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.
Dark and grey, an English film, the Wednesday Play
We always watch the Queen on Christmas Day
Won't you stay?
Though your eyes see shipwrecked sailors you're still dry
The outlook's fine though Wales might have some rain
Saved again
Let's skip the news boy, I'll make some tea
The Arabs and the Jews boy, too much for me
They get me confused boy, puts me off to sleep
And the thing I hate, oh Lord
Is staying up late, to watch some debate on some nation's fate
Hypnotized by Batman, Tarzan, still surprised
You've won the West in time to be our guest
Name your prize
Drop of wine, glass of beer dear what's the time?
The grime on the Tyne is mine, all mine, all mine
Five past nine
Blood on the rooftops, Venice in the Spring
Streets of San Francisco, word from Peking
The trouble was started by a young Errol Flynn
Better in my day, oh Lord
For when we got bored we'd have a World War, happy but poor
So let's skip the news boy, I'll go make that tea
Blood on the rooftops, too much for me
When old Mother Goose stops and they're out for twenty-three
Then the rain at Lords stopped play
Seems Helen of Troy has found a new face again
We always watch the Queen on Christmas Day
Won't you stay?
Though your eyes see shipwrecked sailors you're still dry
The outlook's fine though Wales might have some rain
Saved again
Let's skip the news boy, I'll make some tea
The Arabs and the Jews boy, too much for me
They get me confused boy, puts me off to sleep
And the thing I hate, oh Lord
Is staying up late, to watch some debate on some nation's fate
Hypnotized by Batman, Tarzan, still surprised
You've won the West in time to be our guest
Name your prize
Drop of wine, glass of beer dear what's the time?
The grime on the Tyne is mine, all mine, all mine
Five past nine
Blood on the rooftops, Venice in the Spring
Streets of San Francisco, word from Peking
The trouble was started by a young Errol Flynn
Better in my day, oh Lord
For when we got bored we'd have a World War, happy but poor
So let's skip the news boy, I'll go make that tea
Blood on the rooftops, too much for me
When old Mother Goose stops and they're out for twenty-three
Then the rain at Lords stopped play
Seems Helen of Troy has found a new face again
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
Blood on the Rooftops Lyrics as written by Stephen Richard Hackett Phillip David Charles Collins
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I believe the lyrics reference the 1972 Munich Olympics when 11 Israeli were sot on the roof of their living quarters by 'Black September' Arab/Palestinian Guerillas. 'Arabs and Jews, boy too much for me' In the same year, about the same time, Richard Nixon went to Peking (Bejing) China to broker a deal with eastern nations that included a staged withdrawal from Viet Nam 'Word from Peking'.
Lindesfarne's Fog on the Tyne was a number 1 ablum in the UK earlier that year.
I think it is actually the first socially and politically charged song that I can think of in the Genesis canon. It references the horrors going on around the world and also the mindless celebrity hedonism 'the trouble was started by a young Errol Flynn' of the entertainments world, on TV and film, to that distracts the populace from bad news; all cast in a pastoral English flavoured piece of music (e.g. Composer, Ralph Vaughen Williams influence perhaps?)
Irish;<br /> how about <br /> Selling England by the Pound (Dancing Moonlit Night) ...that sounds a little socially and politically charged.....or even better yet Aisle of Plenty...their activisim was always quite subtle and understated (the English Way) back in the day.....
Seems spot on. Political references had been present in earlier compositions, however. This piece was much more overt.