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.
It's almost like you had it planned
Its like you smiled and shook my hand
And said hey
I'm about to screw you
Over big time
What was I supposed to do
I was stuck in between you
And a hard place
We won't talk about the hard place
But I don't blame you anymore
That's too much pain to store
It left me half dead
Inside my head
And boy looking back I see
I'm not the girl I used to be
When I lost my mind
It saved my life.
Its how you wanted it to be
Its like you played a joke on me
And I lost a friend
In the end
And I think that I cried for days
But now it seems light years away
And I'm never going back
To who I was
'Cause I don't blame you anymore
'Cause its too much pain to store
'Cause it left me half dead
Inside my head
And boy looking back I see
I'm not the girl I used to be
When I lost my mind
It saved my life
I think I cried for days
But now that seems like light years away
And I'm never going back to who I was
I don't blame you anymore
That's too much pain to store
It left me half dead
Inside my head
And boy looking back I see
I'm not the girl I used to be
When I lost my mind
It saved my life
That life seems like light years away.
Light years away.
That life seems like light years away.
Light years away.
Its like you smiled and shook my hand
And said hey
I'm about to screw you
Over big time
What was I supposed to do
I was stuck in between you
And a hard place
We won't talk about the hard place
But I don't blame you anymore
That's too much pain to store
It left me half dead
Inside my head
And boy looking back I see
I'm not the girl I used to be
When I lost my mind
It saved my life.
Its how you wanted it to be
Its like you played a joke on me
And I lost a friend
In the end
And I think that I cried for days
But now it seems light years away
And I'm never going back
To who I was
'Cause I don't blame you anymore
'Cause its too much pain to store
'Cause it left me half dead
Inside my head
And boy looking back I see
I'm not the girl I used to be
When I lost my mind
It saved my life
I think I cried for days
But now that seems like light years away
And I'm never going back to who I was
I don't blame you anymore
That's too much pain to store
It left me half dead
Inside my head
And boy looking back I see
I'm not the girl I used to be
When I lost my mind
It saved my life
That life seems like light years away.
Light years away.
That life seems like light years away.
Light years away.
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
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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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.
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
beccums....=( agree...