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
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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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.
All I have to say is wow...
A poor mind.. Dead
Boys Night Out successfully painted a picture of a man, a confused mentally sick man, who killed his wife whom he loved by accident then lives with regret the rest of his life "they were inseperable" ='[
Please can someone clarify what the song in his head means
I'm still a little confused on that part of this story