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.
A wise man came across the sea
In search of LSD philosophy
With open heart and open mind
To find the goodness in mankind
Bare your soul and you're saved
Believe the chosen that dreams in rage
Chemicals improve the view
Visions now have bloomed in you
Windowpane is suffered bliss
A psychedelic kiss
Show to me your ideology
Do you perceive or are you sleeping?
Timothy Leary, where are you now
The world needs you, we're going down
In translation they used the key
Altered visions, Tao the Ching
Open sky to paint their dreams
And see as did Lao Tzu
Melt away all the hate and pain
Mission is clear, awake the dreaming
Go to sleep child, and dream
When Timothy Leary first started
Speaking out in the sixties people
Didn't understand what he was trying to say,
Some people didn't want to understand him,
The establishment wanted to kill him,
they wanted to suppress him,
Squash him like a bug, we
Always want to kill what we do not understand,
All he was trying to say was that we need
To realize our inner harmony, to see
Things in a different way, to truly be free
Electric religion
In search of LSD philosophy
With open heart and open mind
To find the goodness in mankind
Bare your soul and you're saved
Believe the chosen that dreams in rage
Chemicals improve the view
Visions now have bloomed in you
Windowpane is suffered bliss
A psychedelic kiss
Show to me your ideology
Do you perceive or are you sleeping?
Timothy Leary, where are you now
The world needs you, we're going down
In translation they used the key
Altered visions, Tao the Ching
Open sky to paint their dreams
And see as did Lao Tzu
Melt away all the hate and pain
Mission is clear, awake the dreaming
Go to sleep child, and dream
When Timothy Leary first started
Speaking out in the sixties people
Didn't understand what he was trying to say,
Some people didn't want to understand him,
The establishment wanted to kill him,
they wanted to suppress him,
Squash him like a bug, we
Always want to kill what we do not understand,
All he was trying to say was that we need
To realize our inner harmony, to see
Things in a different way, to truly be free
Electric religion
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