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.
[talking]
Yeah... ladies and gentlemen...
Know what time it is... (it is a man's world)... time to do this
You better be taping this (don't front, girl.. come on)
*laughs* But you're probably not... are you?
You are?? Alrite, then.... that's what I'm talkin bout (you see?)
Always prepared... that's why they call him Two T's
Welcome to my world...
[starts rapping]
Where the quarter always gives you one life
So you better push your buttons just right(welcome to my world, world)
Where any given second, anybody can get it
You better hold on tight [echoes out]
Cuz life can take a turn for the worse
And have you switching from the Coupe to the hearse
You better peep this verse
The streets ain't no joker, man...
The sidewalks might get you first
So wherever you rest you better don't sleep
Cuz like Denzel said, you could either be a wolf or a sheep
And that ain't even criminology
I'm talkin bout the everyday 9 to 5 people, still gotta fight the evil
You could ride the fast lane or the train
The illest weapon you can load ain't your nine, boy, load your brain
You ask a real live gangsta and he'll tell ya the same (you know)
A lot'a dummies die young, man, simple and plain (fa'real)
A lot'a kids wanna show they got heart
So they wild out, skip class (come on man)
And trade book smarts for streets smarts (you know better than that)
But ask yourself, even if you got one target
Ain't you better off with two darts?
In my world of rent, bills, skills, business
MESS AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS
(Welcome to my world of) Wins, losses, loyalties, promises
MESS AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS
(Yo, yo, welcome to my world of)
Backstabbers, parasites, slanderers, politics
MESS AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS (Y'all don't wanna know)
Y'all don't even wanna know (nope) JUST HOW REAL IT IS
MESS AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS (Welcome to my world of)
Bumps, bruises, scrapes, cuts, aches and blisters
Typhoones, mysoones, earthquakes and twisters
It's the picture my life fits in
My whirldwind rotates, elevates and transcends
Watch me shine in the streets like some fresh new rims
Watch my enemies retreat as I collect my wins
Every 25 thousand I start over again
To renew my history so skip repentin my sins
Here's some words of advice you can share with'cha friends
Tell em not to fall victim to the short term ends
Comin up fast, I'm sure you'll impress the skins
But if you're too deep you're guaranteed to catch the bends
You could spread news... north, east, west and south
My universe will expand way beyond New York
You got two ears, two eyes and just one mouth
So look and listen both over before you talk
I'm keepin all my enemies outlined in chalk...
On the blackboard, now did you get the wrong idea?
I suggest you change the currents in your atmosphere
Once you get yourself together I'll remain right here
Rent, bills, skills, business
MESS AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS
Backstabbers [echoes... beat turns off]
Hold up... What the? What? Yo, yo Joe what you doin in the vocal booth, man?
Oh, aight [beat changes to a dance club beat]
Uhh... uhh... uhhh. uuhhh.. uhhh...
Just dance with me... dance with me
Ah.. yeah, just dance with me, dance with me, dance with me
What'cha know bout that? Uh...
Just dance with me, dance with me
Uh-huh... Uh-ha... c'mon! (We really don't have time for this...)[beat stops again]
(Let's get... let's get back on schedule, aight?)
[beat switches back]
Aiyyo it's all real, every inhale, every exhale
Every extra breath from birth's been a blessin
Plus I go through some professin and confessin (stay calm)
I stay grounded with common sense in my lessons (what?)
Life is a test, I'm studyin not guessin (true)
I learn answers, ask and answer questions
Like Y is a chromosome, axis, cause and effect
So respect what the god's manifestin
You can't hesitate but you gotta be patient
And use wise words in every conversation
You gotta stack paper if you wanna stop chasin
There's not much time for cartoons and PlayStation
It stays true throughout every nation
Whether you be Yetti or Haitin
You are truely a patient
Spanish or Asian, even African or Caucasian
Huh, even if you was born from claymation
To live out your birth right, it takes preparation
Your job as a man is to be the foundation
Cuz All Of The Above will be caused by you
But yo, man... [cuts off]... shouldn't need no explanation... whoo..
Talk a lot, might as well just give it to em
Yo play the chorus of this shit, they gon' learn
Rent, bills, skills, business
MESS AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS
Wins, losses, loyalties, promises (gon' have to find out the hard way)
F AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS (it's on you)
Backstabbers, parasites, slanderers, politics
F AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS (oh shit)
Fat booties, baby mamas, twins, triplets
F AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS
AIDs, Herpes, Gonorrhea, Syphillis
F AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS
["DJ DP One scratching"] [(J-Live talking)]
"D-D-D-D-DP ONE!"
Yeah... ladies and gentlemen...
