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.
where the dry dust turns the sunset pink.
where all summer long it's so hot that you can't think straight.
where we pump water from a well by hand.
half a world away from the old promised land.
we understand that we've been given
a new covenant -- a real sharp one.
and we spend our days and nights
gaining new appreciation of its finer points.
and waiting for the dead to rise up from their graves.
waiting for jesus to come along and save us. and
biding our time.
biding our time.
biding our time as best we know how.
where the texas doughboys used to play
before the wind blew everything away.
where we came to get away from our friends.
where we'd tell each other jokes waiting for the world to end.
we know our jokes are funny,
but in all the wrong ways and for all the wrong reasons.
and we rent old George Romero movies
and relish the short time left.
waiting for the dead to rise up from their graves.
waiting for jesus to come along and save us. yes, and
biding our time.
biding our time.
biding our time as best we know how.
where all summer long it's so hot that you can't think straight.
where we pump water from a well by hand.
half a world away from the old promised land.
we understand that we've been given
a new covenant -- a real sharp one.
and we spend our days and nights
gaining new appreciation of its finer points.
and waiting for the dead to rise up from their graves.
waiting for jesus to come along and save us. and
biding our time.
biding our time.
biding our time as best we know how.
where the texas doughboys used to play
before the wind blew everything away.
where we came to get away from our friends.
where we'd tell each other jokes waiting for the world to end.
we know our jokes are funny,
but in all the wrong ways and for all the wrong reasons.
and we rent old George Romero movies
and relish the short time left.
waiting for the dead to rise up from their graves.
waiting for jesus to come along and save us. yes, and
biding our time.
biding our time.
biding our time as best we know how.
Lyrics submitted by shewouldnt, edited by AliRhea
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“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.
The lyrics in the boot Ive got are quite a bit different, but thats normal for John. My attempt at them:
Where the dry dust turns the sunset pink where all summer long its so hot you cant think straight where we drink water from a well by hand half a world away from the old promised land we understand what we've been given a new covanent, a real sharp one and we spend our days and nights gaining new appreciation of its finer points waiting for the dead to rise up from their graves waiting for jesus to come along and save us and biding our time biding our time biding our time as best we know how
Second verse is much the same, but its George Romero, not O'mera. He's the god of end-of-world zombie movies (Night of the living dead, dawn of the dead, land of the dead, etc. etc.)