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.
Mickey Macaroni hardly ever eats meat
Mickey Macaroni doesn't even eat sweets
Mickey Macaroni never never eats beets
Mickey Macaroni knows exactly what to eat
My hospital room is
Smelling bad but soon he's
Gonna take me home and
Play his saxophone and
Tell me if they broke up
When his girlfriend woke up
Screaming how she hated
Every guy she dated
I knew that he had slipped the
Minute Daddy hit me
Now I'm sad and lonely
And want my maca---RONI
Mickey Macaroni doesn't even eat sweets
Mickey Macaroni never never eats beets
Mickey Macaroni knows exactly what to eat
My hospital room is
Smelling bad but soon he's
Gonna take me home and
Play his saxophone and
Tell me if they broke up
When his girlfriend woke up
Screaming how she hated
Every guy she dated
I knew that he had slipped the
Minute Daddy hit me
Now I'm sad and lonely
And want my maca---RONI
Lyrics submitted by teiladnam
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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.
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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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The first verse is sung by a member of The Residents. The person (character) talking about Mickey Macaroni knows what Mickey eats. There has to be a way that the narrator knows this. These are my theories:
“Mickey Macaroni hardly ever eats meat Mickey Macaroni doesn't even eat sweets Mickey Macaroni never, never eats beets Mickey Macaroni knows what he wants to eat”
I think these lyrics indicate that Mickey is the type of person who wants to make his own decisions and doesn't like eating the food that other people want him to eat.
The next two verses are sung by a child.
“My hospital room is Smelling bad but soon he's” “Gonna take me home and Play his saxophone and”
The girl in the hospital is waiting for Mickey Macaroni to take her home. I am assuming that the girl singing this line lives with Mickey Macaroni now. This is because her father beat her. Mickey Macaroni is letting her stay at his home with her. He plays his saxophone to make her happy.
“Tell me if they broke up When his girlfriend woke up Screaming how she hated Every guy she dated”
I am guessing Mickey Macaroni is a friend or knows the girl’s father. Assuming the girls’ parents are divorced and her Dad has a new girlfriend. The girl wants to know if her father’s current girlfriend broke up with him because he is abusive.
“I knew that he had slipped the Minute daddy hit me Now I'm sad and lonely And want my macaroni”
The girl in the hospital is sad because of the events going on in her life with her abusive father. She desperately wants to see Mickey Macaroni because he is the like father figure that she always wanted. ‘
Overall Mickey Macaroni seems like a nice guy who knows what he wants to eat and loves to play his saxophone to cheer people up.