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.
I've been looking in the mirror for so long,
That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side.
All the little pieces falling, shatter.
Shards of me,
Too sharp to put back together.
Too small to matter,
But big enough to cut me into so many little pieces.
If I try to touch her,
And I bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe no more.
Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirits well.
Yet again you refuse to drink like a stubborn child.
Lie to me,
Convince me that I've been sick forever.
And all of this,
Will make sense when I get better.
but I know the difference,
Between myself and my reflection.
I just can't help but to wonder,
Which of us do you love.
So I bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe no
Bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe,
I breathe
I breathe no more.
That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side.
All the little pieces falling, shatter.
Shards of me,
Too sharp to put back together.
Too small to matter,
But big enough to cut me into so many little pieces.
If I try to touch her,
And I bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe no more.
Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirits well.
Yet again you refuse to drink like a stubborn child.
Lie to me,
Convince me that I've been sick forever.
And all of this,
Will make sense when I get better.
but I know the difference,
Between myself and my reflection.
I just can't help but to wonder,
Which of us do you love.
So I bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe no
Bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe,
I breathe
I breathe no more.
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
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"
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
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.
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/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Wrong lyrics again. Grr. Okay, the "Oh the little pieces falling, shatter" should be "All the little pieces falling, shattered"; and "I just can't help but to wonder" should be "It causes me to wonder". I know, I know, I'm nitpicking again =). Forgive me?
To me, the song's about being in a relationship where you're loved for your beauty instead of yourself. You've been around this shallow love for so long, you begin to feel like maybe all you are is a pretty face. You break the mirror to find the truth and feel as though you're losing yourself along with the shards. Trying to put yourself back together, you cut yourself, again and again, bleeding so much that you stop breathing. Somehow, you force yourself to breathe again, but nobody understands what you've gone through. They're trying to tell you what's wrong instead of listening to what you're saying. Even after what you've gone through, after you've discovered the difference between yourself and how you look, you still think people only love you for your reflection. You're still simply a pretty thing for people to look at.
Hmm. Lol, I think I confused myself while I wrote that...
No it made sense. The mirror breaking can be taken figuratively. Shattering what you think you know, breaking free of it, and falling apart "bleeding" from the shock of it all.<br /> <br /> I had a breakdown a number of years ago triggered by a man who liked me for my looks not for me. I had to shatter a lot of the damage he did to me, and another man came along with the same intentions. I literally shattered, nearly committed suicide, but I was bleeding inside for the person I was, before all this happened to me. I breathe and bleed no more for the person I was turned into, an old friend came back into my life and pulled everything together with me, having been in a similar experience. I marry that man in three weeks. The only scars I have left from that ordeal are a case of acute anxiety, and a bit of trouble with trusting people.<br /> <br /> But I can honestly say... I bleed and breathe no more. I was sick, and I got better, and everything makes more sense. I am a beautiful woman, but what made my husband fall in love with me in our first meeting was my mind. He has a high intellect, so craves stimulation, especially in conversations. He views my looks as a bonus :) And which would someone with a genius level IQ prefer? A bimbo, or someone he can discuss wormhole physics with?