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.
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
I may never know for certain
When will be my time
How was I considered evil?
Pleasures taken in this life?
Someone granted me reprieval
Decades spent in strife
Led to nothing
Repeated in my mind
Led to nothing
If only I was born another time
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Hell is still overburdened
How have I been so determined maligned?
There's the closing of the curtain
In the play that was my life
Countless chapter's left unopened, tragedies inside
I've was fighting for a reason
Holy blessed homicide
Seems I have committed treason
All I've sacrificed
Led to nothing
Repeated in my mind
Led to nothing
If only I was born another time
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Hell is still overburdened
How have I been so determined maligned?
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Hell is still overburdened
How have I been so determined maligned?
Fate is so unkind
Now I should have known
Blind leading the blind
Reaping what I've sown
If it all amounts to nothing
Why, then, am I standing in this line?
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Hell is still overburdened
How have I been so determined maligned?
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Hell is still overburdened
How have I been so determined maligned?
I must stand and wait in line
I may never know for certain
When will be my time
How was I considered evil?
Pleasures taken in this life?
Someone granted me reprieval
Decades spent in strife
Led to nothing
Repeated in my mind
Led to nothing
If only I was born another time
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Hell is still overburdened
How have I been so determined maligned?
There's the closing of the curtain
In the play that was my life
Countless chapter's left unopened, tragedies inside
I've was fighting for a reason
Holy blessed homicide
Seems I have committed treason
All I've sacrificed
Led to nothing
Repeated in my mind
Led to nothing
If only I was born another time
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Hell is still overburdened
How have I been so determined maligned?
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Hell is still overburdened
How have I been so determined maligned?
Fate is so unkind
Now I should have known
Blind leading the blind
Reaping what I've sown
If it all amounts to nothing
Why, then, am I standing in this line?
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Hell is still overburdened
How have I been so determined maligned?
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Hell is still overburdened
How have I been so determined maligned?
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
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."
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.
I think this song follows the theme of the album, this is from the point of view of a soldier waiting to go to war in iraq. Hell represents Iraq. For example the line "Now I find that some take turn in the line", one soldier gets killed, they send another from America. My opinion