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.
Time for flying rockets
For silver jets
For surfing bombs
Surfing on a rocket
Don't pray to go
Please take my hand
Don't get me down
Surfing on a rocket
I'll be back one day
Just pray for me
I'm on my way
Surfing on a rocket
Five, four, three, two, one, zero
No one can stop me to go
You'll never see me again
For silver jets
For surfing bombs
Surfing on a rocket
Don't pray to go
Please take my hand
Don't get me down
Surfing on a rocket
I'll be back one day
Just pray for me
I'm on my way
Surfing on a rocket
Five, four, three, two, one, zero
No one can stop me to go
You'll never see me again
Lyrics submitted by dancinthemoonlight
Surfing on a Rocket Lyrics as written by Nicolas Godin Jean Benoit Dunckel
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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Great version of a great song,
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No it's not about sex. The girls riding on the rocket in the music video are just symbols of sex and sex is just symbol of modern day society. Just like the TV man, the smokestack men, and the priest. They are all different symbols like the media, business, religion, and money. Besides, if not obviously enough already, sex is being mocked in the music video as the girl gets dumped with tar and feathers in the end.
It might not matter though because a lot of the time music videos have nothing to do with the song anyway. I think this song is just about running away and the rocket is just a metaphor as to how fast and far the singer wants to go. Although if the music video did have anything to do with the song it would be, in my opinion, about how fast society is riding to it's destruction and the nuclear bomb or rocket is a symbol of how people destroy each other and themselves.
And on the other hand this song could be about completely nothing and just a fantasy about riding on a rocket. I think I like that explanation the best.