anonymous July 14th, 2008 04:41AM  
I reckon it goes like this:
'We took a walk that night, but it wasn't the same
We had a fight on the promenade out in the rain
She said she loved me, but she had somewhere to go'.
So they have the fight, and she leaves, upset and angry.
Later, the boy feels bad, so he goes to find her to say sorry. When he does, she's been attacked/raped etc.
'She couldn't scream while I held I close
I swore I'd never let her go'.
I think the 'couldn't scream part' wasn't a dangerous possessive thing, but more a protective thing, with the boy holding her and wanting to help her.
I think the choruses are obviously about the boy being interviewed by the police and trying to defend himself, saying he found her and tried to help.

anonymous September 23rd, 2008 10:53AM  
I believe the lyrics are based on the novel "Engelby" by Sebastian Faulks...read it, brilliant!

anonymous October 9th, 2008 08:28PM  
I think that the line "There ain't no motive for this crime. Jenny was a friend of mine" Is a great line because basically, I think that The Singer loved Jenny but she didn't feel the same way. In his anger, He killed her. But then while being questioned he's like "There ain't no motive for this crime, Jenny was a friend of mine." He's saying "Why would I kill her? She's my friend." as a defense. BUT it's ironic because that's actually the reason he killed her. She was a friend and nothing more.

anonymous November 24th, 2008 12:37PM  
Unlike what most of the people here say, I think the crime part is a metaphor. I don't think that the singer (Brandon Flowers) actually committed a crime. But, this means that the lyrics have to be interpreted from a different perspective. I think that, during most of the song, the singer is fighting an internal struggle. In the first verse, he is remembering a walk on the promenade (with Jenny, of course). The second verse, I think, is a memory of a different incident with Jenny. In that verse, the line "I swear I told you the truth" is part of the memory; it is spoken by the narrator to Jenny. (The meaning of the line is open to interpretation.) 2 final thoughts: 1. The line "she couldn't scream...let her go", in my opinion, doesn't refer to Jenny being suffocated, just emotionally unable to scream while the narrator held her close. 2. The line "And then...what you're doing here" is very ambiguous and, as such, open to interpretation. Good, deep song. Go Killers!

Sabrina December 3rd, 2008 03:04PM  
I think, that he is telling the whole story to a police officer. it could be that he did not kill jenny, but he was the last one who saw her before she died. why should he tell the police officer "she couldnt scream while i held her close"? he would admit his blame, but on the other hand he is saying why should i do it? we were friends. it could be that he is lying but i dont know it exactly.

anonymous December 17th, 2008 10:50AM  
I don't know if it helps you, but "jenny is a friend of mine" is a line of the film "Corrina, Corrina".

ToastySteve February 19th, 2009 08:58PM  
'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine' is the third part of The Killers' so-called 'Murder Trilogy', with 'Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf' (from the 'Sawdust' album) being the first part, and 'Midnight Show' being the second.

In the first part of the trilogy, Flowers sings about a girl named Jennifer (Jenny) who the male character in the trilogy is in love with. The pair are obviously dysfunctional, with the male having an alcohol problem and Jenny apparently cheating on him*, which he finds out about ("Jennifer, tell me where I stand, and who's that boy holding your hand?"). The male character, however, seems willing to forgive Jenny for what she's done because of his love for her.

*It is unclear weather Jenny has actually cheated on him or whether it is some kind of paranoia which has resulted from his alcohol abuse.

In the second part, the male character takes Jenny out in his car, probably with the intentions of making things better between them by 'fooling around'. However, there is a voice in the back of his mind reminding him of her unfaithfulness ("promise me you'll stay and fix these things I've heard, make it go away!"). However, instead of making love to her, as he had originally planned, his jealousy gets the better of him and he strangles her ("I took my baby's breath"). He then dumps her body in the ocean , and "watched her disappear into the midnight show". He knows that dumping her body in the ocean won't get rid of her body permanently ("crashing tides can't hide a guilty girl").

