What is the meaning of the song Only The Good Die Young by Billy Joel?

Answer 1

Come out Virginia, don't let me wait

You Catholic girls start much too late

Ah, but sooner or later, it comes down to fate,

I might as well be the one...

Well they showed you a statue, told you to pray

built you a temple and locked you away

Ah, but they never told you the price that you pay

For things that you might have done...

Only the good die young,

That's what I said,

Only the good die young,

Only the good die young...

You might have heard I run with a dangerous crowd

We ain't too pretty, we ain't too proud,

We might be laughing a bit too loud,

Ah, but that never hurt no one!

So come on Virginia, show me a sign,

Send up a signal and I'll throw you a line.

This stained glass curtain you're hiding behind

Never lets in the sun...

Darling, only the good die young,

Whoa whoa wuh whoah ho,

I tell ya, only the good die young,

Only the good die young...

You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation

You got a brand new soul, mmm, and a cross of gold

But Virginia they didn't give you quite enough information

You didn't count on me, you were counting on your rosary, oh whoa whoah...

They say there's a heaven for those who will wait

Some say it's better but I say it ain't

I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints,

The sinners are much more fun...

You know that only the good die young,

Whoa whoh bay bey,

I tell ya, only the good die young,

Only the good die young...

'Cept your mama told me all I could give ya was a reputation,

Ah, she never cared for me, did she ever say a prayer for me, oh whoah whoah

Come out, come out, Virginia, don't let me wait

You Catholic girls start much too late

Sooner or later it comes down to fate,

I might as well be the one...

You know that only the good die young,

Tell ya, bay bey,

You know that only the good die young,

Only the good die young...

Only the good, good,

Only the good die young,

Whoo hoo hoooo, whooo, whoo hoo hoooo hoo

Answer 2

My take, good catholic girls who got caught fooling around before marriage would be ex-communiacated, disowned, ie "dead" to the family. Only the good die young, that is, only those in the church who fool around have to worry about being excommuniated. Billy Joel is saying to the girl that he wants to sleep with "come out of that Catholic nonsense and be a pagan with me so we can do what we want".


Actually: Billy Joel took the poem "To His Coy Mistress" and turned it into a song. The song is a play on the stanza's in the poem in which the author invites a prostitute to lose her virginity with him in the Carpe Diem philosophy that she should do him now because he could be dead in the morning.