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.
Crazy Janey and her mission man
Were back in the alley tradin' hands
'Long came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man
All duded up for Saturday night
Well, Billy slammed on his coaster brakes
And said, "Anybody want to go on up to Greasy Lake?
It's about a mile down on the dark side of Route 88
I got a bottle of rose so let's try it
We'll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe
And I'll take you all out to where the gypsy angels go
They're built like light
Ooh, and they dance like spirits in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, you don't know what they can do to you
Spirits in the night (all night)
Oh, in the night (all night)
Stand right up now and let it shoot through you
Well now, Wild Billy was a crazy cat
And he shook some dust out of his coonskin cap
He said, "Trust some of this, it'll show you where you're at
Or at least it'll help you really feel it"
By the time we made it up to Greasy Lake
I had my head out the window and Janey's fingers were in the cake
I think I really dug her 'cause I was too loose to fake
I said, I'm hurt, she said, honey, let me heal it
And we danced all night to a soul fairy band
And she kissed me just right, like only a lonely angel can
She felt so nice
Just as soft as a spirit in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, Janey don't know what she do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
I stand right up and I let her shoot through me
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
Now, the night was bright and the stars threw light
On Billy and Davy dancin' in the moonlight
They were down near the water in a stone mud fight
Killer Joe gone passed out on the lawn
Well now, Hazy Davy got really hurt
He ran into the lake in just his socks and his shirt
Me and Crazy Janey was makin' love in the dirt
Singin' our birthday songs
Janey said it was time to go
So we closed our eyes and said goodbye to Gypsy Angel Row
Felt so right
Together we moved like spirits in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, you don't know what they can do to you
Them spirits in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Oh, stand right up and let her shoot through you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night
Be-da-ba the night
All night
In the night
In the night
Were back in the alley tradin' hands
'Long came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man
All duded up for Saturday night
Well, Billy slammed on his coaster brakes
And said, "Anybody want to go on up to Greasy Lake?
It's about a mile down on the dark side of Route 88
I got a bottle of rose so let's try it
We'll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe
And I'll take you all out to where the gypsy angels go
They're built like light
Ooh, and they dance like spirits in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, you don't know what they can do to you
Spirits in the night (all night)
Oh, in the night (all night)
Stand right up now and let it shoot through you
Well now, Wild Billy was a crazy cat
And he shook some dust out of his coonskin cap
He said, "Trust some of this, it'll show you where you're at
Or at least it'll help you really feel it"
By the time we made it up to Greasy Lake
I had my head out the window and Janey's fingers were in the cake
I think I really dug her 'cause I was too loose to fake
I said, I'm hurt, she said, honey, let me heal it
And we danced all night to a soul fairy band
And she kissed me just right, like only a lonely angel can
She felt so nice
Just as soft as a spirit in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, Janey don't know what she do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
I stand right up and I let her shoot through me
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
Now, the night was bright and the stars threw light
On Billy and Davy dancin' in the moonlight
They were down near the water in a stone mud fight
Killer Joe gone passed out on the lawn
Well now, Hazy Davy got really hurt
He ran into the lake in just his socks and his shirt
Me and Crazy Janey was makin' love in the dirt
Singin' our birthday songs
Janey said it was time to go
So we closed our eyes and said goodbye to Gypsy Angel Row
Felt so right
Together we moved like spirits in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, you don't know what they can do to you
Them spirits in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Oh, stand right up and let her shoot through you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night
Be-da-ba the night
All night
In the night
In the night
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
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
A bottle of Rose most likely refers to Richard's Wild Irish Rose which is strong cheap wine. Sort of like MD 20-20.
What a great song. I'm not that crazy about a lot of the Boss's stuff, but this is just excellent.
I think it's about how intense and beautiful moments can be when you're young or feeling young. It's about a weekend night in a small town and finding something to do/ try.
Also being with other people, makin' love, dancing, playing with mud/rocks by the water, just being in the moment, just having fun and feeling good..maybe about the drugs/drink that make things feel fun and alive and beautiful at the time
just my 2 cents... peace : )
The first Springsteen song I ever heard. I was 9 or so when it came out and my older brother played the Greetings LP constantly. I loved this song.
The story of these friends, the classic storytelling of their day out, you practically know everything about these characters, you can SEE all of them in your minds eye so clearly. Billy and Davy cavorting in the moonlight and Joe passed out on the lawn. You can almost see every line on their faces the way Bruce tells their story. His master storytelling almost makes you wanna break down in tears (as in birthday songs - wow!).
You can see why the comparrisons to Dylan came so early in his career. Some heady stuff. Fun and sing-songy and yet sad and beautiful at the same time.
It's amazing what listening to a different live version can do to an interpretation to a song. After listening to the Winterland '78 version, I could only think of Van Morrison as having written it, or at the very least, singing it. Never got this from any version I have heard, but this jumped out at me
you're right, it is very van morrison-esque. i am a HUGE van morrison fan, and this is my favorite bruce song, not only because it reminds me of my teenage years in new jersey, but also because it's the sort of nostalgic, sexy thing that van might write.
@redredred doesn't it just take you back? To those summer nights out being wild and free with friends. Dancing in the moonlight.<br /> <br />
Actually it's duded up at least according to the lp jacket. As in:
"dude up, Informal. to dress in one's fanciest, best, or most stylish clothes; dress up: He got all duded up to go to the dance.";
For some reason, this always brings Wampum Lake (also known simply as Da Woods) just south of Chicago to mind.\nBack when I was a kid, it was the big drinking and druggie spot although by the late 70s, it had become way too rough.\nThe powers that be eventually cleaned it up and now Wampum Lake is highly regarded for ice fishing.
One of my favorite Boss numbers. I lived in Philly in the 70s. Here's my take on some of the slang phrases.
--"trading hands" = some kind of transaction, probably a drug deal. --"duded up for Saturday night" = dressed up for a party --"slammed on his coaster brake" = old school pedal brake on a stingray-style bike. It was cool to slam on it and crank the handlebars and put the bike into a controlled sideways slide. "Trust some of this. It'll show you where it's it." = Billie offering drugs --"Janey's fingers were in the cake." = Janey was doing drugs in the car. Probably snorting coke or meth off a long fingernail. --"I think I really dug her but I was too loose to fake it" = He was into her, but too high to play it cool. --"Singing our birthday songs" = making sex noises
Very cool number with a strange chord progression. Is it in Em? G? C? Am? D? a little bit of all of them?
The lyric is really tough to learn. Even Springsteen screws it up from time to time. But it's a great tune.
Someone go listen to the version of the in '75-85' its absolutly amazing
I love this song and am surprised that more people haven't commented on it...its beautiful, painful, fun and exciting all at once.