Reviews for Only The Good Die Young Lyrics

The song is catchy, and I like quite a few of Billy Joel's songs. However, the anti-Catholic bigotry and narrow-minded hatred in this particular song I can do without. Yes, too many good people die young. But, I don't think a Catholic girl (or any girl for that matter) would be better off by having sex with a sleazy low-life who only thinks of her as a piece of meat to be used and then thrown away. Do you love her (Virginia) Billy? Then put a ring on her finger. Oh, just as I thought. You're not man enough. "Did she (Virginia's mother) ever say a prayer for me?" I am sure she did. Not that you care. And where are these crying saints? I have never seen one. I see a lot of misery, drug abuse, unhappiness, confusion, and suicide though among the so-called "sinners." This song is just another cowardly attack on the Catholic Church.

my best friend just died the other day ..and on the way to the burial site this song came on..he lived his life one day at a time and loved every minute of it..people take songs and lyrics and everyone looks at them thru a diffrent light...and i enjoy this song and i know my good friend did as well...only the good die young...

I'm sure i speak for a lot of people when i say that Billy joel is my idol and now i know what u r thinking; "Oh look thres some loser how worships a dumb 80's rock star" but just hear me out. If Billy joel died i don't know what the hell i would do with my life. He is the one person in this world who has given me courage, hope and faith that i can do anything if i put my mind to it. so i wrote a letter telling him how much i love his music. I'm serious I think he is the best musician, hell the best man (i mean piano man lol) on this planet!

You guys are thinking way too hard about this song. Its meant to be enjoyed when you listen to it. If Billy Joel would rather go to Hell because the sinners are more fun, thats his problem. Theres no point in analyzing the lyrics...

But i do agree with everyone else that this is a really good song :)

really now are people getting so worked up over a song? im christian and i think there is no harm in this song, its just simply tellin you to live your life the way you would like to, and not letting the fear of tomorrow stop you from living it up today. I personally like this song and for everyone who doesnt because of the lyrics, please shut up with your negative opinions, no one wants to hear them and no one gives a shit:) thanks

i think this was the BEST song ever created.my friend recently passed away, and every time i hear it it reminds me of him,he lived life every second he had.never had regrets and was always up for anything and that made him who he was,he died doing something crazy but im sure it wasnt worth it,rip<3

Although religion plays a central role in this song, I think the most important part of the song is the line "only the good die young". Billy Joel is saying that those that live good, quite, cloistered lives, who never do anything out of the ordinary, who never take a chance, miss life. They never experience life and miss it through trying to be so spotless. People are too concerned with the next world or simply too concerned about their "reputation" in this world, that they miss living in this world. He does not mean that the good actually die younger, but that they die without having experienced life, or without having the confidence to take chances, which is younger in experience than the people who live their life to the fullest. Also when they die metaphorically young they look at their lives and realize they have not done anything of importance in their life, they have been to preoccupied with being good, they die only having accomplished what someone of a young inexperienced age would have experienced. This is my take of the song, I do agree that love plays an important part in this song and religion is very obviously referred to, but Joel is warning that living a life where you don't do anything unexpected or take a chance can be a boring waste of a life. Yes, he is targeting religion in this song, but his message could be applied to any person who lives their life this way, they could be motivated by fear, want of social acceptance or simply they believe that is the way to live life, not only religion is targeted in this song.

I think that this is one of the best songs ever made, because it talks about this girl he went out with back in college, who later joined the convent. So duh she wasn't interested in sleeping with him, and yes he was being one of those boyfriends saying "He why not now." but this song is just talking about, yea sinning isn't all that great, but as long as your enjoying life then you probably will be happy with it. Life is nothing but a game, there are rules you need to follow, some that you bend, at times you'll cheat, but the point is to win, and at the fnnish line when you look back and say I'm happy with my life, then you've won the game. But sadly there's too many people out there who lose. Billy Joel is just trying to say that if you are having fun then it's good, no matter what other people say.

Ok for all of you people who keep saying how all of this is a sin, it's great you have your own opinion and all, but he's just saying you should live the life you've got and he'd rather be happy and have fun than be sad even if it means being sad and always being good. Besides what he's talking about isn't a crime, you can't get arrested for loving someone. For those of you with negative opinions because it's against what you believe or something that's great, but this is a good song and try to focus less on the specifics and more on the general idea which is to enjoy life.

We all have our own opinions on songs and what they mean, and for the people who have the negative opinions can we keep them off the internet?! This site is for people to enjoy, not for them to have to rethink listening the song because its against their religious beliefs. And just saying any kid can scroll down and read what your writing about "sex". I don't want my daughter too, and she enjoys this song and regularly looks up lyrics. Thank you ~anonymous :)

To the anonymous immediately beneath me,
To assume that people would live their life off a song, but more so the fact that it's not much better considering billions of people in the world base their lives on .....1..... book, that was written completely by authors that lived at least 100 years after the events that they're writing about. I'm religious, Christian. But anyone who doesn't know their own flaws could be as destined to hell as the next person.

But I do agree, catchy tune. ;)

The songs great, I'm just dis spirited at what he's singing about.

I agree fully that lust is clearly a sin (Jesus said to even LOOK at another women with lustful intents is indeed adultery, which is sex outside of marriage), but that's aside the point.

I just wish he could have kept the Christian elements out of it. Adding the line "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints the sinners are much more fun".

I don't mind that the song is singing about lustful intents towards a Catholic girl, it's that he's portraying Hell as a "fun" place, and Heaven as a sorrowful place. But, it's not me that's going to reap the consequences. I just hope people don't listen to this song and due to the great tune and catchiness blatantly live with the logic that Hell is a much more fun place to be. I hope people wouldn't be foolish enough to lay their entire purpose on a rock and roll song, but I've over estimated many a hundred of people.

I completely disagree with what you said, Gracie. This site is for anyone who has a comment on the song, not just fans. I disagree with David, and I don't think lust is a sin, but... I don't know enough to talk, really, yet - I'm thankful to them both for sharing.

And all of you are sitting here talking about a song by BILLY JOEL that's about sex but you don't give a shit about the media portraying sex and sexual things anywhere else. Try porn for instance? Go look at your 13/14 year olds son computer and see the basic reasons why you have wasted your time worrying about THIS song when there are so many other things that are way worse than this will ever be. Screw this generation.

If you dont agree with it, don't listen to it and/or dont look on lyric websites just to criticize the meaning. No one can tell billy joel what his lyrics, they're his feelings, and they're meant to be enjoyed by his fans who want to listen to his songs. Trying to override others' opinions and comments gets no one anywhere, and its not worth your time.