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.
Maybe I've been a problem
Maybe I'm the one to blame
But even when I turn it off
And blame myself the outcome feels the same
I've been thinking maybe I've been part of the cloudy
Maybe I'm the chance of rain
And maybe I'm overcast
And maybe all my luck's washed down the drain
I've been thinking about everyone
Everyone you look so lonely
But when I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
I see someone else
When I look at the stars
The stars
I feel like myself
Stars looking at a planet
Watching entropy and pain
And maybe start to wonder how
The chaos in our lives could pass as sane
I've been thinking if the meaning of resistance
Of a hope beyond my own
And suddenly the infinite and penitent
Begin to look like home
I've been thinking about everyone
Everyone you look so empty
But when I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
I see someone else
When I look at the stars
The stars
I feel like myself
Yeah!
Everyone, everyone who feels so lonely
Everyone, yeah everyone who feels so empty
When I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
I feel like myself
When I look at the stars
The stars
I see someone
OHH!
Maybe I'm the one to blame
But even when I turn it off
And blame myself the outcome feels the same
I've been thinking maybe I've been part of the cloudy
Maybe I'm the chance of rain
And maybe I'm overcast
And maybe all my luck's washed down the drain
I've been thinking about everyone
Everyone you look so lonely
But when I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
I see someone else
When I look at the stars
The stars
I feel like myself
Stars looking at a planet
Watching entropy and pain
And maybe start to wonder how
The chaos in our lives could pass as sane
I've been thinking if the meaning of resistance
Of a hope beyond my own
And suddenly the infinite and penitent
Begin to look like home
I've been thinking about everyone
Everyone you look so empty
But when I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
I see someone else
When I look at the stars
The stars
I feel like myself
Yeah!
Everyone, everyone who feels so lonely
Everyone, yeah everyone who feels so empty
When I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
I feel like myself
When I look at the stars
The stars
I see someone
OHH!
Lyrics submitted by stryker311, edited by jfreeman
Stars Lyrics as written by Matthew W. Hager Mindi Beth Abair
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
the song is about how the world could just ignore the fact that their lifes are passing by without a purpose or cause "How the chaos in our lives could pass as sane" everything the world has got to offer us my seem great and fine but they are just making us sad and not who we were attended to be "Everyone, everyone feels so lonely Everyone yeah everyone feels so empty When I look at the stars" i think that part means is that when Jon Foreman wrote that he see that everyone is miserable but is telling everyone that when you look for something more to life these problems that we are facing are very small and the thing we should look for that is "more than life" is far greater than what we can comprehend.
Hey. I'm 50 years old. I don't know anything about Christian music, but I heard this song today and I felt like it was written for me. Since I was a little boy, when I looked at the stars in the night sky, it always made me think of God. I wish i could meet whoever wrote this song because every single word felt like it was written by Jesus just for me. Thankyou!!!
Dennis
This song may be referencing Psalm 19:1 which states that the heavens and skies show the glory handiwork of God. In other words, the stars are proof that there is a God.
when he says "When I look at the stars, the stars I feel like myself"
i think he means that when he starts feeling all proud like he amounts to something, he sees God's creation, such as stars, and it puts him in his place. he realizes how small and insignificant he is compared to the rest of the universe. i get this feeling a lot.
Switchfoot rocks, but God rules.
well said asweat08, I completely agree
"maybe start to wonder, how the chaos in our lives could pass as sane" This is so true, horrific crimes and such just don't affect many of us in the way they should because their so commonly heard about. People can be so ignorant. Personally I love this song, it's got a fun sound to it imo, and I love staring at the stars, it makes me smile and feel really proud to be a part of the world and universe and really thankful for everything that God has given us : )
"According to Jon this song is about perspective, a song about stepping back in the midst of chaos and looking at the stars; the idea of anti-entropy, implying there must be something keeping the world together. "The first verse looks at things from Descartes perspective, pinning the center of the universe on the individual. 'Maybe I've been the problem,' maybe I'm overcast, falling apart, etc... The second verse talks about our world from the perspective of the stars looking down on earth from the eternal dance of gravity and motion." Despite these deep lyrics, Jon says he likes the song best for its guitar riffs."
This song reminds me to "look at the stars" and see Someone else...and to not make everything about me. :)
This song is and will always be one of my favorite songs. I always took this song very basically until just a couple of months ago. The last lyric of the song, "I see someone..." leads me to believe that this song is about developing strong feelings for someone to the degree that you actually start to see them when you look at the stars. And thus by looking at the stars you see them and you feel closer to them and more complete (more like yourself). Having feelings someone can make you feel more complete and bring a certain optimism to a negative world where you could easily lose yourself. If you feel closer to that person by looking at the stars, it could easily be a great escape from reality.
@zacimme333 that is so true when I look at the star's I feel like the person I have feelings for is standing right next to me.
i kinda like this song now, that ive listened to it ten times to get the lyrics. ummm, i think its about how hes depressed and distressed in life and all he can see is chaos, but when he looks at the stars, he finds clarity. thats kinda obvious, but w/e