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.
Unos, dos, tres, catorce
Turn it up loud, captain
Lights go down, it's dark
The jungle is your head, can't rule your heart
A feeling's so much stronger than a thought
Your eyes are wide and though your soul, it can't be bought
Your mind can wander
Hello, hello (hola)
I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
Except you give me something
I can feel, feel
The night is full of holes
'Cause bullets rip the sky of ink with gold
They twinkle as the boys play rock and roll
They know that they can't dance, at least they know
I can't stand the beat, I'm asking for the check
Girl with crimson nails has Jesus around her neck
Swinging to the music, swinging to the music (whoa, whoa)
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Hello, hello (hola)
I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
But you give me something
I can feel, feel
Checkmated
Just fun
She made it in, yeah
All of this, all of this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
Just give me what I want and no one gets hurt
Hello, hello (hola)
We're at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
Lights go down, and all I know
Is that you give me something
I can feel your love teaching me how
Your love is teaching me how
How to kneel
Kneel
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Turn it up loud, captain
Lights go down, it's dark
The jungle is your head, can't rule your heart
A feeling's so much stronger than a thought
Your eyes are wide and though your soul, it can't be bought
Your mind can wander
Hello, hello (hola)
I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
Except you give me something
I can feel, feel
The night is full of holes
'Cause bullets rip the sky of ink with gold
They twinkle as the boys play rock and roll
They know that they can't dance, at least they know
I can't stand the beat, I'm asking for the check
Girl with crimson nails has Jesus around her neck
Swinging to the music, swinging to the music (whoa, whoa)
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Hello, hello (hola)
I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
But you give me something
I can feel, feel
Checkmated
Just fun
She made it in, yeah
All of this, all of this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
Just give me what I want and no one gets hurt
Hello, hello (hola)
We're at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
Lights go down, and all I know
Is that you give me something
I can feel your love teaching me how
Your love is teaching me how
How to kneel
Kneel
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
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I love the line...' They know that they can't dance, at least, they know." Its a line referring to religious people who can't understand the concept of contemporary, relevant, funky Christians WHILE referring to their disastrous dance album at the same time. Classic!
Basically, i think this song is about the whole CCM controversy and crossover projects by artists such as Sun Ho, Lifehouse and Switchfoot, while secondarily about Bono's own withstanding of temptation in the face of a sex and drugs rock and roll culture. Check out the entire myriad of allures presented in the verse after the first chorus and guilt-inducing image of "Jesus round her neck."
The temptation theme continues in the bridge, basically paraphrasing Satan's last temptation of Jesus in the desert. Interestingly, the studio vid for this part just before the last chorus" your love is teaching me how/to kneel" features the Edge throwing Bono off after this "tempting" to blast his guitar.
One more thing: Unos, Dos, Tres, Cartoce. 1, 2, 3, 14.
First Testament, second book, 3rd chapter, 14th verse.
That's the verse God announces Himself as I AM THAT I AM: Yahweh. Vertigo is the first song on the album.
The last song? A track titled Yahweh.
@Yukona The song is 3:14 in length also
@Yukona The song is 3:14 in length also