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.
There never seems to be
Because what I believe
A moment I'm not trying
To show them who I am
Why can't they understand
The things that they're denying
They're denying
So what should I do
Just lay next to you
As though I'm unaffected
And who should I be
When they're judging me
As though I'm unaffected
A chance they'd never give
To ever want to live
The life that I am made of
There's nothing left to prove
My heart's forever true
What is it they're afraid of
Afraid of
So what should I do
Just lay next to you
As though I'm unaffected
And who should I be
When they're judging me
As though I'm unaffected
Before they even say my face
They knew that I was not the same
And decided I was not the one for you
For you
So what should I do
I'm not unaffected
And who should I be
I'm not unaffected
So what should I do
Just lay next to you
As though I'm unaffected
And who should I be
When they're judging me
As though I'm unaffected
Unaffected, unaffected
Unaffected, unaffected
Because what I believe
A moment I'm not trying
To show them who I am
Why can't they understand
The things that they're denying
They're denying
So what should I do
Just lay next to you
As though I'm unaffected
And who should I be
When they're judging me
As though I'm unaffected
A chance they'd never give
To ever want to live
The life that I am made of
There's nothing left to prove
My heart's forever true
What is it they're afraid of
Afraid of
So what should I do
Just lay next to you
As though I'm unaffected
And who should I be
When they're judging me
As though I'm unaffected
Before they even say my face
They knew that I was not the same
And decided I was not the one for you
For you
So what should I do
I'm not unaffected
And who should I be
I'm not unaffected
So what should I do
Just lay next to you
As though I'm unaffected
And who should I be
When they're judging me
As though I'm unaffected
Unaffected, unaffected
Unaffected, unaffected
Lyrics submitted by prayingmantis84, edited by kristinaya
Unaffected Lyrics as written by Chris Light Hesse Chris Hesse
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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maybe a song about a girlfriend whos parents didnt approve of him... "Before they even saw my face They knew that I was not the same And decided I was not the one for you, For you"
"And who should I be, When they're judging me"
It doesn't have to be parents, it could be society in general. I mean, people look at a relationship and judge it based what the two people look like, not who they are, or if they're happy, or any of that.
I take this song deeper as it relates to religion. I live in a very Mormon area, my wife is Mormon and I am Christian. This song speaks to how I feel and my extended family feel living with the differences in our faith.
I think what people have said is right and that it does vary from person to person, I personally think that it is about parents and relatives not agreeing but it could be about anything, might be religion, look, background, music taste, it could be anything and in a way he doesnt know what it is because theres no way he can please them. "Who should I be, when theyre judging me"
So what should I do, Just lay next to you from these lines i can say that this song is about a boy being denied by the girlfriends parents...he is upset about the situation and he is affected so he can't get rid of the idea of being denied by the gf's parents and want to be accepted as who he is.
This is a beutiful song. I listen to it and sing it to myself all the time. I love it. Personally it makes me think of my boyfriend and me ( how unoriginal, I know ).
This song's meaning can vary from person to person but to me its about a couple being judged by family, friends, society, whatever. They judge based on that first impression of appearance and the couple is left to rough it out...
This song means alot to me after i have read your comments, like the one with religion, and the parents not agreeing on the boyfriend, see my girlfriend is mormon, and her parents really dont want her to have a boyfriend, and she is moving across the country this summer in the next few days, and yeah, i love her, but you can just read my comment as though i am an unguided teen, but the feelings i have for her are real, so her parents dont like me, so its both of those meanings could be piled into this one song.