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.
He didn't like to jostle in the light
Finding it much soother in the night
With his face as pale as pancakes
And his posture in rebellion with his height
He was raised to respect Father he was loving to his Ma
Being kind to all the children and the animals he saw
In his youth he looked at Jacko with gleaming admiration
Moonwalking through the gardens of his Disneyland Vacation
Then he took a pallid mask and he glued it to his face
And it gave him the temerity to join the human race
He stood like great Ulysses with guitar in his hand
Pledging to deflate the cynical that plague the glory land
Buckethead
And the people came to know him as a man of noble cause
Ignoring eccentricities and interactive flaws
The ones that knew him best were the ones that
called him kind
Clueless to the depth of his complicated mind
But when he takes a pallid mask and he glues it to his face
It gives him the temerity to join the human race
Standing up like great Ulysses with
guitar in his hand
Pledging to deflate the cynical
that plague the glory land
Buckethead
Finding it much soother in the night
With his face as pale as pancakes
And his posture in rebellion with his height
He was raised to respect Father he was loving to his Ma
Being kind to all the children and the animals he saw
In his youth he looked at Jacko with gleaming admiration
Moonwalking through the gardens of his Disneyland Vacation
Then he took a pallid mask and he glued it to his face
And it gave him the temerity to join the human race
He stood like great Ulysses with guitar in his hand
Pledging to deflate the cynical that plague the glory land
Buckethead
And the people came to know him as a man of noble cause
Ignoring eccentricities and interactive flaws
The ones that knew him best were the ones that
called him kind
Clueless to the depth of his complicated mind
But when he takes a pallid mask and he glues it to his face
It gives him the temerity to join the human race
Standing up like great Ulysses with
guitar in his hand
Pledging to deflate the cynical
that plague the glory land
Buckethead
Lyrics submitted by ColonelClaypool_00
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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This would have to be one of my favoroite C2B3 songs of all time! This is b/c Buckethead is one heck of an awesome guitarist.
The solo in this song is amazing! Buckethead always amazes me......
The solo in this song is amazing! Buckethead always amazes me......
If you go to bucketheadland.com, like I did, it will help you understand the song a little bit better. It helped me.
Yeah, if you know anything about Buckethead, this song makes perfect sense. Buckethead, according to legend, was raised in a chicken coop. The whole purpose of his music career is to open Buckeheadland, a theme park... he's an amazing guitar player, and he certainly adds well to the top-notch mix that is C2B3...
I love when the funk riff kicks in. Its awesome!
I found a 1994 interview that somebody had done over the phone with Buckethead's chief interpreter, Brian, that ocnfirms the admiration for jacko. It makes sense that he could have been upset by Jackson's problems. One's only recourse, when idols fall, is to....carry the ideals in oneself. And in a bat-squeeze crazy world, how do you maintain sanity?
come watch him, come watch him...