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.
When I fell from grace
I never realized
How deep the flood was around me.
A man whose life was toil
Was like a kettle left to boil,
And the water left scars on me.
I know now who I am.
If only for a while,
I recognize the changes.
I feel like I did before the
Magic wore thin and the "baptism
Of stains" began.
They used to say I was
Nowhere, man,
Heading down
Was my destiny.
But yesterday, I swear,
That was someone else not me.
Here I stand at the crossroads edge,
Afraid to reach out for eternity,
One step, when I look down,
I see someone else not me.
Looking back and I see
Someone else.
All my life they said I
Was going down,
But I'm still standing,
Stronger, proud.
And today I know there's
So much more I can be.
From where I stand at the crossroads edge,
There's a path leading out to sea.
And from somewhere
Deep in my mind,
Sirens sing out loud
Songs of doubt
As only they know how.
But one glance back reminds, and I see,
Someone else not me.
I keep looking back
At someone else, me?
I never realized
How deep the flood was around me.
A man whose life was toil
Was like a kettle left to boil,
And the water left scars on me.
I know now who I am.
If only for a while,
I recognize the changes.
I feel like I did before the
Magic wore thin and the "baptism
Of stains" began.
They used to say I was
Nowhere, man,
Heading down
Was my destiny.
But yesterday, I swear,
That was someone else not me.
Here I stand at the crossroads edge,
Afraid to reach out for eternity,
One step, when I look down,
I see someone else not me.
Looking back and I see
Someone else.
All my life they said I
Was going down,
But I'm still standing,
Stronger, proud.
And today I know there's
So much more I can be.
From where I stand at the crossroads edge,
There's a path leading out to sea.
And from somewhere
Deep in my mind,
Sirens sing out loud
Songs of doubt
As only they know how.
But one glance back reminds, and I see,
Someone else not me.
I keep looking back
At someone else, me?
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"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"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
He's not in touch with himself. He feels like he's looking upon himself as if he is not himself, and that he's deatched and looking at himself from the outside rather than looking at the world from the outside.
This sometimes happens when people get depressed and feel like they've done something wrong and do too much navel gazing.
Simply put, this song is about anyone who has ever hit rock bottom and found redemption...whether it's someone who has overcome addiction or who was lost and found salvation. A hauntingly spiritual reflection of the past, present, and future.
Queensryche is always introspective and powerful. If you like this song check out the full version on their Greatest album. This song is for anyone who has ever questioned themselves and their own humanity/morality.... regret. Passion for the future, even though inside we know that it will hurt just as much as the past. We look forward hoping to take what we learned.
"KNOW THYSELF" ~Socrates
This song (along with 'Promised Land' and 'Damaged') is practically Geoff in a nutshell: After the success of 'Empire', his life fell apart - Fame, alcohol, divorce. Something snapped in his head and he realised just who he had become. Moreover, that this person was not him - it was someone else.
I think this song essentially expresses Geoff's confidence. Not many people thought he could make it as a singer. They truly "made it" as a band when they released Empire, but it took so much to get there that he crashed. He divorced, and started drinking. After that crash, he is scared to return to the top "afraid to reach up for eternity". However, he knows he can. He proved everyone who didn't think he could make it wrong. This song describes this awkward stage he is in between ultimate fame, and alcoholism. "Crossroads edge." He isn't the Geoff Tate that would accept failure, and be contempt with walking away from music "when I look down I see someone else, not me," but because of the doubt he has always had, he is worried to return to the top.
To me this really is one of the most powerful and honest pieces of music I've ever heard and one that will probably mean a lot of different things to different people. I appreciate PigeonWing's comment as to the origin from Geoff Tate's experiences and this makes sense.
I think the references to crossroads make it in many ways about making decisions and living with those decisions, choosing your actions and becoming who you want to be. I bought this album the day it was released at a time when I was living as someone other than myself and the track summed up decisions I had to make about who I was.
One day this will be played at my funeral, and I hope positive interpretations of it will be made.