The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
He met this girl from reno
Whose life was a competition.
She looked just like a china doll
With porcelain skin she knew he'd let her win.
So he fell for her,
As if he fell from his mother into the arms of a lover.
And he swore not to leave her side,
For better or for worse (whichever comes first).
Sadly the latter arose.
She met this boy from omaha
Whose life was handed to him...
But still, he wanted everything.
His dreams were his ruin,
And she couldn't wake him up.
But the bough broke and he fell.
Like the time he fell from his mother
Into the arms of a doctor.
So he cried like that first day of his life.
He knew he had broken this beautiful porcelain
And how could their world be the same?
And so it never was the same.
She whispers his name,
"I'll stay if you want, but I could never be who you
Imagined me to be I'll stay I don't know what else to do...
But I can't change for you I won't change for you"
Whose life was a competition.
She looked just like a china doll
With porcelain skin she knew he'd let her win.
So he fell for her,
As if he fell from his mother into the arms of a lover.
And he swore not to leave her side,
For better or for worse (whichever comes first).
Sadly the latter arose.
She met this boy from omaha
Whose life was handed to him...
But still, he wanted everything.
His dreams were his ruin,
And she couldn't wake him up.
But the bough broke and he fell.
Like the time he fell from his mother
Into the arms of a doctor.
So he cried like that first day of his life.
He knew he had broken this beautiful porcelain
And how could their world be the same?
And so it never was the same.
She whispers his name,
"I'll stay if you want, but I could never be who you
Imagined me to be I'll stay I don't know what else to do...
But I can't change for you I won't change for you"
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Light Up The Sky
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The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Just A Little Lovin'
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
American Town
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Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
this song goes in circles and catches its tail. there's like 5 different sub-ideas running through the lyrics, the idea of her being porcelain, of the difference between the two of them, a comparison between the biblical definition of marriage (a man leaves his mother to cling to his wife) and then the end of the marriage like being born, into a world that's cold and cruel. first he talks of his real mother then compares the marriage to the safety of being in the womb.
and then caps it off with the reason it didn't work "i can't change for you" and furthermore " i won't change for you" how sometimes no matter how much you want to change, you can't, and the reasons is simply because you won't, because maybe you don't know how, or maybe a completely different reason.
always people WANT to do things but they WON'T.