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.
(Singing:)
Picture yourself in a nightmarish scene of such
Grotesque complexity that you'd kill to be dreaming
Your body's been dying while your mind has been trying to make you
Picture a life where you'd kill for your lover
And a song in your head, the deaths of countless others
Will set up the lyrics for your symphony
That's where you'll find me
(Speaking:)
Something awful has happened here
This is so much worse than I ever could have imagined
I knew all along that this man should not have been released my care
Oh god, what's happened here
He's completely torn his entire apartment apart
The smell is overpowering, a fowl, pungent odor
Rotten food or... I don't know... Possibly something worse
But there's something else that's almost overpowering that...
I think it's a woman's perfume
Oh no, no..
I found the patient, he's lying on the floor in the center of the living room
Completely naked, emaciated, deathly pale
It appears he hasn't eaten anything at all for weeks
The infection has spread up his arms, it must have reached his brain
There's bulging bright red veins all the way up from his wrist to his neck
There's empty bottles everywhere of alcohol, medication...
My god the smell is sickening
There's blood coming from his mouth, nose, ears
He's not dead yet, but he's close
I failed, this is my fault
And somehow, he's smiling at me
I think he's whispering something
No, not just whispering, I think he's singing......
(Background singing:)
This is the end
This is death
Now, place your ear to my lips
Trace these notes with your fingertips
They dance alone on my last breath
This is the end
This is death
(Singing:)
The lines I wear around my wrist are there to prove that I exist (20x)
(someone call an ambulance, 'cause something's not right)
(the smell of her perfume struggles to cover everything)
We were inseparable (6x)
Picture yourself in a nightmarish scene of such
Grotesque complexity that you'd kill to be dreaming
Your body's been dying while your mind has been trying to make you
Picture a life where you'd kill for your lover
And a song in your head, the deaths of countless others
Will set up the lyrics for your symphony
That's where you'll find me
(Speaking:)
Something awful has happened here
This is so much worse than I ever could have imagined
I knew all along that this man should not have been released my care
Oh god, what's happened here
He's completely torn his entire apartment apart
The smell is overpowering, a fowl, pungent odor
Rotten food or... I don't know... Possibly something worse
But there's something else that's almost overpowering that...
I think it's a woman's perfume
Oh no, no..
I found the patient, he's lying on the floor in the center of the living room
Completely naked, emaciated, deathly pale
It appears he hasn't eaten anything at all for weeks
The infection has spread up his arms, it must have reached his brain
There's bulging bright red veins all the way up from his wrist to his neck
There's empty bottles everywhere of alcohol, medication...
My god the smell is sickening
There's blood coming from his mouth, nose, ears
He's not dead yet, but he's close
I failed, this is my fault
And somehow, he's smiling at me
I think he's whispering something
No, not just whispering, I think he's singing......
(Background singing:)
This is the end
This is death
Now, place your ear to my lips
Trace these notes with your fingertips
They dance alone on my last breath
This is the end
This is death
(Singing:)
The lines I wear around my wrist are there to prove that I exist (20x)
(someone call an ambulance, 'cause something's not right)
(the smell of her perfume struggles to cover everything)
We were inseparable (6x)
Lyrics submitted by horrible22, edited by HDS
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
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The Night We Met
Lord Huron
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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"
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
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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/
perfect ending to an amazing album, i love how everything all comes together, if u listen to each track, it all just makes sense, questions are answered, i love the layering at the end: "The smell of her perfume struggles to cover everything Someone call an ambulance cause somethings not right The lines i wear around my wrists, are there to prove that I exist We were inseperable"
Perfection, so much talent in this band.