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.
welcome to the lonesome world of abel
where every brother's knife is set to slay you
and paranoia keeps you healthy
crooked deals can keep you wealthy
serum vials to help you when you're sad
every other face is bent and broken
wrap your teeth around the only game in town
made your clothes from insulation
break your day for pay and ration
hide
hide
hide...
killed by an angel
lost inside amazing colors
it's never how you feel
it comes in a bottle
let's say you found a gun;
how would your bad side burn?
it's never how you feel
it comes in a bottle
relax and all these whores will lick the membrane
just a touch, a stain, a hole in your brain
it's cold when you remove the nails
beg for more when all else fails
serum vials to help you when you're sad
killed by an angel
lost inside amazing colors
it's never how you feel
it comes in a bottle
let's say you found a gun;
how would your bad side burn?
it's never how you feel
it comes in a bottle
the way the sea reflects the sun
long gone
and all the miracles of love
long gone
you hold your heart out in your hand
one last long sigh gone
one last long sigh gone...
when you see the sores you can't believe them
pathogenic lovers in a basement cell
dirty white sheets cut up in strips
cracks in the mirror and your mind slips
serum vials to help you when you're sad
killed by an angel
lost inside amazing colors
it's never how you feel
it comes in a bottle
let's say you found a gun;
how would your bad side burn?
it's never how you feel
it comes in a bottle
killed by an angel
killed by an angel...
where every brother's knife is set to slay you
and paranoia keeps you healthy
crooked deals can keep you wealthy
serum vials to help you when you're sad
every other face is bent and broken
wrap your teeth around the only game in town
made your clothes from insulation
break your day for pay and ration
hide
hide
hide...
killed by an angel
lost inside amazing colors
it's never how you feel
it comes in a bottle
let's say you found a gun;
how would your bad side burn?
it's never how you feel
it comes in a bottle
relax and all these whores will lick the membrane
just a touch, a stain, a hole in your brain
it's cold when you remove the nails
beg for more when all else fails
serum vials to help you when you're sad
killed by an angel
lost inside amazing colors
it's never how you feel
it comes in a bottle
let's say you found a gun;
how would your bad side burn?
it's never how you feel
it comes in a bottle
the way the sea reflects the sun
long gone
and all the miracles of love
long gone
you hold your heart out in your hand
one last long sigh gone
one last long sigh gone...
when you see the sores you can't believe them
pathogenic lovers in a basement cell
dirty white sheets cut up in strips
cracks in the mirror and your mind slips
serum vials to help you when you're sad
killed by an angel
lost inside amazing colors
it's never how you feel
it comes in a bottle
let's say you found a gun;
how would your bad side burn?
it's never how you feel
it comes in a bottle
killed by an angel
killed by an angel...
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The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Enigk has confirmed that this song is about addiction to heroin, not hallucinogens.
iconsoffright.com/2010/09/10/vintage-icons-interview-jeremy-enigk-of-sunny-day-real-estate/