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.
Weight on your shoulders is heavy,
You've been suppressing these urges far to long.
You're sick of acting the right way:
It's wrong for you but it's right for them.
These urges inside you grow and grow till one day it happens,
You explode, pretending that you belong,
Why the fuck do you have that mask on?
Same thing all over again, this time in a different way.
Your life's controlled by other's rules,
Forget it man, be yourself, bent's ok. no way.
Fuck straight-edge, get bent
You've been suppressing these urges far to long.
You're sick of acting the right way:
It's wrong for you but it's right for them.
These urges inside you grow and grow till one day it happens,
You explode, pretending that you belong,
Why the fuck do you have that mask on?
Same thing all over again, this time in a different way.
Your life's controlled by other's rules,
Forget it man, be yourself, bent's ok. no way.
Fuck straight-edge, get bent
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i have been listening to propagandhi for a long time. i have looked up to their intense truth and justice through the lyrics. it's almost as if their wisdom is beyond this world. they see through so many fucked up things i never thought to even question.
they got me into politics, and really changed my life. their lyrics got me into observing myself and purity as a human being. the only subject me don't meet eye to eye on is straightedge. and while i understand their very great points, and i strive to take them in and learn from them, but i think that their ideals on straightedge is strewed by what they know of it or it's based on the mass of the kids (which belive me suck, espically the christian influences on it within the last 7 years).
i understand living for yourself and not being a slave to conformity, and i understand that a label and a code of rules goes against that, but if you look at the root of straightedge and take it not for its rules but its points on purity than not only do the pointless rules vanish but it becomes truly for yourself and your own personal thing.
my ideals on straightedge are that, unlike the most comon belief, it's not for life. it's for how ever long you deem necessary. it= a strive to abstain from actions or substances that you would perfer not to. it all depends on what you want to strive for (not from). medicine, tobacco, crack, sex, jerkin off, soda, cars, jesus, et fuckin cetera.
i'm just saying edge, even though not used this way by many, can be used to help and not follow some tight code of rules.