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.
Give me something I can hold
With that something I will grow
Make me crazy with your arms
It's all gone hazy,
It's all gone wrong Olympian, framed by God
So bring me water to cool off
Formidable and not afraid Of the next world, just delayed
How can you decline such grand designs?
I'm flattered that you thought
I make a good reward, but
How can you survive my blatant lies?
I'm flattered that you thought
So come taste my good reward
I wanted to be there with you
For I can only be normal with you
I'm taking your life for you
With that something I will grow
Make me crazy with your arms
It's all gone hazy,
It's all gone wrong Olympian, framed by God
So bring me water to cool off
Formidable and not afraid Of the next world, just delayed
How can you decline such grand designs?
I'm flattered that you thought
I make a good reward, but
How can you survive my blatant lies?
I'm flattered that you thought
So come taste my good reward
I wanted to be there with you
For I can only be normal with you
I'm taking your life for you
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"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
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This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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this is my all time favourite song. i spent many hours lying in the dark listening to it with my first boyfriend, who introduced me to gene album "olympian" which is their finest.
I like this one, my first gene one. heard it in a record shop got the owlbum and thought it was the finest piece of vinyl i had.
my first gene song too. hated it at first, but now i quite like it.
This song...it just blows me away. One of the most beautiful underrated songs of all-time. It's flawless.
This song is so beautiful. The part where he sings 'I can only be normal with you', it's such a simple line and yet so utterly wonderful.
What does he say in the end though? 'Olympian, framed by god' and then what? It almost sounds like 'never endless, you're begun' but not quite right, aye?
@bisch It sounds like "and when it glows, you'll become"
The thing nobody addresses: the music makes it pretty clear that "taking your life" is meant literally. So - is this an invitation to a double-suicide? Or...does he simply murder his "loved one"? After all, in the unpublished last verse (which I've commented on, on this page) it's "you", but clearly not "i", who is undergoing some transformation / transcendence.