Notes

Johnny Boy: I feel like this song is about the average person (Johnny is also a common name) who really never gets any praise or concern, stays quiet and is flooded with doubts. Tyler is saying he appreciates his work and is never alone and can tell whatever is on his mind to him. Let's start verse by verse. "He stays home from work this time, he never really told his wife, he never really told a lie but this time he decides that it's alright. It's alright." Something has caused him to stay home. It had to be something big to risk losing a paycheck but it wasn't due from illness. It was due from being too depressed and flooded with doubts. He didn't tell his wife he didn't go to work today and he didn't tell his reason why but decides it is alright because if he did then that would lead into a conversation he wouldn't like (discussing his problems/doubts.) "No one really knows his mind and no one knows behind his eyes. The man deserves a medal, but he's never really won a prize before. He goes to lock the door." No one knows his thoughts or doubts he has but no one really confronts him about it. Johnny deserves a medal for battling his demons everyday, he also deserves a medal because of his unspoken work he's achieved but his battles and work ethic goes unnoticed and he feels useless. Locking the door could represent self harm. He feels unwanted and these thoughts charged in which caused him to erupt his despair upon himself. "He has fallen in love, he knows it's enough and the world looks down and frowns." Like in Air Catcher ("I won't fall in love with falling") Johnny doesn't want to fall into these dark depressed thoughts but he's fallen in a trance with it and can't stop. He knows that he should stop and shouldn't be thinking like this but he can't stop, these thoughts marched their ways in. Society thinks people who are depressed are attention seekers or not actually in pain, the stereotypical thing. The world looks down at Johnny and disapproves of his actions and thoughts instead of trying to help him and be concerned. "Get up Johnny boy, get up Johnny boy, get up 'cause the world has left you lying on the ground. You're my pride and joy, you're my pride and joy. Get up Johnny boy because we all need you now." Here Tyler is speaking saying "don't worry about the world making you feel guilty, they don't know the battle you are going through." Johnny doesn't really get any thanks or questions about his personal health, so here Tyler is saying I need you in my life (like in Friend, Please) so don't go, you mean more to me then you think. "Someone said, 'Away, you go,' And someone said to you, 'Goodbye.' They deflect the disrespect when they say that they blame it on the times. They blame it on the time." People around him aren't really concerned about him or his feelings, they more prefer the casual chats and when they disagree upon something or someone else joins the casual chats they say "Away you go." Or reflecting back to the above verses when they ask where are you going since he is skipping work he gives a simple common excuse, a lie but they take the excuse believing his lie or just not caring enough and says goodbye. Blaming it on the times means that the person isn’t genuinely interested in talking to him, but would rather leave and get on with their day. “Oh look at the time, I should get going.” "We all know you're qualified to fix a chair and love your wife, they all know you're qualified but they lie when they blame it on the times. Oh, we blame it on the times." They know the potential he has and the average stuff he does everyday but digging deeper inside of Johnny they give up and blame it on the time (like the last stanza) but here they say they were lying about it. They use the "Oh look at the time" excuse to get on with their day and not getting to really know each other and stop talking. They also know he has hard work ethic but they don't say anything about it and decides to let the compliment go when it might've effected him more than they thought it could have. Also at the last part Tyler admits that he himself blames it on the time sometimes by saying 'we'. "I will carry all your names and I will carry all your shame." Tyler is saying here he is going to try and help, not make casual chat but make sure Johnny is okay. When you are depressed or doubtful your self esteem is pretty low, sometimes you call yourself 'stupid, dumb, ugly, etc.' and here Tyler is saying he will carry the names meaning he will tell him that what he thinks he is is wrong and will keep bringing that topic up to hopefully make Johnny realize he is not those names at all. The shame could be him feeling bad about dragging Tyler in this and feeling selfish about having these thoughts (which is a recurring roll in the Self Titled album.) He will carry the wrong and foolish behavior Johnny thinks he withholds so he doesn't have to hold them by himself metaphorically speaking. Well there ya go that's my thought on what Johnny boy is about, now to solve who's laugh is at the end.