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.
You know they say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
So vengeful and Mother Earth has been done wrong
And I think she's sick, yo she's pukin' up lava
Her nerves tremble along fault lines
Ready to drop an entire city of guilt that's been forced upon her
We build these towers of Babylon and feel remorse for nada
The momma divorced the father, the children are droppin blotter
The rich get richer, poverty's hot under the collar
Takin' prayer outta schools and we tryin to raise scholars
Creationism verses the Theory of Evolution
Air, water, land, mind, body & soul pollution
Kids steppin on landmines from wars we all losin'
We chasin' false idols and racin' from our bibles
The golden rule, the youth are becoming more suicidal
Who teaches of you and I do, no wonder they want to fight you
Raised by hypocrites you feel lied to
Graffiti the land with skyscrapers
Graffiti the sky with aeroplanes and satellites
Graffiti the mind of children with your man-made law
Graffiti the world I saw the writing on the wall
We got ABC, NBC, MTV, TNT, The BBC, DVD, VHS, DSL
A&E, XTC, MP3, FCC, THC, NRA, GOP, ADD
The fight for free speech, lack of responsibility
Thieves in positions of power, internet pornography
Guns in the hope for fear that the next knock at the door could be death
The terrorists are in the White House and overseas
Racists, separatists, vicious bullish-ious
Buddhist, the Hindus, the Muslims, the Christians
Could it be our biggest barrier is language
Or his oil that imported that one would inflict anguish
So cars could deplete the ozone on highways
That stretch across the land where Indians once raised
Families are in denial, the world is afraid
And you say there's no more slaves
Graffiti the land with skyscrapers
Graffiti the sky with aeroplanes and satellites
Graffiti the mind of children with your man-made law
Graffiti the world I saw the writing on the wall
We're addicted to planes, trains and automobiles
We're addicted to addiction, we dig living in fiction
For money, power, respect, the army gotta go kill
They're under contract so let the blood spill
Sorta morbid ain't it? This picture that I just painted
It's an epiphany I had I realized just how tainted
Or thinkin really is when in New York when I saw
A teenager bein' arrested for tagging a fuckin' wall
Graffiti the land with skyscrapers
Graffiti the sky with aeroplanes and satellites
Graffiti the mind of children with your man-made law
Graffiti the world I saw the writing on the wall.
I saw the writing on the wall.
Graffiti the land with skyscrapers
Graffiti the sky with aeroplanes and satellites
Graffiti the mind of children with your man-made law
Graffiti the world I saw the writing on the wall
Graffiti the land with skyscrapers
Graffiti the sky with aeroplanes and satellites
Graffiti the mind of children with your man-made law
Graffiti the world I saw the writing on the wall
So vengeful and Mother Earth has been done wrong
And I think she's sick, yo she's pukin' up lava
Her nerves tremble along fault lines
Ready to drop an entire city of guilt that's been forced upon her
We build these towers of Babylon and feel remorse for nada
The momma divorced the father, the children are droppin blotter
The rich get richer, poverty's hot under the collar
Takin' prayer outta schools and we tryin to raise scholars
Creationism verses the Theory of Evolution
Air, water, land, mind, body & soul pollution
Kids steppin on landmines from wars we all losin'
We chasin' false idols and racin' from our bibles
The golden rule, the youth are becoming more suicidal
Who teaches of you and I do, no wonder they want to fight you
Raised by hypocrites you feel lied to
Graffiti the land with skyscrapers
Graffiti the sky with aeroplanes and satellites
Graffiti the mind of children with your man-made law
Graffiti the world I saw the writing on the wall
We got ABC, NBC, MTV, TNT, The BBC, DVD, VHS, DSL
A&E, XTC, MP3, FCC, THC, NRA, GOP, ADD
The fight for free speech, lack of responsibility
Thieves in positions of power, internet pornography
Guns in the hope for fear that the next knock at the door could be death
The terrorists are in the White House and overseas
Racists, separatists, vicious bullish-ious
Buddhist, the Hindus, the Muslims, the Christians
Could it be our biggest barrier is language
Or his oil that imported that one would inflict anguish
So cars could deplete the ozone on highways
That stretch across the land where Indians once raised
Families are in denial, the world is afraid
And you say there's no more slaves
Graffiti the land with skyscrapers
Graffiti the sky with aeroplanes and satellites
Graffiti the mind of children with your man-made law
Graffiti the world I saw the writing on the wall
We're addicted to planes, trains and automobiles
We're addicted to addiction, we dig living in fiction
For money, power, respect, the army gotta go kill
They're under contract so let the blood spill
Sorta morbid ain't it? This picture that I just painted
It's an epiphany I had I realized just how tainted
Or thinkin really is when in New York when I saw
A teenager bein' arrested for tagging a fuckin' wall
Graffiti the land with skyscrapers
Graffiti the sky with aeroplanes and satellites
Graffiti the mind of children with your man-made law
Graffiti the world I saw the writing on the wall.
I saw the writing on the wall.
Graffiti the land with skyscrapers
Graffiti the sky with aeroplanes and satellites
Graffiti the mind of children with your man-made law
Graffiti the world I saw the writing on the wall
Graffiti the land with skyscrapers
Graffiti the sky with aeroplanes and satellites
Graffiti the mind of children with your man-made law
Graffiti the world I saw the writing on the wall
Lyrics submitted by skew, edited by journey1998
Graffiti the World Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © ASSET DISTRIBUTION, LLC, Songtrust Ave
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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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First time I heard this song I was in awe, I was like rehab WAY TO EFFIN GO! It is a very great song with alot of meaning and the truth behind each and every line is scary. I love it.