The third part, 'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine', is following the murder, starting with the sounds of the police helicopter and the police finding Jenny's body. The male has been taken in for questioning. This song is his version of events. He admits that he and Jenny had had an argument that night following "a walk on the promenade out in the rain", but denies that he had any reason to have murdered her as they were friends. We find out a little more about what happened that night when the male tells us that things weren't the same between them again and that Jenny told him that she loved him but that she didn't want to be with him, stating that "she had somewhere to go" - perhaps to her other lover. The murderer continues to deny any involvement. The detective interrogating him whispers in his ear, "I know what you're doing here," indicating that he knows that he had something to do with the murder but he just cannot prove anything without a confession. The killer continues to deny any wrongdoing.


Further information about the song:

During the performance of 'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine' at one of the live concerts I saw them play, Flowers replaced the second occurance of the line "She couldn't scream as I held her close" with "She kicked and screamed as I held her throat", whilst miming strangling somebody, thus turning the denial of the crime into the confession the detective was pushing for. This also supports the theory that Jenny was strangled to death.

I was also wondering if 'Bones' is a later addition to this story, as this seems like it could be telling a version of events of the "fight" by the ocean which leads ultimately the the murder. Just a thought...

ToastySteve February 19th, 2009 09:03PM  
'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine' is the third part of The Killers' so-called 'Murder Trilogy', with 'Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf' (from the 'Sawdust' album) being the first part, and 'Midnight Show' being the second.

In the first part of the trilogy, Flowers sings about a girl named Jennifer (Jenny) who the male character in the trilogy is in love with. The pair are obviously dysfunctional, with the male having an alcohol problem and Jenny apparently cheating on him*, which he finds out about ("Jennifer, tell me where I stand, and who's that boy holding your hand?"). The male character, however, seems willing to forgive Jenny for what she's done because of his love for her.

*It is unclear weather Jenny has actually cheated on him or whether it is some kind of paranoia which has resulted from his alcohol abuse.

In the second part, the male character takes Jenny out in his car, probably with the intentions of making things better between them by 'fooling around'. However, there is a voice in the back of his mind reminding him of her unfaithfulness ("promise me you'll stay and fix these things I've heard, make it go away!"). However, instead of making love to her, as he had originally planned, his jealousy gets the better of him and he strangles her ("I took my baby's breath"). He then dumps her body in the ocean , and "watched her disappear into the midnight show". He knows that dumping her body in the ocean won't get rid of her body permanently ("crashing tides can't hide a guilty girl").

The third part, 'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine', is following the murder, starting with the sounds of the police helicopter and the police finding Jenny's body. The male has been taken in for questioning. This song is his version of events. He admits that he and Jenny had had an argument that night following "a walk on the promenade out in the rain", but denies that he had any reason to have murdered her as they were friends. We find out a little more about what happened that night when the male tells us that things weren't the same between them again and that Jenny told him that she loved him but that she didn't want to be with him, stating that "she had somewhere to go" - perhaps to her other lover. The murderer continues to deny any involvement. The detective interrogating him whispers in his ear, "I know what you're doing here," indicating that he knows that he had something to do with the murder but he just cannot prove anything without a confession. The killer continues to deny any wrongdoing.


Further information about the song:

During the performance of 'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine' at one of the live concerts I saw them play, Flowers replaced the second occurance of the line "She couldn't scream as I held her close" with "She kicked and screamed as I held her throat", whilst miming strangling somebody, thus turning the denial of the crime into the confession the detective was pushing for. This also supports the theory that Jenny was strangled to death.

I was also wondering if 'Bones' is a later addition to this story, as this seems like it could be telling a version of events of the "fight" by the ocean which leads ultimately the the murder. Just a thought...

ToastySteve February 20th, 2009 10:10AM  
'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine' is the third part of The Killers' so-called 'Murder Trilogy', with 'Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf' (from the 'Sawdust' album) being the first part, and 'Midnight Show' being the second.

In the first part of the trilogy, Flowers sings about a girl named Jennifer (Jenny) who the male character in the trilogy is in love with. The pair are obviously dysfunctional, with the male having an alcohol problem and Jenny apparently cheating on him*, which he finds out about ("Jennifer, tell me where I stand, and who's that boy holding your hand?"). The male character, however, seems willing to forgive Jenny for what she's done because of his love for her.

*It is unclear weather Jenny has actually cheated on him or whether it is some kind of paranoia which has resulted from his alcohol abuse.

