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.
This is a story about a little man named Rodney.....
Just went along with his pathetic, lonely life. Even when he went to school, Teacher said "jump" and he jumped and he jumped and he jumped. He fell on the floor.
.....
It was not to be, the world for him to see. Mercy. Oh, Mercy.
He wanted to go somewhere, relax for a while. Went to work on a boat as a cabin boy. "Get on your knees and scrub the decks, I wanna see you sweating, Make sure you're in my cabin at around 'alf past ten this evening."
He didn't like this one bit, HE'S GOTTA GET ANOTHER JOB! So he jumped off the boat and swam to the shore to work in a beach at a bar. He met a chick working there, just like him. Not too pretty, not too pretty! Sad and lonely... just like him. They went to the cinema together and then...went to his room, went to his room and made sweet lovin' to each other's only friend.
Night after, he walked out of his room, heard a voice shout...
Barman:" GO PICK THE DEAD RATS OUTTA THE DRAIN!"
First day, but it's ok. But Rod doesn't do anything just sits there. He thinks: "Fuck it, I'll put up with this shit, I've got a girl and a friend I don't need nothing else".
Barman: "How you doing my good friend? You like the ladies, eh? I see you have good taste. Miranda very nice girl, very nice girl."
Rod: "What's that supposed to mean, you tryin' to say something, say it! Very friendly girl, VERY FRIENDLY GIRL?? What's that supposed to mean??" *mumbling*
Barman: "Miranda your girl?"
Rod: "Yeah, what of it?!"
Barman: "She very good at expressing her affection for her friends, she's my girl, your girl, everybody's girl."
Rod: "So you're saying that you and all the other people that have come in this here bar have been with her? But no-one's come in here for days... APART FROM A COUPLE OF PISS-HEADS!"
Piss-head: "She 'ad lovely tight cheeks"
Sailor: "Not after I saw to her"
Rod was furious, Rod said to Miranda:
Rod: "How could you do this to me?"
Miranda: "Because of you, my whole life changed"
Rod: "So you have the confidence to disgrace yourself? No longer do I want to be a slave."
Miranda: "What? What did you say?"
Asked Miranda, would she say sorry:
Miranda: "You're weird, stay away from me"
So he put some laxatives in their tea.... and he was all alone again.
Just went along with his pathetic, lonely life. Even when he went to school, Teacher said "jump" and he jumped and he jumped and he jumped. He fell on the floor.
.....
It was not to be, the world for him to see. Mercy. Oh, Mercy.
He wanted to go somewhere, relax for a while. Went to work on a boat as a cabin boy. "Get on your knees and scrub the decks, I wanna see you sweating, Make sure you're in my cabin at around 'alf past ten this evening."
He didn't like this one bit, HE'S GOTTA GET ANOTHER JOB! So he jumped off the boat and swam to the shore to work in a beach at a bar. He met a chick working there, just like him. Not too pretty, not too pretty! Sad and lonely... just like him. They went to the cinema together and then...went to his room, went to his room and made sweet lovin' to each other's only friend.
Night after, he walked out of his room, heard a voice shout...
Barman:" GO PICK THE DEAD RATS OUTTA THE DRAIN!"
First day, but it's ok. But Rod doesn't do anything just sits there. He thinks: "Fuck it, I'll put up with this shit, I've got a girl and a friend I don't need nothing else".
Barman: "How you doing my good friend? You like the ladies, eh? I see you have good taste. Miranda very nice girl, very nice girl."
Rod: "What's that supposed to mean, you tryin' to say something, say it! Very friendly girl, VERY FRIENDLY GIRL?? What's that supposed to mean??" *mumbling*
Barman: "Miranda your girl?"
Rod: "Yeah, what of it?!"
Barman: "She very good at expressing her affection for her friends, she's my girl, your girl, everybody's girl."
Rod: "So you're saying that you and all the other people that have come in this here bar have been with her? But no-one's come in here for days... APART FROM A COUPLE OF PISS-HEADS!"
Piss-head: "She 'ad lovely tight cheeks"
Sailor: "Not after I saw to her"
Rod was furious, Rod said to Miranda:
Rod: "How could you do this to me?"
Miranda: "Because of you, my whole life changed"
Rod: "So you have the confidence to disgrace yourself? No longer do I want to be a slave."
Miranda: "What? What did you say?"
Asked Miranda, would she say sorry:
Miranda: "You're weird, stay away from me"
So he put some laxatives in their tea.... and he was all alone again.
Lyrics submitted by noneedfordav
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This song is obviously about life, but i think this song refers to making something of yourself in life. The video is very helpful and like, shows Rodney at the begnning walking through a desert.......he is not born yet. The the song start which symbalises life. Then how he has a "lonely" life, he doesn't make anything of himself all through his life, the miranda symbalises how he any normal person has an incident with a girl. Then with the last line "He put some laxatives in their tea", its pathetic revenge, meaning this was probably his greatest achievement in life.
Then with the "He was on his own again" line it symbalises death, which i think means life has ended for him before he knew it. So the moral is: Use life to its fullest :)
Either that, or its about schizophrenia........