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.
There's a light bulb dangling from string
It's slowly swaying up over my head now
As I jot down the words that'll never be sung
And wait for my headache to numb
And the wind sounds as if the world's sighing
And the moon's just a torn fingernail
As the TV flickers and hums by the wall
And I wait for my eyesight to fade
So, So, So
It's so damn slow
So, So, So
It's so damn slow
And the bright-eyed choke on ambition
And the old folks circle their graves
And the young ones are busy destroying their names
And you're still just wasting away.
I sit and watch the screen for a message
Some kinda sign that says we're OK
But the screen stays blank till I turn the thing off
And wait for my conscience to break.
So, So, So
It's so damn slow
So, So, So
It's so damn slow
I hope you're learning to listen
And I hope you're learning to stay
And I hope you find what you're missing
And I hope that you're making you're way
I'm a headcase if I don't keep moving
And my head hurts if I don't sit still
It's an itch that I'll never stop scratching
It's a hole that I'll never quite fill
So
It's slowly swaying up over my head now
As I jot down the words that'll never be sung
And wait for my headache to numb
And the wind sounds as if the world's sighing
And the moon's just a torn fingernail
As the TV flickers and hums by the wall
And I wait for my eyesight to fade
So, So, So
It's so damn slow
So, So, So
It's so damn slow
And the bright-eyed choke on ambition
And the old folks circle their graves
And the young ones are busy destroying their names
And you're still just wasting away.
I sit and watch the screen for a message
Some kinda sign that says we're OK
But the screen stays blank till I turn the thing off
And wait for my conscience to break.
So, So, So
It's so damn slow
So, So, So
It's so damn slow
I hope you're learning to listen
And I hope you're learning to stay
And I hope you find what you're missing
And I hope that you're making you're way
I'm a headcase if I don't keep moving
And my head hurts if I don't sit still
It's an itch that I'll never stop scratching
It's a hole that I'll never quite fill
So
Lyrics submitted by shawnzy, edited by Walz, Mechanical Bird
Insomnia Lyrics as written by Matthew Kelly Sharp
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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this song is obviously about leaving someone behind. "And the wind sounds as if the world's sighing and the moon's just a torn fingernail" shows how he thinks everything is wrong. he doesnt want to see anymore, see the world and what has happened to a relationship with someone he used to love. the chorus "so so so it's so damn slow" means to me that he can't get over someone. the feelings slowly fade away. if you have to stop loving someone because they make you stop, losing your feelings happens sometimes way too damn slowly. "and the bright-eyed choke on ambition." says that the ones who seem naive are the ones who always want more without seeing the consequences. "and the old folks circle their graves" means to me that when you get older, you stop living. but "the young ones are busy destroying their names", which says that the young people on earth just try to be someone else all the time. if you're young, you try to figure out who you want to be and what, therefore you sometimes lose your name in a way. to the singer though, it's nothing positive, because they "destroy" their names. young ones try everything to be "different" and in the end they lose their personality and don't see what really is important in life. judging young ones and old ones , he comes to say something about the person he loved/loves. "and you're still just wasting away". the reason why the song says something about people in general and how they fuck up their lives is, that in the end the one who the singer has to leave behind, will be one of them but for now he is still missing that person."i sit and watch the screen for a message...." it shows perfectly how he wants this person to come back and save everything and change what happened. you wait and wait and nothing happens. the feelings are still there and still no word from that person...which explains the chorus again "so damn slow" the last verse again shows the feelings he still has for that person. he just wishs that the person will be okay without him. "i hope you're learning to listen..." this is not only the wish that things will eventually be fine, but also an advice. the person he leaves never listened, never knew and found what he/she missed. he suffers not being with that person or simply hearing from that person and how the relationship turned out to be and now he thinks of how life will be for that person. he just hopes it will be fine , yet that wish shows how insecure he is about it. "And my head hurts if I don't sit still It's an itch that I'll never stop scratching It's a hole that I'll never quite fill" the last words again say that he is not over it. he thinks about everything way too much but nothing changes. "a hole that i'll never quite fill"...the person meant too much to him that now there is a hole and maybe there are questions left but he will never get answers.
i could be wrong, but that's what came to my mind when i listened to it. seriously one of the best songs i've ever heard.
Wow.. Good thinking. I love this song and everything on Sleep Well, and everything created by Electric President for that matter.<br /> <br /> You really captured the meaning pretty precisely.
It reminds me of how I feel when the world is passing by at such a fast speed, and I am just stuck.
To me, this song is definitely about wasting away. When I hear this song, all I can imagine is the singer sitting in a desolate room for hours, waiting for something, anything to happen. It's like life has lost it's meaning, and all he has left is the hope that someone will tell him something different from what he's thinking. It's definitely not a love song, though. It's a song for those times when you stop and have to think about what's next, and all you come up with is a blank. I'd say that the last verse is for listeners - he's urging people to keep out of that kind of rut.
It's nothing to do with love, you kids are so hung up on that...the song is called insomnia, it's about not being able to sleep. The "screen" that he's talking about is the TV and he's waiting for some sign that the world will be okay. If you've ever had insomnia then "an itch I'll never stop scratching, a hole I'll never quite fill" describes it perfectly.
I can't put into words how much i love this song. I love the fact how it almost sounds as if he's whispering while he sings. I just think it fits the lyrics and mood of the song so well.
Just heard it in the OC Episode "The Pot Stirrer". This song is awesome !
Hey!! I submitted these lyrics!! not 'shawnzy'! Thief! Anyway i liked that they used it on the OC cause it's an awesome song!
Here's what I get from this song: this guy's sitting staring at his computer screen waiting for an email or instant message from a girl he loves. Seems like they've been having some problems, they've broken up or are about to, or something is going on with her. In the last verse he says he's hoping she's able to work out whatever it is that's going on with her, that she finds what she's missing.
My favorite part of the song are these lines:
"I’m a headcase if I don’t keep moving And my head hurts if I don’t sit still It’s an itch that I’ll never stop scratching It’s a hole that I’ll never quite fill"
My boyfriend just dumped me unexpectedly and totally out of the blue, so I'm sure that's influencing my reading of the song, but I can say this is how I'm feeling now. He's saying that it's crazy not to move on, but that moving on is so hard, and that he's never going to be able to fill the hole in his heart that this girl has left.
This website has lyrics for the rest of the songs on the self-titled album:
128.42.165.68/manual/electricpresident.txt