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.
Summer... it's gone and I don't know
Where everyone went or where I'll go
Summer... it's gone and I don't know
Which way is the best way to go
In dreams I hear voices that say:
"Look this way!"
But I can't see nothing
So I turn away to head down roads
Dead ends and holes
And crowds of fools
With common colds
And they live in cars
And their cars don't run
They fight with phones
And despise the sun
The sun of summer it's gone and I don't know
Where everyone went or where I'll go
(Where I'll go)
Summer... it's gone and now it's clear
That no one is showing up here
In dreams I hear voices that say:
"Look this way!"
But it's all too lovely
And so I turn away
To head down roads
Dead ends and holes
And crowds of fools
With common colds
They live in cars
And their cars don't run
They fight with phones
And they despise the sun
The sun of summer... it's gone
The sun of summer... it's gone
The sun of summer... it's gone
The sun of summer... it's gone
... It's gone
... It's gone
Where everyone went or where I'll go
Summer... it's gone and I don't know
Which way is the best way to go
In dreams I hear voices that say:
"Look this way!"
But I can't see nothing
So I turn away to head down roads
Dead ends and holes
And crowds of fools
With common colds
And they live in cars
And their cars don't run
They fight with phones
And despise the sun
The sun of summer it's gone and I don't know
Where everyone went or where I'll go
(Where I'll go)
Summer... it's gone and now it's clear
That no one is showing up here
In dreams I hear voices that say:
"Look this way!"
But it's all too lovely
And so I turn away
To head down roads
Dead ends and holes
And crowds of fools
With common colds
They live in cars
And their cars don't run
They fight with phones
And they despise the sun
The sun of summer... it's gone
The sun of summer... it's gone
The sun of summer... it's gone
The sun of summer... it's gone
... It's gone
... It's gone
Lyrics submitted by skttrbrain
Summer... It's Gone Lyrics as written by Jason Lytle
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think this song is about growing up. Summer is representative of childhood, and the singer is struggling with maturity.
Not necessarily about growing up, I think. I see it as a goodbye song for the end of an era. In Jason's case, it might be about the "seasons in the sun" spent in Modesto, just living it up and hanging with everybody. But now everyone's gone, and there are no specific plans to do anything else.
As for me, I love this song because I see it as the end of my own "extended childhood"; those years after finishing college, spent hanging with friends, drinking, smoking, screwing.. one of my seasons in the sun. But suddenly everyone's gone, off to work or marriage or whatever, and the feeling of "now what" starts to creep in. And all I can see is crowds of fools who fight with phones, obsessed with business and making money, who hate the sun and the idea of just living without a care.
Jason has a way of putting into words the malady of our times. Of my times, at least.
(ugh, I meant to say "I see this song as representative of my feelings at the end of my own "extended childhood")
Frijolito, you've made a perfet explanation of this song. But i prefer to listen to this song without bothering myself trying to analyse it. I take this song for what it is: the end of summer, the end of good time. Nevertheless, i'm writing this at the beginning of summer, and i'm expecting lots of joys and fun. When summer will reach to its end, i'll be listening to this song, for sure.
The song makes me think it's about the end of childhood, or young adulthood, as others have mentioned. It especially makes me think of leaving behind friends or people who you have outgrown.
You have to move on and leave behind the "crows of fools" who live in their broken down cars, who "fight with phones," or get into arguments and fights through text messages, and "despise the sun" or sleep all day because they are pot heads or slackers and don't have jobs.
Obviously I'm bringing to this my own history, but I like to think it's about realizing that the lazy summer is over, and you have to move on.