johnny

Used to steal my pencils in second grade
Made fun of him for always missing school
Sometimes he'd be out a week at a time
Come back laughing like everything was cool

His old man sold rebel flags and t-shirts
From the back of an old truck, side of the road
We all just thought Johnny was a bully
But he knew a devil that we didn't know

Johnny found his voice when he was thirteen
Cried as he talked about what he'd been thru
The old man would get drunk and beat his mother
When she'd had enough he'd beat Johnny, too

I read somewhere remember everybody
Hasn't had the same advantages as you
I thank God that I never and I pray for
The souls who know the devil Johnny knew

It's easy to lose track after high school
Everyone kinda follows their own road
Years later I heard Johnny had a nice car
And a brand new devil he had come to know

These days he makes his living off the users
And the sheriff always leaves him alone
But he don't hit his wife or his children
So who am I to judge what's right or wrong

Why did no one help him while they still could
When he was still a scared and long-haired kid
How does God decide who has to endure
The awful real-life nightmares Johnny did

I read somewhere remember everybody
Hasn't had the same advantages as you
I thank God that I never and I pray for
The souls who know the devil Johnny knew

Used to steal my pencils in second grade
Made fun of him for always missing school