Beastie Boys
Johnny Ryall lyrics
- Language
- English
- Level
- Beginner
- Released
- 1989
- Genre
- Pop
- Length
- 3:02
Johnny Ryall is the bum on my stoop
I gave him fifty cents to buy some soup
He knows the time with the fresh Gucci watch
He's even more over than my mayor, Ed Koch
Washing windows on the Bowery at a quarter to four
'Cause he ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Livin' on borrowed time and borrowed money
Sleepin' in the street, there ain't a damn thing funny
With the hand-me-down food and the hand-me-down clothes
A rockabilly past of which nobody knows
Makes his home all over the place
He goes to sleep by falling down on his face
Sometimes known as the leader of the homeless
Sometimes drunk and he's always phoneless
Sleepin' on the street in a cardboard box
He's better off drinkin' than smokin' the rocks
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
Kickin' uptown
Kickin' downtown
Kickin' crosstown
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
He drinks where he lies, he's covered with flies
He's got the hand me down Pumas and the tie dyes
Well, you go upstate, and you get your head together
Thunderbird is the word and you're light as a feather
Detox at the flop house, no booze allowed
Remember the good ol' days with the rockabilly crowd
Memphis is where he's from (in Tennessee)
He lives in the street, but he's no bum
He's a rockabilly star from the days of old
He used to have teeth all filled with gold
He got a platinum voice, but only gold records
On the bass was Boots and on the drums was Checkers
Louis Vuitton with the Gucci guitar
Johnny Ryall, who do you think you are?
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
Takin' the night train, takin' the O.E.
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
Donald Trump and Donald Tramp living in the mens Shelter
Wonder Bread bag shoes and singing "Helter Skelter"
He asks for a dollar, you know what it's for
Man, bottle after bottle, he always needs more
He's no less important than you working class stiffs
He drinks a lot of liquor but he don't drink piss
He paid his dues playing the blues
He claims that he wrote the "Blue Suede Shoes"
Elvis shaved his head when he went into the army
That's right, y'all, his name is Johnny, kick it!
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Rya-
Check the cool wax
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- after
- later in timeA1
- allowed
- permitted; not forbiddenA2
- always
- every time; continuouslyA1
- asks
- requestsA1
- claims
- says as trueB1
- covered
- covered overB1
- days
- 24-hour time periodsA1
- dollar
- US money unitA1
- down
- not up; sadA1
- drink
- take liquid into your mouthA1
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About this song
Beastie Boys were an American hip-hop group from New York, mixing rap with punk, funk, and jazz. They are known for albums like Licensed to Ill and Paul’s Boutique, which helped define late-1980s rap, along with the MTV hit “Sabotage.”