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.
V1
Every days like a gamble here
This is no joke
This is live from iraq
Where were prayin we make it home
True gutter for you fuckers
Think its gutter where you from
Here its life by the second
This is everything wrong
This is not your beef on the block
No its not that simple
Here its more than gunfire
They shootin rockets and missiles
This is up armor kits
And bulletproof windows
We sleep with body armor blankets
And Kevlar pillows
In a country
Where when anybodys talking they lyin
And wherever there is a soldier
There is schrapnel flyin
59 of us april 4th
8 of us dyin
this is your thug turnt punk
this is grown men crying
This is bombs in the street
Blowin up when I drive buyem
Or its rpg’s launched at me
This is nothing problems
The true definition of goin hard
No games
This is hundreds of bodies
In the streets when we bang
Chorus
Cause this is live from iraq
Home of too many soldiers graves
Where for our country
We gamble with our lives everyday
And there are no blue skies here
Every colors gray
This is the blood of soldiers of which the streets are now paved
And there is no reimbursement for the price that we pay
While yall home sleep were here constantly getting weighed
And every convoy that rides out
Constantly getting sprayed
But we don’t fold hands
The cards we are dealt get played
V2
This is
Nights wit no supper man
Home aint promised man
Long journeys qualified
Hell from a promise land
Dreams feel real but not as real
As tomorrow man
Wish life was like contra
Than life then I could borrow man
No instant replays
No highlights any days
When balls get dropped
You cant challenge the play
This is the wrath of equipment
No refs to stop the clippin
This no timeouts casue father time
Is still ticken, this is yeah
Future in the air
Pain sculpted in stone
Families sheddin tears
Cause they sons aint comin home
This is more than a gamble
And I’ll give you the truth
Plenty of lives lost
Over a scandal
Turning more than a cheek
Warm hearts turn cold
Higher people in command
Planning wit no type of goals
This is your own exposed
Media cast and the scoop
Covered over the answers
Cause you cant handle the truth
Chorus
Cause this is live from iraq
Home of too many soldiers graves
Where for our country
We gamble with our lives everyday
And there are no blue skies here
Every colors gray
This is the blood of soldiers of which the streets are now paved
And there is no reimbursement for the price that we pay
While yall home sleep were here constantly getting weighed
And every convoy that rides out
Constantly getting sprayed
But we don’t fold hands
The cards we are dealt get played
V3
For some this is the answer
To a whole lot of issues
Sure its politics back home
Here its bullets thru our tissue
This is trying to draw contact
Hopin they miss you
This is one mortar round from
Bein over no continues
This is nothing yall been thru
Yall aint seen shit
And this is not whats on the news
What really happens aint printed
This is your one mistake
Bein everbody elses business
Whether they see their family
Or its funeral home visits
This is 150 degrees
3 months out of the fiscal
250 g’s when that ied hits you
this is 60 miles an hour
thru ambush zones
this is dead animals with
explosive devices on em
this is the home of direct fire
where everybodys a target
when you find out some people aint hard
they just talk shit
definitely nothing pretty
this is no picnic
this is trying to hold fire
without burnin your fingers
chorus
Cause this is live from iraq
Home of too many soldiers graves
Where for our country
We gamble with our lives everyday
And there are no blue skies here
Every colors gray
This is the blood of soldiers of which the streets are now paved
And there is no reimbursement for the price that we pay
While yall home sleep were here constantly getting weighed
And every convoy that rides out
Constantly getting sprayed
But we don’t fold hands
The cards we are dealt get played
Every days like a gamble here
This is no joke
This is live from iraq
Where were prayin we make it home
True gutter for you fuckers
Think its gutter where you from
Here its life by the second
This is everything wrong
This is not your beef on the block
No its not that simple
Here its more than gunfire
They shootin rockets and missiles
This is up armor kits
And bulletproof windows
We sleep with body armor blankets
And Kevlar pillows
In a country
Where when anybodys talking they lyin
And wherever there is a soldier
There is schrapnel flyin
59 of us april 4th
8 of us dyin
this is your thug turnt punk
this is grown men crying
This is bombs in the street
Blowin up when I drive buyem
Or its rpg’s launched at me
This is nothing problems
The true definition of goin hard
No games
This is hundreds of bodies
In the streets when we bang
Chorus
Cause this is live from iraq
Home of too many soldiers graves
Where for our country
We gamble with our lives everyday
And there are no blue skies here
Every colors gray
This is the blood of soldiers of which the streets are now paved
And there is no reimbursement for the price that we pay
While yall home sleep were here constantly getting weighed
And every convoy that rides out
Constantly getting sprayed
But we don’t fold hands
The cards we are dealt get played
V2
This is
Nights wit no supper man
Home aint promised man
Long journeys qualified
Hell from a promise land
Dreams feel real but not as real
As tomorrow man
Wish life was like contra
Than life then I could borrow man
No instant replays
No highlights any days
When balls get dropped
You cant challenge the play
This is the wrath of equipment
No refs to stop the clippin
This no timeouts casue father time
Is still ticken, this is yeah
Future in the air
Pain sculpted in stone
Families sheddin tears
Cause they sons aint comin home
This is more than a gamble
And I’ll give you the truth
Plenty of lives lost
Over a scandal
Turning more than a cheek
Warm hearts turn cold
Higher people in command
Planning wit no type of goals
This is your own exposed
Media cast and the scoop
Covered over the answers
Cause you cant handle the truth
Chorus
Cause this is live from iraq
Home of too many soldiers graves
Where for our country
We gamble with our lives everyday
And there are no blue skies here
Every colors gray
This is the blood of soldiers of which the streets are now paved
And there is no reimbursement for the price that we pay
While yall home sleep were here constantly getting weighed
And every convoy that rides out
Constantly getting sprayed
But we don’t fold hands
The cards we are dealt get played
V3
For some this is the answer
To a whole lot of issues
Sure its politics back home
Here its bullets thru our tissue
This is trying to draw contact
Hopin they miss you
This is one mortar round from
Bein over no continues
This is nothing yall been thru
Yall aint seen shit
And this is not whats on the news
What really happens aint printed
This is your one mistake
Bein everbody elses business
Whether they see their family
Or its funeral home visits
This is 150 degrees
3 months out of the fiscal
250 g’s when that ied hits you
this is 60 miles an hour
thru ambush zones
this is dead animals with
explosive devices on em
this is the home of direct fire
where everybodys a target
when you find out some people aint hard
they just talk shit
definitely nothing pretty
this is no picnic
this is trying to hold fire
without burnin your fingers
chorus
Cause this is live from iraq
Home of too many soldiers graves
Where for our country
We gamble with our lives everyday
And there are no blue skies here
Every colors gray
This is the blood of soldiers of which the streets are now paved
And there is no reimbursement for the price that we pay
While yall home sleep were here constantly getting weighed
And every convoy that rides out
Constantly getting sprayed
But we don’t fold hands
The cards we are dealt get played
Lyrics submitted by phillyt23
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Light Up The Sky
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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.
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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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.
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This is exactly the way it is. The only thing he failed to mention is that disgusting smell that enters your lungs as soon as you step off the plane. It is that shitty!