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.
Holiday quiet on these streets, except for some stubborn leaves,
That didn't fall with the fall, and now they clatter in vain
Holiday sky, midnight clear, wind is high, hard to steer
Old muffler rumbles like an old gihter plane
In search of some rest, in search of a break
From a life of tests where something's always at stake
Where something's always so far
What about my broken car?
What about my life so far?
What about my dream?
What about
What about everything? What about aeroplanes?
And what about ships that drank the sea?
What about the moon and stars?
What about soldier battle scars?
And all the anger that they eat?
I am not in need
Get away and come with me, come away with me and we'll see
If I was right on that night, that a future was made
Before time takes each year- like a knife cuts it clear
It's school, then work and then life that just sharpens the blade
I think about time for fun, I think about time for play
Then I think about being done, with no resume
With no one left to blame, what about fortune and fame?
What about your love to obtain?
What about the ring?
What about
What about everything?
What about aeroplane? And what about ships that drank the sea?
What about the moon and stars? What about soldier battle scars?
And all the anger that they eat?
I am not in need
Holiday quiet on these streets, except for some reason me
The hometown harbor lights bright. The sailboats clatter in vain
Holiday sky, midnight clear, wind is high on this pier
I find it hard to complain when compared with what about
What about everything?
What about aeroplanes? And what about ships that drank the sea?
What about the moon in stars? What about soldier battle scars?
And all the anger that they eat?
What about aliens? What about you and me and
What about gold beneath the sea?
What about when buildings fall? What about that midnight phone call?
The one that wakes you from your peace?
Well I am not, I am not, I am not in need
That didn't fall with the fall, and now they clatter in vain
Holiday sky, midnight clear, wind is high, hard to steer
Old muffler rumbles like an old gihter plane
In search of some rest, in search of a break
From a life of tests where something's always at stake
Where something's always so far
What about my broken car?
What about my life so far?
What about my dream?
What about
What about everything? What about aeroplanes?
And what about ships that drank the sea?
What about the moon and stars?
What about soldier battle scars?
And all the anger that they eat?
I am not in need
Get away and come with me, come away with me and we'll see
If I was right on that night, that a future was made
Before time takes each year- like a knife cuts it clear
It's school, then work and then life that just sharpens the blade
I think about time for fun, I think about time for play
Then I think about being done, with no resume
With no one left to blame, what about fortune and fame?
What about your love to obtain?
What about the ring?
What about
What about everything?
What about aeroplane? And what about ships that drank the sea?
What about the moon and stars? What about soldier battle scars?
And all the anger that they eat?
I am not in need
Holiday quiet on these streets, except for some reason me
The hometown harbor lights bright. The sailboats clatter in vain
Holiday sky, midnight clear, wind is high on this pier
I find it hard to complain when compared with what about
What about everything?
What about aeroplanes? And what about ships that drank the sea?
What about the moon in stars? What about soldier battle scars?
And all the anger that they eat?
What about aliens? What about you and me and
What about gold beneath the sea?
What about when buildings fall? What about that midnight phone call?
The one that wakes you from your peace?
Well I am not, I am not, I am not in need
Lyrics submitted by bluebirdysushi
What About Everything? Lyrics as written by Carter Gravatt Barry Thomas Privett
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Light Up The Sky
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Fast Car
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"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.
The Night We Met
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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"
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/
Head > Heels
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Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
While maybe its not the complete picture, this song is basically a description of that time in your life when you stop and wonder about everything in life and you just can't really put things together, like why you're agreeing to live the way everybody else does. (This happened for me after my first year in college)
"In search of some rest, in search of a break From a life of tests where something's always at stake Where something's always so far What about my broken car?"
He's sick of being tied down to commitments and the hardships of life. The car line illustrates this- anytime he needs to get somewhere far, his "car" is broken. Life isn't easy now.
"What about my life so far? What about my dream? What about--"
He hasn't done the things he thought he would have. His childhood dreams aren't coming to fruition
"Before time takes each year-- like a knife cuts it clear It's school, then work and then life that just sharpens the blade"
The blade isn't about suicide- the blade is time. The things we commit to, like school and work, take up our "free time" and only shorten the the years we actually get to use for ourselves.
"I think about time for fun, I think about time for play Then I think about being done, with no resume With no one left to blame What about fortune and fame? What about your love to obtain? What about the ring? What about--"
At first he contemplates just leaving it all so he can have his fun, but then he realizes if he does this, he won't have anything to show for it. He can't become successful, win over the girl, and afford the ring and their lifestyle if he abandons his future.
"The sailboats clatter in vain Holiday sky, midnight clear, wind is high on this pier I find it hard to complain when compared with what about--
[Chorus]"
The leaves and the sailboats clattering in vain are like him...they face high winds rattle...to no avail. He realizes that it's hard to complain when he compares it to the things in life that arent so trivial- the complication of airplanes, the ships (and sailors) who sank at sea, the moon and stars (that are so much bigger and mysterious than the things in life).
The lyric "soldier battle scars and the anger that they eat" is used to show real wounds. The problems and mental pain that he feels are nothing compared to real battle wounds.
He says "I am not in need" because he realizes that in the big picture, his suffering is smaller than the period in this sentence and he's making a big deal about it.
He caps it off with the things that are bigger in life-
"What about aliens? What about you and me and What about gold beneath the sea? What about when buildings fall? What about that midnight phone call, The one that wakes you from your peace? Well, I am not in need."
the "well" is used to concede his complaints. Note that the "midnight phone call" does not wake him from sleep, but peace. This suggests that its the kind of midnight phone call that nobody wants to get and changes life forever.