Tired of Being Johnny B. Good
Rising Against the System: Hank Williams Jr.'s Rebellion Anthem
Lyrics
I don't like instant ice tea
I have a dislike for instant ice tea.
And I ain't crazy about dollar
I'm not fond of the value represented by a dollar.
A gallon self-service gasoline
A gallon of self-service gasoline is not to my liking.
They nearly broke me with the
The high price of beef has almost ruined me.
High price of beef
Ironically, those responsible believe they are deceiving me.
And the funny thing is they think
I've always been a law-abiding citizen.
They're putting this over on me
I'm growing frustrated, and people should understand my sentiments.
I've always been an upstanding citizen
I have upheld moral standards, but my patience is wearing thin.
But I am getting fed up now, my friends
If you fail to comprehend, I'm expressing weariness of being virtuous (Johnny B. Good).
And if you don't understand what I've said
I'm transitioning to embrace the persona of Johnny Reb.
I'm tired of being Johnny B Good
And I'm gonna be Johnny Reb
Reiterating the decision to become Johnny Reb.
Yeah, I'm gonna be Johnny Reb
Affirmation of the choice to adopt the Johnny Reb persona.
'Cause I don't believe everything
Expressing skepticism towards information encountered.
I've seen and read
I exert significant effort to maintain basic necessities.
And I work like hell just to
Reiterating weariness of being Johnny B. Good.
Keep a roof and a bed
Choosing to embrace the identity of Johnny Reb.
I'm tired of being Johnny B Good
And I'm gonna be Johnny Reb
-This country's gettin' in a kinda bad shape
Commentary on the deteriorating state of the country.
When the gasoline profit's are up
Observation on the increasing profits from gasoline.
Up and away
Expressing difficulty in sustaining life with take-home pay.
And I can barely live on my take home pay
Acknowledging agreement from others on the situation.
There's a whole lot of people that
Agree to what I say
-Don't tell me to ride a bus
Rejecting suggestions to use public transportation.
And turn down my thermostat
Resisting temperature adjustments while the wealthy enjoy luxuries.
When you're all runnin' around
Highlighting the disparity between lifestyles.
In jets and Cadillacs
The need to resist passively; urging collective action.
I can't take this lying down
Insisting on standing up for beliefs until they are acknowledged.
We gotta try and fight back 'till
Reiterating weariness of being Johnny B. Good.
They believe what we said
Advocating for a shift to the Johnny Reb persona.
We're tired of being Johnny B Good
And we gotta be Johnny Rebs
Emphasizing the collective decision to become Johnny Rebs.
Yeah, we're gonna be Johnny Rebs
'Cause we don't believe everything
-We've seen and read
-And we work like hell just to
-Keep a roof and a bed
-We're tired of being Johnny B Good
-And we gotta be Johnny Rebs
-We're tired of being Johnny B Good
-And we gotta be Johnny Rebs
-
Comment