In the second part, the male character takes Jenny out in his car, probably with the intentions of making things better between them by 'fooling around'. However, there is a voice in the back of his mind reminding him of her unfaithfulness ("promise me you'll stay and fix these things I've heard, make it go away!"). However, instead of making love to her, as he had originally planned, his jealousy gets the better of him and he strangles her ("I took my baby's breath..."). He then dumps her body in the ocean , and "watched her disappear into the midnight show". But he knows that dumping her body in the ocean won't get rid of her body permanently ("crashing tides can't hide a guilty girl").

The third part, 'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine', is following the murder, starting with the sounds of the police helicopter and the police finding Jenny's body. The male has been taken in for questioning. This song is his version of events. He admits that he and Jenny had had an argument that night following "a walk on the promenade out in the rain", but denies that he had any reason to have murdered her as they were friends. We find out a little more about what happened that night when the male tells us that things weren't the same between them again and that Jenny told him that she loved him but that she didn't want to be with him, stating that "she had somewhere to go" - perhaps to her other lover. The murderer continues to deny any involvement. The detective interrogating him whispers in his ear, "I know what you're doing here," indicating that he knows that he had something to do with the murder but he just cannot prove anything without a confession. The killer continues to deny any wrongdoing.


Further information about the song:

During the performance of 'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine' at one of the live concerts I saw them play, Flowers replaced the second occurance of the line "She couldn't scream as I held her close" with "She kicked and screamed as I held her throat", whilst miming strangling somebody, thus turning the denial of the crime into the confession the detective was pushing for. This also supports the theory that Jenny was strangled to death.

I was also wondering if 'Bones' is a later addition to this story, as this seems like it could be telling a version of events in the lead up to the "fight" by the ocean which leads ultimately the the murder. It's also possible that other songs from the albums are part of this story too ('Mr Brightside', for example, could be seen as the male character witnessing Jenny's infidetily, although there is nothing in the song to indicate that this is about the same couple). Just a thought...

anonymous April 19th, 2009 11:20AM  
The Killers themselves say that this is part of the murder trilogy. It includes Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine, Midnight Show, and Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf. This is the part of the story where he is being questioned for the murder. He denies it, hence the "there ain't not motive for this crime, Jenny was a friend of mine". In Midnight Show he is disposing of the body. In Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf he is either thinking and planning the murder or it might take place after Jenny is already dead. I think it goes in this order, Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf, Midnight Show and the Jenny Was a Friend of Mine.

goodgal May 22nd, 2009 11:02PM  
This song is about a young girl that died cause her boyfriend killed her.It's kind of a true story. The story itself is three songs long with...Jenny Was A Friend of Mine,Midnight Show, and Leave the Burbon on the Shelf. The band got sued by the parents of this young girl. They came to find out that the girl had been to one of their conserts. I wish they would sing a song about me, don't care what it would be about.

anonymous September 17th, 2009 03:01PM  
You first of all need to listen to "Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf", as this is the story of how Jenny cheated on him. He was so angry and consumed with jealousy that in "Midnight Show" he murdered Jenny. It was a case of "if I can't have you, nobody can" sort of thing. Now this "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine" is about how the police caught up with him and he is trying to say he didn't do it. Listen to the songs in this order for the story -Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf -Midnight Show -Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine

BiTTorrent949 September 29th, 2009 03:09AM  
This is my interpretation of the song:

They took a walk in the park but they knew something was wrong. He tried to explain but she took it the wrong way.
She said she loved him but couldn't put up with it anymore. Later on that day, he found her dead, so she couldn't scream, and held her close. He loved her and couldn't let her go. He says he'll tell what he knows to the police. He didn't know that the fight would end this way. He loved Jenny with his heart.

He knows that he may go to jail, and he's always been there. He is willing to go to jail but he wants to know if it will be alright. He told the police everything he knew, but he just can't take it. She was dead and he could never let her go.

He'll tell the police what he knows. The police whispered in his ear, "I know what your doing here" meaning he's only trying to cover up for her death. He knows that this wasn't right. He loved Jenny with his heart.

This is actually a pretty sad story for The Killers. I know this may not be the correct interpretation of the song but it's what I think it is.

