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'm holding here a book
Notable, but not the greatest
Stolen for me by the latest in a long line of thieves
And I'm just about to drop it down that man hole of memories
But I realized it doesn't bother me like loves mementos usually do
And I look up to see who's different here, the latest me or the latest you
Course you're the kind of guy who doesn't lie he just doctors everything
Who chooses some unassuming finger and quietly moves his wedding ring
Who rewrites his autobiography for any pretty girl who will sing
But you can't fool the queen baby cause I married the king
It was I who betrayed his majesty though opposite reality
Like a puddle with no reflection of the sky, of the trees
But after my dreaded beheadding and I tied that sucker back on with a string
And I guess I'm pretty different now, considering.
I kissed you on the street that night on the far side of for ?
I didn't like taste in my mouth or yours
And ignoring the persona you wore for my benefit
For once I had balls, to call it, just call it
The lesson must be lived, in order to be learned
And the clarity to see and stop this now
That is what I earned.
It was I who betrayed his majesty though opposite reality ?
Like a puddle with no reflection of the sky, of the trees
But after my dreaded beheading and I tied that sucker back on with a string
And I guess I'm pretty different now, considering
I'm holding here a book, notable and not the greatest.
Stolen for me by the latest in a long line of thieves
And I'm just about to drop it down the man hole of memories
When I realize it doesn't bother me, a heartache not so dire
And I look up to see integrity and finally won over desire
Notable, but not the greatest
Stolen for me by the latest in a long line of thieves
And I'm just about to drop it down that man hole of memories
But I realized it doesn't bother me like loves mementos usually do
And I look up to see who's different here, the latest me or the latest you
Course you're the kind of guy who doesn't lie he just doctors everything
Who chooses some unassuming finger and quietly moves his wedding ring
Who rewrites his autobiography for any pretty girl who will sing
But you can't fool the queen baby cause I married the king
It was I who betrayed his majesty though opposite reality
Like a puddle with no reflection of the sky, of the trees
But after my dreaded beheadding and I tied that sucker back on with a string
And I guess I'm pretty different now, considering.
I kissed you on the street that night on the far side of for ?
I didn't like taste in my mouth or yours
And ignoring the persona you wore for my benefit
For once I had balls, to call it, just call it
The lesson must be lived, in order to be learned
And the clarity to see and stop this now
That is what I earned.
It was I who betrayed his majesty though opposite reality ?
Like a puddle with no reflection of the sky, of the trees
But after my dreaded beheading and I tied that sucker back on with a string
And I guess I'm pretty different now, considering
I'm holding here a book, notable and not the greatest.
Stolen for me by the latest in a long line of thieves
And I'm just about to drop it down the man hole of memories
When I realize it doesn't bother me, a heartache not so dire
And I look up to see integrity and finally won over desire
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
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"
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
I love this song, both for it's feistiness and its strength. It seems to me that Ani is singing about a break up with someone she liked but didn't love. As with many of Ani's (unfailingly brilliant songs), the lyrics are reminiscent in structure (although not in form or content) to a college essay--she begins with an introduction to lure you in and set the stage, then lets the story unfold and grow more complex stanza by stanza, and finally summaries and reveals her conclusion in the last section of the song.
In the opening lines "i'm holding here a book/notable but not the greatest/stolen for me by the latest/in a long line of thieves" Ani conveys the idea that the gift that this latest lover gave her was important but not exceptional, and implies that the relationship itself was along the same lines. In the next line Ani notes that the book, as a symbol of the relationship "doesn't bother me/like "love's mementos usually do" and she stops to wonder why the end of this relationship is less painful than most.
The next section is brilliant and really hits home -- she's talking about how her (now) ex was a charmer who kept her entertained but who wasn't authentic or trustworthy. And while she may have found this peronality type attractive in the past, with the line "you can't fool the queen baby/'cause i married the king" Ani shows us that in fact a previous, more significant relationship with an even more compelling and skilled charmer/manipulator (likely her ex-husband) has made her less susceptible to these types of advances.
"The king", whoever he was, talked a damn good game but ultimately caused far more pain than he was worth--all the charisma and good storytelling in the world aren't enough to make a relationship work.
In this song, Ani comes to terms with the fact that she's attracted to charmers who "create personas" for her benefit. But due to her difficult experiences in the past, she has changed enough to allow "integrity to win over desire."
AMAZING SONG!