Johnny Ryall Lyrics
One, two, three, four
One, two, three, four
One, two, three, four
Oh, wine cooler
[Verse 1]
Johnny Ryall is the bum on my stoop
I gave him fifty cents to buy some soup
He knows the time with the fresh Gucci watch
He's even more over than my mayor, Ed Koch
Washing windows on the Bowery at a quarter to four
'Cause he ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Livin' on borrowed time and borrowed money
Sleepin' in the street, there ain't a damn thing funny
With the hand-me-down food, and the hand-me-down clothes
A rockabilly past of which nobody knows
Makes his home all over the place
He goes to sleep by falling down on his face
Sometimes known as the leader of the homeless
Sometimes drunk, and he's always phoneless
Sleepin' on the street in a cardboard box
He's better off drinkin' than smokin' the rocks (Well)
[Chorus]
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
Kickin' uptown, kickin' downtown, kickin' crosstown
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
He drinks where he lies, he's covered with flies
He's got the hand me down Pumas and the tie dyes
Well, you go upstate, and you get your head together
Thunderbird is the word, and you're light as a feather
Detox at the flop house, no booze allowed
Remember the good old days with the rockabilly crowd
Memphis is where he's from (In Tennessee)
He lives in the street, but he's no bum
He's a rockabilly star from the days of old
He used to have teeth all filled with gold
He got a platinum voice, but only gold records
On the bass was Boots and on the drums was Checkers
Louis Vuitton with the Gucci guitar
Johnny Ryall, who do you think you are?
[Chorus]
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
Drinkin' Night Train, drinkin' O.E
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
[Bridge]
One, two, three, four
One, two, three, four
One, two, three, four
One, two, three...
Donald Trump and Donald Tramp living in the men's Shelter
Wonder Bread bag shoes and singing "Helter Skelter"
He asks for a dollar, you know what it's for
Man, bottle after bottle, he always needs more
He's no less important than you working class stiffs
He drinks a lot of liquor, but he don't drink piss
He paid his dues playing the blues
He claims that he wrote the "Blue Suede Shoes"
Elvis shaved his head when he went into the army
That's right, y'all, his name is Johnny, kick it!
[Chorus]
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Rya-
Check the cool wax!
About
This is Track 3 on Paul’s Boutique, released 7.25.1989 on Capitol Records. Beastie Boys & Dust Brothers share writing and production credits. Engineered by Mario Caldato, Jr. and assisted by Allen Abrahamson, “Johnny Ryall” was recorded at Mario G’s and mixed at Record Plant. Here’s the demo:
The song is a fictional story about a real vagrant who hung out near Mike D’s apartment at the time.
Samples include:
- “One of these Days“ by Pink Floyd, from the album, Meddle (1971)
- “Mr. Big Stuff“ by Jean Knight, from the single, "Mr. Big Stuff/You Think You’re Hot” (1971)
- “Fight for Your Right“ by Beastie Boys, from the album, Licensed to Ill (1986)
- “AJ Scratch“ by Kurtis Blow, from the album, Ego Trip (1984)
- “Momma Miss America“ by Paul McCartney, from the album, McCartney (1970)
- “Military Cut-Scratch Mix“ by DJ Grand Wizard Theodore & Kevie Kev Rockwell, from the Wild Style soundtrack (1983)
- “Sharon“ by David Bromberg, from the album, Demon in Disguise (1972)
- “The New Style“ by Beastie Boys, from the album, Licensed to Ill (1986)
- “Magnificent Sanctuary Band“ by Donny Hathaway, from the album, Donny Hathaway (1971)
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
In 2019, Ad-rock explained who “Johnny Ryall” was to Interview Magazine:
He was a homeless gentleman that spent a lot of time on the stoop of the apartment that Mike and our friend The Captain lived in together. At the time, Russell Simmons lived in an apartment around the corner from Mike. And, you know, Mike’s a caring person. Johnny seemed a little cold, so Mike brought him down a jacket, a Def Jam jacket. Then he might have also brought him down another Def Jam jacket and a Def Jam shirt. Russell Simmons, living around the corner, was like, “Mike, you gotta stop giving a bum my shirt! It’s bad for business!”
- 3.Johnny Ryall
- 4.Egg Man
- 8.Hey Ladies
- 11.Car Thief
- 13.Shadrach
- 14.Ask for Janice
- 16.Get On the Mic
- 17.Stop That Train
- 18.A Year and a Day
- 19.Hello Brooklyn
- 20.Dropping Names
- 21.Lay It on Me
- 22.Mike on the Mic
- 23.AWOL