Sources
http://www.elyrics.net/read/k/killers-lyrics/jenny-was-a-friend-of-mine-lyrics.html
www.LyricInterpretations.com
The Killers - Jenny Was a Friend of Mine.

anonymous November 19th, 2009 12:31PM  
Idiots. It's about Robert Chambers and Jenny Levin. The preppie murder.

Samalander November 22nd, 2009 02:59AM  
Perhaps he's also saying that she was a friend of his, but that's it. He loved her, but she only loved him as a friend.
"She said she loved me, but she had somewhere to go"
He might be saying that she means "I love you, you're like my brother, but I've got to go fuck my boyfriend now"
Plus pretty much all of his songs are about whores and prostitutes, soooo
another possibility is that she's a whore that he got down with, and he fell in love with her. She wants to love him too, but she's been in the game too long, and can't leave. Her pimp/boyfriend probably killed her.

alackofcolour December 20th, 2009 01:26PM  
This song is part of the Murder Trilogy. the three songs involved (in order)are: 1st: Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf. (This is where Jenny is mingling with other men, and the singer is not happy about it. A plan is formed.) 2nd: Midnight Show. (He puts his plan into action, and kills Jenny, who puts up a fight.) 3rd: Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine. (He is interrogated by the police, and he claims his innocence.) Check the lyrics for all three and the story should make sense. In "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine" he says This is just my interpretation, but this is how it made sense to me personally. Also, i'm not writing this with full knowledge of the lyrics, it's based on what i've been told and what i remember from the song lyrics.

alackofcolour December 20th, 2009 01:26PM  
This song is part of the Murder Trilogy. the three songs involved (in order)are: 1st: Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf. (This is where Jenny is mingling with other men, and the singer is not happy about it. A plan is formed.) 2nd: Midnight Show. (He puts his plan into action, and kills Jenny, who puts up a fight.) 3rd: Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine. (He is interrogated by the police, and he claims his innocence.) Check the lyrics for all three and the story should make sense. This is just my interpretation, but this is how it made sense to me personally. Also, i'm not writing this with full knowledge of the lyrics, it's based on what i've been told and what i remember from the song lyrics.

anonymous January 11th, 2010 10:05PM  
It's about a guy recounting the night that Jenny died to the police, under suspicion of murder. It's definitely for murder/manslaughter because of the use of past tense; 'Jenny WAS a friend of mine', and also if she was still alive they would probably be able to charge him without the interrogation.
He acknowledges that the night felt wrong, and that they had a fight, and that he might have lost it. Beyond that, though, he's insistent that he's innocent, and doesn't give any information beyond the fact that 'She couldn't scream while I held her close/I swore I'd never let her go' implying that he might have gotten a little obsessive when she tried to leave ('She said she loved me/But she had somewhere to go') - perhaps he suspected she was cheating, or they were exes and she had already moved on but had agreed to meet him one last time.

There's also a dark side to the police in this song, because the listener is positioned to hear his side of the story, and his perceived injustice that 'I know my rights/I've been here all day and it's time/For me to go' 'I swear I told you the truth'. This verse implies that he's cracking under the pressure, but because he doesn't reveal anything incriminating, it leaves it open that he might not have actually done it.

The interrogator attempts to intimidate him ('And then you whispered in my ear/I know what you're doing here') but the suspect is adamant that they have no evidence to charge him ('There ain't no motive for this crime/Jenny was a friend of mine') and he maintains that he's innocent.

anonymous February 4th, 2010 02:31AM  
I'm pretty sure this song is about the Preppie Murder (Robert Chambers and Jennifer Levin).

anonymous February 23rd, 2010 08:40AM  
Although Flowers has never mentioned bones being part of the trilogy i believe it is about the dumping of the body. (therefore in between "Midnight Show" and "Jenny was a friend of mine". He mentions driving in his car (where midnight show is mainly set) down a back road, to avoid police as he has a body in the car, then to the ocean , where he dumps the body. We are then told the narrator cries is the cold wet dirt. Then voices in his head telling him he will be fine tomorrow. There is plenty more references to each of the others songs in there as well. Im sorry i didnt really interpret "Jenny Was a friend of mine" but i was looking at the trilogy as a whole. These songs may also be the inspiration behind the naming of the band.