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.
Right in front of me dropping another game
Now I watch your face as your eyes look down
Away from my glance
Backstabbed as I hear the cracks drop smack
I count the ways your little whispers swell to greet my daze
Underground, so down, your scene above me
But now I see so clearly
I'm not down, I never could be
And it's long past time for me to show you
Speak my mind in response to your condescending way
Of placing me below your feet
"It's not what you know, it's who you know"
But all I know now is you live for the show"
Smiles in my face with smirks in your eyes
And I understand what it means to be
"Legit" in your eyes, not I
Nor none of my "attempts" to be on the inside
I'm not down, I never could be
And it's time, this time I'll show you
Set me up
Knocked down
Knocked down from your clique, you
Understand how you rejected me
I look at your face and weep for your "scene"
So I ask myself what needs to be said
What now, what light can I shed?
As I battle to fight down the angry thought
That's swelling to escape my head
So it's plain as day and you can see
that I have a right to explain my self to you
So don't look away or turn away or laugh away
Because your "scene" is dead today
We can't bring ourselves back down to this level
Because you are no better than me
Down with all that took us away from standing as one and living as one
Am I so different from you that you cannot dispel with your status
and look at my face?
Am I so distant from you that I cannot break free from this stereotype today?
Am I so separate from you that you cannot regard me as equal
and clean this stain?
Now I watch your face as your eyes look down
Away from my glance
Backstabbed as I hear the cracks drop smack
I count the ways your little whispers swell to greet my daze
Underground, so down, your scene above me
But now I see so clearly
I'm not down, I never could be
And it's long past time for me to show you
Speak my mind in response to your condescending way
Of placing me below your feet
"It's not what you know, it's who you know"
But all I know now is you live for the show"
Smiles in my face with smirks in your eyes
And I understand what it means to be
"Legit" in your eyes, not I
Nor none of my "attempts" to be on the inside
I'm not down, I never could be
And it's time, this time I'll show you
Set me up
Knocked down
Knocked down from your clique, you
Understand how you rejected me
I look at your face and weep for your "scene"
So I ask myself what needs to be said
What now, what light can I shed?
As I battle to fight down the angry thought
That's swelling to escape my head
So it's plain as day and you can see
that I have a right to explain my self to you
So don't look away or turn away or laugh away
Because your "scene" is dead today
We can't bring ourselves back down to this level
Because you are no better than me
Down with all that took us away from standing as one and living as one
Am I so different from you that you cannot dispel with your status
and look at my face?
Am I so distant from you that I cannot break free from this stereotype today?
Am I so separate from you that you cannot regard me as equal
and clean this stain?
Lyrics submitted by joshbert13
Set Me Up Lyrics as written by Andrew Schwab Alexander Albert
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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badass song, i could never get tired of it