Lyrics
Young Johnny, he really had a way
He did his homework on the school bus and he always got an A
And the girls liked Johnny more than anyone 'cept maybe Elton John
Later on in high school he couldn't keep his red suspenders on
Oh, where's Johnny? Has he gone away?
Oh, where's Johnny? Will he be back someday?
He had a room full of trophies from the
Track meets and the tennis games he'd win
He was a full blown whiz kid and he was bound to be a Renaissance man
Then he went on off to college, got his
Head stuck in a different state of mind
When they asked him, "Was it alcohol?"
He told them it was nothing of the kind
"Just life, just life, mom"
Oh, where's Johnny? Has he gone away?
Oh, where's Johnny? Will he be back someday?
Oh, but Johnny's alright, he just turned out his lights
They'd have paid it no mind had he not been so bright
He opened up his eyes and he snapped out of the groove
He saw both sides of everything and he found he could not move
Johnny moved home, now he reads a lot of poetry and plays
He'll sit out in the backyard and not say a word to anyone for days
And his folks gave up, they no longer even bother getting through
Hell, he's thirty-odd years old, they must
Have figured there's just so much you can do
His mother keeps his pictures in a
Scrapbook in the drawer with her pearls
She polishes the trophies that he won back
When they thought he'd save the world
Back when the girls liked Johnny more
Than anyone 'cept maybe Elton John
She wonders where's her little boy with
The braces and the red suspenders gone
"Just life, just life, mom
Just life
Just life, mom
Just life"