:11:00 UTC
Permalink
Post by yaba jangur
Hello,
i love the song
"Johnny and Mary" by Robert Palmer.
The problem is: i dont know what he is singing about.
I found the lyrics, i can "translate" it, but i dont get the meaning.
What exactly does he want to say?
Are there any comments or interpretations of that song?
Or can somebody just give me a clue?
Thanks
MFG
Yaba
it just points out the insecure nature of males and the stability of women, even if they are limited to four walls
k***@gmail.com
2018-08-18 20:14:19 UTC
Permalink
Post by yaba jangur
Hello,
i love the song
"Johnny and Mary" by Robert Palmer.
The problem is: i dont know what he is singing about.
I found the lyrics, i can "translate" it, but i dont get the meaning.
What exactly does he want to say?
Are there any comments or interpretations of that song?
Or can somebody just give me a clue?
Thanks
MFG
Yaba
You're looking for clues, Yaba. Ha ha.
t***@gmail.com
2018-08-21 20:48:15 UTC
Permalink
The real meaning of the song was found last weekend!
WE think and WE are sure that Johnny is a businessman who owns luxurious houses both in Stockholm and Kiev. Mary is a cleaner in his houses)) seems like she is dreaming about having relationships with him...but he ignores her...he is running around...she is waiting...it drives her crazy...she combs here hair and counts the walls in his houses...
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