Know what time it is... (it is a man's world)... time to do this
You better be taping this (don't front, girl.. come on)
*laughs* But you're probably not... are you?
You are?? Alrite, then.... that's what I'm talkin bout (you see?)
Always prepared... that's why they call him Two T's
Welcome to my world...
[starts rapping]
Where the quarter always gives you one life
So you better push your buttons just right(welcome to my world, world)
Where any given second, anybody can get it
You better hold on tight [echoes out]
Cuz life can take a turn for the worse
And have you switching from the Coupe to the hearse
You better peep this verse
The streets ain't no joker, man...
The sidewalks might get you first
So wherever you rest you better don't sleep
Cuz like Denzel said, you could either be a wolf or a sheep
And that ain't even criminology
I'm talkin bout the everyday 9 to 5 people, still gotta fight the evil
You could ride the fast lane or the train
The illest weapon you can load ain't your nine, boy, load your brain
You ask a real live gangsta and he'll tell ya the same (you know)
A lot'a dummies die young, man, simple and plain (fa'real)
A lot'a kids wanna show they got heart
So they wild out, skip class (come on man)
And trade book smarts for streets smarts (you know better than that)
But ask yourself, even if you got one target
Ain't you better off with two darts?
In my world of rent, bills, skills, business
MESS AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS
(Welcome to my world of) Wins, losses, loyalties, promises
MESS AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS
(Yo, yo, welcome to my world of)
Backstabbers, parasites, slanderers, politics
MESS AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS (Y'all don't wanna know)
Y'all don't even wanna know (nope) JUST HOW REAL IT IS
MESS AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS (Welcome to my world of)
Bumps, bruises, scrapes, cuts, aches and blisters
Typhoones, mysoones, earthquakes and twisters
It's the picture my life fits in
My whirldwind rotates, elevates and transcends
Watch me shine in the streets like some fresh new rims
Watch my enemies retreat as I collect my wins
Every 25 thousand I start over again
To renew my history so skip repentin my sins
Here's some words of advice you can share with'cha friends
Tell em not to fall victim to the short term ends
Comin up fast, I'm sure you'll impress the skins
But if you're too deep you're guaranteed to catch the bends
You could spread news... north, east, west and south
My universe will expand way beyond New York
You got two ears, two eyes and just one mouth
So look and listen both over before you talk
I'm keepin all my enemies outlined in chalk...
On the blackboard, now did you get the wrong idea?
I suggest you change the currents in your atmosphere
Once you get yourself together I'll remain right here
Rent, bills, skills, business
MESS AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS
Backstabbers [echoes... beat turns off]
Hold up... What the? What? Yo, yo Joe what you doin in the vocal booth, man?
Oh, aight [beat changes to a dance club beat]
Uhh... uhh... uhhh. uuhhh.. uhhh...
Just dance with me... dance with me
Ah.. yeah, just dance with me, dance with me, dance with me
What'cha know bout that? Uh...
Just dance with me, dance with me
Uh-huh... Uh-ha... c'mon! (We really don't have time for this...)[beat stops again]
(Let's get... let's get back on schedule, aight?)
[beat switches back]
Aiyyo it's all real, every inhale, every exhale
Every extra breath from birth's been a blessin
Plus I go through some professin and confessin (stay calm)
I stay grounded with common sense in my lessons (what?)
Life is a test, I'm studyin not guessin (true)
I learn answers, ask and answer questions
Like Y is a chromosome, axis, cause and effect
So respect what the god's manifestin
You can't hesitate but you gotta be patient
And use wise words in every conversation
You gotta stack paper if you wanna stop chasin
There's not much time for cartoons and PlayStation
It stays true throughout every nation
Whether you be Yetti or Haitin
You are truely a patient
Spanish or Asian, even African or Caucasian
Huh, even if you was born from claymation
To live out your birth right, it takes preparation
Your job as a man is to be the foundation
Cuz All Of The Above will be caused by you
But yo, man... [cuts off]... shouldn't need no explanation... whoo..
Talk a lot, might as well just give it to em
Yo play the chorus of this shit, they gon' learn
Rent, bills, skills, business
MESS AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS
Wins, losses, loyalties, promises (gon' have to find out the hard way)
F AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS (it's on you)
Backstabbers, parasites, slanderers, politics
F AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS (oh shit)
Fat booties, baby mamas, twins, triplets
F AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS
AIDs, Herpes, Gonorrhea, Syphillis
F AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST HOW REAL IT IS
["DJ DP One scratching"] [(J-Live talking)]
"D-D-D-D-DP ONE!"
Lyrics submitted by dragonflower44
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Light Up The Sky
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Lord Huron
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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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Yo La Tengo
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
American Town
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Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
dope. I fuckin dig how the beat changes. Old school hip hop will never die