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.
Stars were falling deep in the darkness
As prayers rose softly, petals at dawn
And as I listened, your voice seemed so clear
So calmly you were calling your god
Somewhere the sun rose, o'er dunes in the desert
Such was the stillness, I ne'er felt before
Was this the question, pulling, pulling, pulling you
In your heart, in your soul, did you find rest there?
Elsewhere a snowfall, the first in the winter
Covered the ground as the bells filled the air
You in your robes sang, calling, calling, calling him
In your heart, in your soul, did you find peace there?
As prayers rose softly, petals at dawn
And as I listened, your voice seemed so clear
So calmly you were calling your god
Somewhere the sun rose, o'er dunes in the desert
Such was the stillness, I ne'er felt before
Was this the question, pulling, pulling, pulling you
In your heart, in your soul, did you find rest there?
Elsewhere a snowfall, the first in the winter
Covered the ground as the bells filled the air
You in your robes sang, calling, calling, calling him
In your heart, in your soul, did you find peace there?
Lyrics submitted by VampedVixen
Full Circle Lyrics as written by Elio Luis Alexis Estevez
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"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.
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Punchline
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Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
I was really surprised at the lack of comments on this song. This is probably my favorite Loreena McKennitt song after her version of The Highway Man. I always put it on when I just need to chill out and be at peace. When I looked at these lyrics I immediately got a sense of a comparison going on between two cultural groups. I feel that McKennitt is trying to promote religious tolerence in this song in such an artful and captivating way Here's how I broke it down: It's known that McKennitt likes to mix both celtic and middle eastern music, so I got out of it that she is comparing Islam and Christianity, two major religions that have been in major conflict throughout the years.
First she talks of someone chanting at sunrise (which if I'm not mistaken is a tradition in Islam) and see then says "Somewhere the sun rose, o'er dunes in the desert" which puts my mind in the middle east geographically. Then in the following verse she says "Elsewhere a snowfall, the first in the winter" which makes me think of Europe, where Christianity was very prevalent around the times of the Crusades. She also refers to bells and robes which again makes me think of Christianity. She says that both the person in what is assumed to be the middle east tand the person it what can be assumed is Europe are singing to and calling to a god. The fact that she uses the possessive "your" before god also establishes a difference between the gods. Although she sets up this contrast she also uses a linking force as well she I believe makes this song all the more powerful. She asks both people (assuming that "you" refers once to the middle eastern person and next to the european person separately) "in your heart, in your soul, did you find peace there" It is this one line that links the two different religions together. McKennitt, in my inturpertation is basically saying this: You both worship your god and you both have a common goal: to find peace within yourselves and with your god. If you are so similar why are you fighting? I even feel that this message can be extended to a tolerance of all religions different from your own. Overall a beautiful song with a beautiful message :D