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 heard today that you were gone
I had to stop and sing along
The song they played to say goodbye
A song that gave
Gave me back life
You'll never fade
The words you gave
My life you saved
Your name was Layne
And on that day a child was born
To someone who you helped along
And helped see through his darkest times
Because of you, this child, she is mine
You'll never fade
The words you gave
My life you saved
Your name was Layne
The words you said
You made me feel like they were all for me
The words you said
They will always be a part of me
The words you said
You made me feel like I was not alone
The words you said
You gave me all the strength to carry on
So to me you'll never fade
Your life you gave
My life you saved
Your name was Layne
I had to stop and sing along
The song they played to say goodbye
A song that gave
Gave me back life
You'll never fade
The words you gave
My life you saved
Your name was Layne
And on that day a child was born
To someone who you helped along
And helped see through his darkest times
Because of you, this child, she is mine
You'll never fade
The words you gave
My life you saved
Your name was Layne
The words you said
You made me feel like they were all for me
The words you said
They will always be a part of me
The words you said
You made me feel like I was not alone
The words you said
You gave me all the strength to carry on
So to me you'll never fade
Your life you gave
My life you saved
Your name was Layne
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
The Night We Met
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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"
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Page
Ed Sheeran
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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.
Does anyone know the song hes talking about in the line: The song they played to say goodbye A song that gave, gave me back life
We're making a video for this song in media tech. and we're kinda wondering......