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.
What if I wanted to break
Laugh it all off in your face
What would you do?
What if I fell to the floor
Couldn't take this anymore
What would you do, do, do?
Come, break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you
What if I wanted to fight
Beg for the rest of my life
What would you do?
You say you wanted more
What are you waiting for?
I'm not running from you
Come, break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you
Look in my eyes
You're killing me, killing me
All I wanted was you
I tried to be someone else
But nothing seemed to change
I know now, this is who I really am inside
I've finally found myself
Fighting for a chance
I know now, this is who I really am
Come, break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you, you, you
Look in my eyes
You're killing me, killing me
All I wanted was you
Come, break me down
Break me down
Break me down
What if I wanted to break
What if I, what if I, what if I (bury me, bury me)
Laugh it all off in your face
What would you do?
What if I fell to the floor
Couldn't take this anymore
What would you do, do, do?
Come, break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you
What if I wanted to fight
Beg for the rest of my life
What would you do?
You say you wanted more
What are you waiting for?
I'm not running from you
Come, break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you
Look in my eyes
You're killing me, killing me
All I wanted was you
I tried to be someone else
But nothing seemed to change
I know now, this is who I really am inside
I've finally found myself
Fighting for a chance
I know now, this is who I really am
Come, break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you, you, you
Look in my eyes
You're killing me, killing me
All I wanted was you
Come, break me down
Break me down
Break me down
What if I wanted to break
What if I, what if I, what if I (bury me, bury me)
Lyrics submitted by pressreset, edited by MCR30STM
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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Page
Ed Sheeran
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This song is about a person's realization that they can not change to be what the other person wanted, no matter how hard they try to be that someone else...that their partner wanted. The person finds it easier to "break and laugh it off" than go through the gut wrenching changes that could have made for the type of relationship that they both envisioned in the beginning. (I'm referring to changes like too much drinking, too much flirting, lack of emotionally connecting...stuff like that). This person decides that he/she knows that this is how they are and they are not ready yet to move to a deeper level of love, it would be too much personal change for the one who has decided to "break" and take the easy way out...and not work on his/her problems that are disturbing to the relationship. Does this make sense to anyone else?
pretty much. except that there is deep conflicting feelings going on. "all i wanted was you" (but he didn't frickin realize it before the breakup or imminent breakup).<br /> <br /> maybe he did try to change, but not into the person he wanted to be, but the person that he thought she wanted him to be - only to turn himself into someone nobody wanted him to turn into. <br /> <br /> "I tried to be someone else<br /> But nothing seemed to change<br /> I know now this is who I really am inside<br /> Finally found myself<br /> Fighting for a chance<br /> I know now this is who I really am"<br /> <br /> he finally found himself and he's fighting for a chance. he knows what happened and that she loves him for who he was in the past and could be in the future, while she also hates him for what he has become in the present. <br /> <br /> <br /> in the line "what if i wanted to fight", 'fight' means 'fight to keep our relationship intact'. why else would he be begging? <br /> <br /> it's a song of conflict between what your head tells you is probably the better decision and what your heart tells you. <br /> <br /> from all my past experience - go with the heart. the head can confuse itself. the heart is a better judge of things and people. <br /> <br /> this song could have been written about my relationship with my (now estranged) wife. im the guy who f-d up and tried to mentally beat himself into submission and turn into 'the proper husband/dad image'. only problem was that neither of us liked that guy and the strain not to be myself was damn-near unbearable, causing me to lash out verbally and just be an a-hole in general. i'm trying so hard to fix things now that i realize what happened and just what a special person she is and how hard she fought for years to keep us together.