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.
For twenty four hours on the Ivory Coast,
They relieved soldiers from their post,
And they drank champagne, for a toast,
To pay dividends to the country's host.
They said, "Tonight, you can leave your home,
But tomorrow, it's gonna be the way of the gun",
And the curfew, won't allw you to roam, roam, roam,
And the bullets will let you know, when the big dog comes 'round your door...
Who is the killer?
(Woooh oh oh!)
Who is the killer?
(Woooh oh oh!)
Stone-cold killer,
(Woooh oh oh!)
Food for the trigger,
(Woooh oh ohh!)
They'll shoot ya down, right on sight,
If you're out at the wrong time of night,
And in a civil war, there's no civil rights,
In the dead of day, run for your life.
They said, "Tonight, you can leave your home,
And tomorrow, it's gonna be the way of the gun",
And the curfew, won't let you roam, roam, roam,
And the bullets will let you know, when the big dog comes 'round your door....
Who is the killer?
(Woooh oh oh!)
Who is the killer?
(Woooh oh oh!)
Stone-cold killer,
(Woooh oh oh!)
Food for the trigger,
(Woooh oh ohh!)
And the trenches are dug,
And the bones begin to shiver,
The taste of war, so cold and bitter,
And the human race is the face of the killer,
And the cost of life is rarely considered.
They said, "Tonight, you can leave your home,
But tomorrow, but tomorrow, it's gonna be the way of the gun",
And the curfew, won't let you roam, roam, roam,
And the bullets will let you know, when the big dog comes 'round your door...
Who is the killer?
(Woooh oh oh!)
Who is the killer?
(Woooh oh oh!)
Stone-cold killer,
(Woooh oh oh!)
Food for the trigger,
(Woooh ohh ohh!)
They relieved soldiers from their post,
And they drank champagne, for a toast,
To pay dividends to the country's host.
They said, "Tonight, you can leave your home,
But tomorrow, it's gonna be the way of the gun",
And the curfew, won't allw you to roam, roam, roam,
And the bullets will let you know, when the big dog comes 'round your door...
Who is the killer?
(Woooh oh oh!)
Who is the killer?
(Woooh oh oh!)
Stone-cold killer,
(Woooh oh oh!)
Food for the trigger,
(Woooh oh ohh!)
They'll shoot ya down, right on sight,
If you're out at the wrong time of night,
And in a civil war, there's no civil rights,
In the dead of day, run for your life.
They said, "Tonight, you can leave your home,
And tomorrow, it's gonna be the way of the gun",
And the curfew, won't let you roam, roam, roam,
And the bullets will let you know, when the big dog comes 'round your door....
Who is the killer?
(Woooh oh oh!)
Who is the killer?
(Woooh oh oh!)
Stone-cold killer,
(Woooh oh oh!)
Food for the trigger,
(Woooh oh ohh!)
And the trenches are dug,
And the bones begin to shiver,
The taste of war, so cold and bitter,
And the human race is the face of the killer,
And the cost of life is rarely considered.
They said, "Tonight, you can leave your home,
But tomorrow, but tomorrow, it's gonna be the way of the gun",
And the curfew, won't let you roam, roam, roam,
And the bullets will let you know, when the big dog comes 'round your door...
Who is the killer?
(Woooh oh oh!)
Who is the killer?
(Woooh oh oh!)
Stone-cold killer,
(Woooh oh oh!)
Food for the trigger,
(Woooh ohh ohh!)
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happened on new years eve 2002 as far as I can tell. they pushed back the curfew from 7 to midnight (not really 24h) so people could celebrate Saint Sylvester.
@kjeske helpful information. I can understand this fearsome song better thanks.
La Côte d'ivoire
sounds like a war going on and its instructions for soldiers which is cool i like this song a lot
the ivory coast is in africa if you really wanna know more just google it.