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.
Tell me where you're goin or
What is going wrong
I felt you leavin before
You'd even gone
And hold me now
Or never ever hold me again
No more talk
Can take me away from this pain I'm in
See the moonlight shinin on
Your window pane
See it leave you as
Faithful as it came
Please yourself so you
Don't have to be afraid
Make amends
Or carry on another way
Tell me what you were thinkin
To treat somebody so
The care he took the
Lengths to which he'd go
Coals are hot to walk
Across without your shoes
But in the end
Know that you got nothin to lose
What is going wrong
I felt you leavin before
You'd even gone
And hold me now
Or never ever hold me again
No more talk
Can take me away from this pain I'm in
See the moonlight shinin on
Your window pane
See it leave you as
Faithful as it came
Please yourself so you
Don't have to be afraid
Make amends
Or carry on another way
Tell me what you were thinkin
To treat somebody so
The care he took the
Lengths to which he'd go
Coals are hot to walk
Across without your shoes
But in the end
Know that you got nothin to lose
Lyrics submitted by chuck_norris
The Lengths Lyrics as written by Patrick Carney Daniel Auerbach
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I have poured several weeks trying to learn this song on guitar, and i'm still fine-tuning every last bit of it, and i listen to it almost every day. The song speaks not only with it's lyrics, but the tone of both guitars, the beat, the drums, every last bit of it. He feels like he is dying inside, because he found a girl who meant the world to him, but she started to slowly part with him until the very moment this song is about, the discussion of the end of their relationship. he is saying he felt it coming for awhile, and wants her to be happy for the rest of her life. the part about making amends or going another way, that is his one, final plead for another chance. BUt he isn't begging for it; he's just making sure that is completely it. He is reminiscing about all the great times they had together. He is saying he would not do anything for her to not break up with him, but he would do anything for her to be as happy as she possibly can every moment of her life. The last verse is kind of strange, in the way he is talking in the third person about himself, or any man that fell in love with her, but i'm pretty sure it's him. It's simply a story about what he did when he first fell in love with her, until the last five lines. in the last five lines, he is telling her that life will be hard for awhile without him, but that she has nothing to lose by leaving him. It is truly a beautiful song, and i hope the general music-listening audience will turn away from K$sha and her bunch and towards wonderful bands like the Black Keys.
Yes, the guitar isn't crying, but close to it, it seems