"A Dear John Letter"是一首曲调、内容并不令人激动的歌。整首歌实际上就五行歌词，重复了三遍。女主人公告诉约翰她厌恶写这样一封信，为的是通知他她再也不爱他了，她要另嫁他人，嫁给另一个约翰。这封信的内容在男主人公旁白后读出：I was overseas in battle when the postman came to me. He handed me a letter, and I was just as happy as I could be, 'cause the fighting was all over, and the battles they'd all been won. But then I opened up the letter, and it started with “Dear John”. 说的是男主人公正在国外战场上，此时战争结束，获得胜利。他欣喜雀跃，打开来信，却看见上面所写的内容不同于往常，女朋友向他索回自己的照片，然后她告诉他 她要嫁给他的弟弟。
Dear John, oh, how I hate to write!
Dear John, I must let you know tonight
That my love for you has died away
Like grass upon the lawn,
And tonight I wed another Dear John.
Dear John, oh, how I hate to write!
Dear John, I must let you know tonight
That my love for you has died away
Like grass upon the lawn,
And tonight I wed another Dear John
Dear John, oh, how I hate to write!
Dear John,I must let you know tonight
That my love for you has died away
Like grass upon the lawn,
And tonight I wed another Dear John
(Spoken)
I was overseas in battle
When the postman came to me.
He handed me a letter,
And I was just as happy as I could be,
'Cause the fighting was all over
And the battles they'd all been won.
But then I opened up the letter
And it started with “Dear John”.
Would you please send back my picture?
My husband wants it now.
When I tell you who I'm wedding,
You won't care, Dear, anyhow,
And it hurts me so to tell you
That my love for you has gone,
And tonight I wed your brother,
Dear John.
Dear John, I must let you know tonight that my love for you has died away, like grass upon the lawn.
亲爱的约翰，我今晚必须告诉你，我对你的爱已经消逝，就像草坪上的草那样枯黄。
Dear John直译为亲爱的约翰，喻指分手信，意思是为结束彼此间的感情由一方写给另一方的信
die away 渐熄；减弱；消失；失去知觉，昏厥；衰萎，渐渐凋谢
The noise of the car died away in the distance.
汽车的声音消失在远方。
The sound of their footsteps died away.
他们的脚步声逐渐消失了。
I was overseas in battle when the postman came to me.He handed me a letter.
我正在国外战场上，邮差向我走过来，他递给我一封信。
hand v.给；传
Please hand me that book.
请把那本书递给我。
Most of my clothes were handed down to me by my older brother.
我的衣服大多是我哥哥传给我的。
Then I opened up the letter, and it started with “Dear John”.
但等我打开信，信上写：“亲爱的约翰。”
open up 打开； 开发； 展现； 开始； 揭露； 开放
They decided to open up the island for cultivation.
他们决定开发这个岛。
And it hurts me so to tell you that my love for you has gone, and tonight I wed your brother.
今晚我要嫁给另一个约翰。亲爱的约翰，哦，我多恨写这信。
wed v.结婚；结合
She will wed her daughter to a rich man.
她准备把女儿嫁给有钱人。
固定短语：be wedded to 固执于，专心于
He had been wedded to literature in his early years.
他早年就和文学结下了不解之缘。
