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.
Wait for me by the banshee tree
Let me be your wailing companion
Pass 'em on by don't look 'em in the eye
Suicide Alley is callin'
You thought you were dreaming
You could wake up dead
And you'll never know what's real
All this damage is runnin' loose in your head
And it really matters to me
Oh no baby don't go
Walkin' down Suicide Alley
Downtown baby it's a million to one
You might as well name your poison
And stand in line by the exit sign
Suicide Alley is waiting
You're a loose cannonball on a sinking ship
From the belly of the beast, shot from the hip
But you don't have to be going down the dark hall
You're not tied to the chair, you're not nailed to the wall
Oh, no, baby don't go
Walkin' down Suicide Alley
Sitting naked by the window in the middle of the night
I can see you wearing your halo
If only in the daybreak of the dirty street light
I know baby wasn't born to follow
You know I wasn't born I was spat out at a wall
And nobody even knew my name
The sun hatched me out, cradle and all
On the corner of First and Insane
For the souls of the departed and the renegades of love
You and me we gotta be all we dreamed of
In the ruins of mischief through the ravages of time
You got a place in this world of mine
Oh, no, baby don't go
Walkin' down Suicide Alley
Let me be your wailing companion
Pass 'em on by don't look 'em in the eye
Suicide Alley is callin'
You thought you were dreaming
You could wake up dead
And you'll never know what's real
All this damage is runnin' loose in your head
And it really matters to me
Oh no baby don't go
Walkin' down Suicide Alley
Downtown baby it's a million to one
You might as well name your poison
And stand in line by the exit sign
Suicide Alley is waiting
You're a loose cannonball on a sinking ship
From the belly of the beast, shot from the hip
But you don't have to be going down the dark hall
You're not tied to the chair, you're not nailed to the wall
Oh, no, baby don't go
Walkin' down Suicide Alley
Sitting naked by the window in the middle of the night
I can see you wearing your halo
If only in the daybreak of the dirty street light
I know baby wasn't born to follow
You know I wasn't born I was spat out at a wall
And nobody even knew my name
The sun hatched me out, cradle and all
On the corner of First and Insane
For the souls of the departed and the renegades of love
You and me we gotta be all we dreamed of
In the ruins of mischief through the ravages of time
You got a place in this world of mine
Oh, no, baby don't go
Walkin' down Suicide Alley
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i can't believe people aren't talking about this one! .. she really is underappreciated. a few this song used to give me the creeps so much that i would usually skip it.. that was when i was 11 or 12. now it intrigues me so much, although it's still scary. i'd like opinions on hidden meanings, though.
** "a few years ago this song"..., not just "a few this song"
I agree - I think Shawn Colvin is an underappreciated musician and that this is a really underappreciated track. It's a magnificent song, almost the highlight of a magnificent album. Now to the meaning...
I don't know much about Shawn Colvin. I believe she suffered or suffers from depression. To me the song seems to be about support, her support for another sufferer who's in a worse place than her. The "you" in the song seems to be someone contemplating or at risk of suicide, and the singer is trying to encourage him or her not to do it. Lines like -
'let me be your wailing companion'
'You thought you were dreaming But you could wake up dead And you'll never know what's real All this damage is runnin' loose in your head And it really matters to me'
'But you don't have to be going down the dark hall You're not tied to the chair, you're not nailed to the wall'
And of course the chorus -
'Oh, no, baby don't go Walking down suicide alley'
seem to back up this interpretation.
As for the last verse, I think the singer is saying, "Look, I'm doing it tough too, just like you (ie I'm not preaching to you from outside, I'm in here with you) and we can survive this".
Not a very subtle reading of the song, but I think it might do for a start?