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.
On the banks of a sunset beach
Messages scratched in sand
Beneath a roaming home of stars
Young boys try their hand
A spanish harbouring of sorts
In catalonian bars
They were pulled from a sinking ship
And saved for last
On the waterfront the rain
Is pouring in my heart
Here the memories come in waves
Raking in the lost and found of years
And though I'd like to laugh
At all the things that led me on
Somehow the stigma still remains
Watch the train steam full ahead
As it takes the bend
Empty carriages lose their tracks
And tumble to their end
So the world shrinks drop by drop
As the wine goes to your head
Swollen angels point and laugh
"This time your god is dead"
On the waterfront the rain
Is pouring in my heart
Here the memories come in waves
Raking in the lost and found of years
And though I'd like to laugh
At all the things that led me on
Somehow the stigma still remains
Is our love strong enough?
Messages scratched in sand
Beneath a roaming home of stars
Young boys try their hand
A spanish harbouring of sorts
In catalonian bars
They were pulled from a sinking ship
And saved for last
On the waterfront the rain
Is pouring in my heart
Here the memories come in waves
Raking in the lost and found of years
And though I'd like to laugh
At all the things that led me on
Somehow the stigma still remains
Watch the train steam full ahead
As it takes the bend
Empty carriages lose their tracks
And tumble to their end
So the world shrinks drop by drop
As the wine goes to your head
Swollen angels point and laugh
"This time your god is dead"
On the waterfront the rain
Is pouring in my heart
Here the memories come in waves
Raking in the lost and found of years
And though I'd like to laugh
At all the things that led me on
Somehow the stigma still remains
Is our love strong enough?
Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery
Waterfront Lyrics as written by David Sylvian
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Light Up The Sky
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Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
No Surprises
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Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
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/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Thinking some more about these lyrics - they seem to me essentially spiritual in nature. The train falling off the track is another image of futility, of something ending in dissolution. The lines "So the world shrinks drop by drop / And the wine goes to your head" are key. I used to think this was something else - "So the world's dream string I draw" (lol). Here the singer is drinking up the world, and it is going to his head. He fell for the world's lies, it has led him on, and while he is aware of this it has still left a mark on him. I think the last line is the collective "our love" (not a reference to a romantic relationship) - is our love strong enough to do what? It is a little unclear, but perhaps overcome the world's illusions.
@Dreadnowt I like your interpretation and agree with a lot of it, but I do see it as a love song of the highest type. A great love song (and story) to me is one where all of the aspects you talk about are part of it, from this spiritual contemplation to the futility of existence, it all plays a part in the way we love and affects our romantic relatonships. And these relationships are also an expression of how we manage the dazzling chaos or stimula, from the beauty of the waterfront to the rain pouring in one's heart. To me the great power of this, one of the best love songs I've heard, is that it reveals itself in the final line, narrowing down the story as the theme explodes. Another strength of this revelation is that these troubled thoughts are occurring at great distance from the loved one (maybe on tour, typically difficult situation emotionally) but at any rate this physical distance works also as a metaphor for a growing emotional distance between the lovers. And as love dies, the world reveals itself in its wistful beauty and its cold-hearted cruelty. So can that love survive this crisis? And can this love survive this godless train crash of a world?
Hello, sns. Thanks for commenting on my comments. The song is certainly worthy of discussion and different interpretations! I just wish Sylvian would make some more music, and make what he has done more available. I check his website from time to time, but very little from his post-Virgin Records releases seems to be available. I did pick up "A Victim of Stars" recently and that had a bunch of things on it that I had not heard before. For me, his music is standing the test of time very well. Cheers...