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.
[Repeat x2]
Back down no back down comin' up
Rise up no rise up showin' up
Lock down no lock down comin' up
International cover-up
What about the state of the union
What about the guns they're using
What about the kids that don't matter
What about a general strike
You don't know what it's like
What's it's like what it's like...
[Repeat x2]
Back down no back down comin' up
Rise up no rise up showin' up
Lock down no lock down comin' up
International cover-up
What about the cage getting rattled
What about the international battle
What about the kids who are dreaming
What about the kid who got stopped
You don't know what it's like
What's it's like what it's like...
Back down no back down comin' up
Rise up no rise up showin' up
Lock down no lock down comin' up
International cover-up
What about the state of the union
What about the guns they're using
What about the kids that don't matter
What about a general strike
You don't know what it's like
What's it's like what it's like...
[Repeat x2]
Back down no back down comin' up
Rise up no rise up showin' up
Lock down no lock down comin' up
International cover-up
What about the cage getting rattled
What about the international battle
What about the kids who are dreaming
What about the kid who got stopped
You don't know what it's like
What's it's like what it's like...
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.
ok...this one should be kinda obvious...but I dunno...it's about the government hiding it's internal issues and trying to cover them up form foreign countries to make themselves look better. Its the government who is tryin to hide these problems rather than fixing them.
Watergate?
briliant tune tough, really rocks