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The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Can't Keep Johnny Down" by the artist "They Might Be Giants"

The song "Can't Keep Johnny Down" by They Might Be Giants tells the story of a man named Johnny who considers himself invincible and unshakable. He is full of arrogance and self-righteousness, seeing only hostile "jerks" around him who are trying to "keep him down."

The lyrics are filled with irony and sarcasm, exposing Johnny's nature. He boasts of his "victory" over countless enemies, comparing them to a mountain of corpses, but does not specify what exactly this victory was. Perhaps it's just his subjective perception of petty conflicts and grievances.

Johnny is obsessed with the past, "nursing grudges" and cherishing a thirst for revenge. He himself admits that he is far from the ideal of justice, and his "good memory for faces" hints at his vindictiveness.

The image of "some jerk / Playing golf on the moon" symbolizes everyone Johnny considers above him. This image is absurd and comical, showing how distorted Johnny's perception of reality is.

Despite the outward bravado, Johnny appears to us as a rather pathetic and lonely person, stuck in his own illusions and resentments. He is not capable of self-criticism and does not see his own shortcomings, projecting them onto others. The final lines of the song emphasize his isolation from the world and the lack of understanding from those around him.

Outnumbered a million to one

All of the dicks in this dick town

Can't keep Johnny down

Men piled up in a towering mound

None of them once has found a way

To keep Johnny down

Spending days by myself

Remembering slights

I'm not a monument to justice

Plus which, I don't forget a face

And they can't

Can't keep Johnny down

They haven't yet built the man

That'll keep old Johnny down

Some dude

Hitting golf balls on the moon

Bathroom in his pants

And he thinks he's better than me

I'm pointing a finger at my own face

They can't know what's in here

And they can't keep Johnny down

Beneath my dignity

To flip off the guy

When he pulls up alongside

To say my gas cap is unscrewed

And they can't

Can't keep Johnny down

They haven't yet built the man

That'll keep old Johnny down

And they don't

Don't know what I've seen

They can't know what's in here

And they can't keep Johnny down

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