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.
Forced myself to sleep last night
Woke up to all white
Saw all the tears and cries
Screamed out with no reply
Nirvana dreams were never right
When crossing to the other side
It's too late to take this back
This accidental exit
Now what's in store for a
Soul with premature
Wings that will never soar
For what they're made for
Why we wingless angels fall
We'll die if our wings don't grow at all
So tell me
Why we wingless angels fall
We'll die if our wings don't grow at all
Life is always strange
Signs lie wondering
Mental sodomy
This can't be happening
So tell me why we wingless angels fall
We'll die if our wings don't grow at all
So tell me why we wingless angels fall
We'll die if our wings don't grow at all
Woke up to all white
Saw all the tears and cries
Screamed out with no reply
Nirvana dreams were never right
When crossing to the other side
It's too late to take this back
This accidental exit
Now what's in store for a
Soul with premature
Wings that will never soar
For what they're made for
Why we wingless angels fall
We'll die if our wings don't grow at all
So tell me
Why we wingless angels fall
We'll die if our wings don't grow at all
Life is always strange
Signs lie wondering
Mental sodomy
This can't be happening
So tell me why we wingless angels fall
We'll die if our wings don't grow at all
So tell me why we wingless angels fall
We'll die if our wings don't grow at all
Lyrics submitted by IndelibleEntity
Silhouette of a Life Lyrics as written by Jesse Hasek Brian Vodinh
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is the best ballad that 10 Years has. It's off the album "Killing All That Holds You". Great song. Definately one of my favorites ever.
To me, it represents death from the point of view of the dying. He sees the sadness and tears and realizes what has happened. It's nothing like what he had dreamed, but there is no way to go back. He feels that he was not supposed to go. He died too soon. Heaven and his "angel's wings" wings were not ready for him. Will he fall? What will happen? What happens when a young person dies, someone that wasn't meant to die so young?
Very deep, I think. Sad too.
i love this song!!! so sad
this song is great, just great
I see what IndelibleEntity was talking about. Good interpretation.
I always got it as the song was about suicide. Seems he was living a depressing life as he forced himself to sleep. I don't know how many people have depression but it's very hard to sleep. But I felt when he said that he meant taking his life and the part of
"Nirvana dreams were never right When crossing to the other side It's too late to take this back This accidental exit"
accidental death reminds me of suicide. Now that he has passed he doesn't want that but it's too late. And if you ever read the Bible it says if you take your life you will not get your wings in Heaven. So that's my theory on this song.
Where exactly in the Bible does it say you don't get your wings if you take your own life? But I agree that the this song does seem to be about suicide.
I always had an idea that Silhouette of a life and All White went together some how, Silhouette of a Life to me is someone realizing they made a mistake by killing themselves while dieing, All White being about after the person is dead, from that persons viewpoint.
This song is about regretting an attempted suicide as life slowly ends.
what doeas he mean by "mental sodomy"?
sodomy has too weird of a definition so I would say just look it up; once you do connect it with mental. in other words, a person thinks that a certain thing was going to happen or that it was going to happen a particular way, but when he finds out the truth of why the incident had happened it messed with his mind, blew him away.
I think it's about suicide. So many people I think commit suicide because they're lost in the tragic darkness of the moment. They may not necisarily think about it. I think someone, maybe for a cry for help, commited suicide and saw what it did to those he loved and wanted to go back but couldn't. I don't think deep down he wanted to die but he mistook his own mind and "accidently" left the world.
I think the wings could mean the Bible thing. Also I think wings as in life. Learning to fly and live life and take what it gives you. I think this person never discovered that they had wings to fly or never got the chance to grow any wings and make this world what it could be. I think he is speaking to all those who feel they have no place in this life, who if they don't discover their place will die. Wings=life/place in life and dieing if our wings don't grow at all=never finding your place and not being able to take it.
Life is always strange Signs lie wondering Mental sodomy This can't be happening
I think this is leading up to what happened. Another definition of sodomay is an annoyance. I think that he was depressed, there was so much going on in his head. So much bothering him it drove him crazy. mental sodomay. He couldn't believe all this could happen to him and he felt he couldn't take it anymore
He just wanted answers I think. "So tell me why" I think he is almost talking to God. Asking why him, why that life? Asking why he was never given wings to fly. I've always thought that going to hell for suicide was wrong and I've always had mixed feelings. In one aspect, yeah, your destroying something that's not yours and your being selfish to everyone you love. On the other hand, I've been there where it seems there is nothing. There is so much pain you just can't take it anymore and it controls your thoughts. If our thoughts aren't our own I don't know if it's necisarily right for us to pay.
anyways, that's my translation, lol.
so... even though i can tell nobody's really posted on this one in a while, so those who posted before me may not read this. i can see how people would think this was suicide... at first glance, it certainly seems so... but how i read it was as an accidental drug overdose... "forced myself to sleep last night" was the first key in that, downers to deal with shit... also the words "accidental exit"... maybe it is referring to regretting a suicide attempt as you die, but that's still not an accident, drug overdoses can be.
and no i don't think every song is about drugs. this just seems to fit.