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.
I saw you cryin' as I turned away
Did I see your face, like it wasn't there
And I know I was wrong
Yeah, I knew it all along
But I didn't care about you
Clara, where are you today?
And did you make the same mistakes
That I made, a million times before I met
You
Did you go, did you run, did you think of
Your son?
Did you know you're not the only one
That tried to make a piece of coal into a
Diamond yeah!
So everything's fine now, at least you say
Maybe that's o.k.
But you know it's
Wrong
Was I right, did it last?
Were you dwelling on the past?
Or hanging on to a memory
So you say your time will never come
Maybe you should go ahead and jump
Then you'll become exactly what you are
Hanging onto
Standing there on the bridge
With your feet on the ledge
Maybe I might push you over the edge
And send you falling straight to the ground.
Did I see your face, like it wasn't there
And I know I was wrong
Yeah, I knew it all along
But I didn't care about you
Clara, where are you today?
And did you make the same mistakes
That I made, a million times before I met
You
Did you go, did you run, did you think of
Your son?
Did you know you're not the only one
That tried to make a piece of coal into a
Diamond yeah!
So everything's fine now, at least you say
Maybe that's o.k.
But you know it's
Wrong
Was I right, did it last?
Were you dwelling on the past?
Or hanging on to a memory
So you say your time will never come
Maybe you should go ahead and jump
Then you'll become exactly what you are
Hanging onto
Standing there on the bridge
With your feet on the ledge
Maybe I might push you over the edge
And send you falling straight to the ground.
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I love this song. :P
its awsome
this site is about "song meanings" is not bout if u like or not the song... let's talk about "song meanings"...
this song sounds to me like a suicide song... clara is trying to kill herself and kris are trying to convince her to not... or do it fast if she's courageous
I think it is about a girl that hasn't gotten over something that has happend in the past and the guy see's her on the edge of a bridge and just tells her to jump because he doesn't care because he'd made similar mistakes and that it isn't a big deal adn that she is over reacting and he realyl doesn't care about her.
I think its about Kris's Mom or mother-figure like person....he was writing it as he was looking back at their relationship together but slipping into the memories....if you've ever read Little Girl Fly Away by Gene Stone(?) you know what i'm talking about....but the person was taken out of his life and she's back now and she's worried that he might hate her because of the past but Kris is saying that he doesn't care about the past mistakes. The line about jumping could be like jumping into being his 'mother' again...he could also be reasurring her that she wasn't the only one who made mistakes and that other people are putting up a facade ('tried to make a piece of coal into a diamond') and hoping that it would become something real.
Actually I think that this song is about a girl who fell in love with a guy, who thought he loved her back but doesnt. So they went out, and then broke up. And he is telling her how he feels. But she loves him so much that the breakup has driven her to suicide.
The Breakup (where he says he doesnt lover her, and that he has made the same mistake of loving someone who doesnt love him):
"I saw you cryin' as I turned away Did I see your face, like it wasn't there And I know I was wrong... yeah, I knew it all along But I didn't care about you Clara, where are you today? And did you make the same mistakes... that I made, a million times before I met you "
About the relationship that they tried to make work:
"Did you know you're not the only one... that tried to make a piece of coal into a diamond yeah!"
Where she says shes ok with the breakup:
"So everything's fine now, at least you say Maybe that's o.k. - But you know it's wrong Was I right, did it last? Were you dwelling on the past??? Or hanging on to a memory"
where he tells her its over, and he doesnt care if she jumps or not, but if she does she will just be a bad memory like he is to her:
"so you say your time will never come Maybe you should go ahead and jump... Then you'll become exactly what you are hanging onto Standing there on the bridge with your feet on the ledge maybe I might push you over the edge... and send you falling straight to the ground"
Yeah.. I think you're all right. It was about a relationship, he didn't love her and she was really in love with him, and then then she may be contemplating suicide at the end... not sure. Great song though none the less.
Personally, I think that kris has met one of those melodramatic "suicidal" ppl, who arent really suicidal, and he's saying that if she's (Clara's) gonna do it then she should just fucking do it, but if she's not then she should stop being a fuckwit. That's how I take it n e way. This song is very close to my heart coz my sister suffered from post traumatic stress and attempted suicide and then my best friend did the same think like a month later (both were attempts serious enough to hospitalise them), so yeah
This song I feel is partially about suicide. The person is obviously depressed “I saw you crying.” The singer is talking about how he feels bad that he honestly doesn’t care that the moment.. “… as I turned away, Did I see your face, like it wasn't there And I know I was wrong...” The singer definitely seems to feel bad that he doesn’t have feelings for the depressed person.
He seems to start to reminisce about how he felt before he met her, and how he remembers being depressed, hoping that she doesn’t make the same mistakes that he made in those situations.
Then seeing if everything’s okay… “So everything's fine now, at least you say, Maybe that's o.k. - But you know it's wrong.” It seems as though she’s trying to convince him that she’s doing alright but he can see right through it, having been there himself.
“Was I right, did it last? Were you dwelling on the past? Or hanging on to a memory?” It seems like the singer is trying to show this person that he was right. That depression doesn’t go away like sadness does. That it sticks with you and nothing can change that.
“Maybe you should go ahead and jump... Then you'll become exactly what you are hanging onto.” It seems like he’s trying to show them that all they’re hanging onto is a life of suicide attempts. This line can have two meanings. Because a person who jumps either jumps out of fear (stating that the person in the song is hanging onto their fear) or jumps for the sake of doing something fun, or something thrilling (stating that they’re holding onto the good times.
“Standing there on the bridge with your feet on the ledge maybe I might push you over the edge... and send you falling straight to the ground.” It seems like now he returns to how he felt at the beginning of the song. Not knowing whether to help the person out because they’re a human being who deserves to live, or not help them out because he doesn’t personally like them.
:::diveinpuddles8:::