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.
Seven weeks have passed now since she left me
And she shows her face to ask me how I am.
She says the kids are fine and that they miss me,
Maybe I could come and babysit sometime.
She says "Are you ok? I was worried about you,
Can you forgive me? I hope that you'll be happy."
I said "I'm so happy that I can't stop crying,
I'm so happy, I'm laughing through my tears."
I saw a friend of mine. He said "I was worried about you,
I heard she had another man. I wondered how you felt about it"
I'm so happy that I can't stop crying,
I'm so happy I'm laughing through my tears.
Saw my lawyer, Mr. Good News
He got me joint custody and legal separation.
I'm so happy that I can't stop crying,
I'm laughing through my tears, I'm laughing through my tears.
I can't stop crying, I'm laughing through my tears,
I'm laughing through my tears.
I took a walk along last night, I looked up at the stars,
To try and find an answer in my life.
I chose a star for me, I chose a star for him,
I chose two stars for my kids and one star for my wife.
Something made me smile, something seemed to ease the pain,
Something 'bout the universe and how it's all connected.
The park is full of Sunday fathers and melted ice cream.
We try to do the best within the given time.
A kid should be with his mother, everybody knows that,
What can a father do but babysit sometimes.
I saw that friend of mine, he said "you look different somehow."
I said "everybody's got to leave the darkness sometimes."
I said, "I'm so happy that I can't stop crying,
I'm laughing through my tears, I'm laughing through my tears."
"I'm so happy that I can't stop crying,
I'm laughing through my tears, I'm laughing through my tears."
And she shows her face to ask me how I am.
She says the kids are fine and that they miss me,
Maybe I could come and babysit sometime.
She says "Are you ok? I was worried about you,
Can you forgive me? I hope that you'll be happy."
I said "I'm so happy that I can't stop crying,
I'm so happy, I'm laughing through my tears."
I saw a friend of mine. He said "I was worried about you,
I heard she had another man. I wondered how you felt about it"
I'm so happy that I can't stop crying,
I'm so happy I'm laughing through my tears.
Saw my lawyer, Mr. Good News
He got me joint custody and legal separation.
I'm so happy that I can't stop crying,
I'm laughing through my tears, I'm laughing through my tears.
I can't stop crying, I'm laughing through my tears,
I'm laughing through my tears.
I took a walk along last night, I looked up at the stars,
To try and find an answer in my life.
I chose a star for me, I chose a star for him,
I chose two stars for my kids and one star for my wife.
Something made me smile, something seemed to ease the pain,
Something 'bout the universe and how it's all connected.
The park is full of Sunday fathers and melted ice cream.
We try to do the best within the given time.
A kid should be with his mother, everybody knows that,
What can a father do but babysit sometimes.
I saw that friend of mine, he said "you look different somehow."
I said "everybody's got to leave the darkness sometimes."
I said, "I'm so happy that I can't stop crying,
I'm laughing through my tears, I'm laughing through my tears."
"I'm so happy that I can't stop crying,
I'm laughing through my tears, I'm laughing through my tears."
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Light Up The Sky
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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.
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
No Surprises
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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.
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 is about his furt marage and his divorce from her. The struggling is from his depression that he suffered at the time i believe.