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.
You want a genocide
We can avert our eyes tonight
You keep us entertained
We'll overlook your bloodstained hands
Money for gasoline is money for a vaccine
Alright
Living in apathy
We are living in abject poverty
You want a genocide
We can avert our eyes tonight
You got a claim to fame
We'll overlook the bloodstains on your hands
Everybody dance to the invisible hook
Yeah they can sell, they can sell
They can sell what they took
Everybody's seeing it but nobody look
Yeah they can sell, they can sell
They can sell what they took
We could've changed the world five times
If only we could open our eyes
If only we could open our eyes
Stuffing our ears with luxury
Covered our eyes in apathy
What can be done with our disease
What can be done with our disease
This is a genocide, alright
This is a suicide, alright
This is a blinded eye, alright
This is violent crime, alright
Everybody dance to the invisible hook
Yeah they can sell, they can sell
They can sell what they took
Everybody's seeing it but nobody look
Yeah they can sell, they can sell
They can sell what they took
We could've changed the world five times
If only we could open our eyes
If only we could open our eyes
If only we could open our eyes
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles
Give us a guiding light
Give us a guiding light
Give us a hope in the night
Give us a guiding light
Give us a guiding light
Give us a guiding light
Give us a hope in the night
Give a guiding light
Everybody dance to the invisible hook
Yeah they can sell, they can sell
They can sell what they took
Everybody's seeing it but nobody look
Yeah they can sell, they can sell
They can sell what they took
We could've changed the world five times
If only we could open our eyes
If only we could open our eyes
If only we could open our eyes
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
Hypocrisy for miles and miles and miles
Open our eyes to you
Open eyes for miles and miles and miles
Open our eyes to you
Open eyes for miles and miles and miles
Open our eyes to you
Open eyes for miles and miles and miles
We can avert our eyes tonight
You keep us entertained
We'll overlook your bloodstained hands
Money for gasoline is money for a vaccine
Alright
Living in apathy
We are living in abject poverty
You want a genocide
We can avert our eyes tonight
You got a claim to fame
We'll overlook the bloodstains on your hands
Everybody dance to the invisible hook
Yeah they can sell, they can sell
They can sell what they took
Everybody's seeing it but nobody look
Yeah they can sell, they can sell
They can sell what they took
We could've changed the world five times
If only we could open our eyes
If only we could open our eyes
Stuffing our ears with luxury
Covered our eyes in apathy
What can be done with our disease
What can be done with our disease
This is a genocide, alright
This is a suicide, alright
This is a blinded eye, alright
This is violent crime, alright
Everybody dance to the invisible hook
Yeah they can sell, they can sell
They can sell what they took
Everybody's seeing it but nobody look
Yeah they can sell, they can sell
They can sell what they took
We could've changed the world five times
If only we could open our eyes
If only we could open our eyes
If only we could open our eyes
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles
Give us a guiding light
Give us a guiding light
Give us a hope in the night
Give us a guiding light
Give us a guiding light
Give us a guiding light
Give us a hope in the night
Give a guiding light
Everybody dance to the invisible hook
Yeah they can sell, they can sell
They can sell what they took
Everybody's seeing it but nobody look
Yeah they can sell, they can sell
They can sell what they took
We could've changed the world five times
If only we could open our eyes
If only we could open our eyes
If only we could open our eyes
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
Hypocrisy for miles and miles and miles
Open our eyes to you
Open eyes for miles and miles and miles
Open our eyes to you
Open eyes for miles and miles and miles
Open our eyes to you
Open eyes for miles and miles and miles
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There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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this song sounds like Jimmy Eat World crossed with Bad Religion... which is ironic for a christian band...
anyways, that said... i like this song, even though my better judgement says i shouldnt... i think its pretty self explanitory what its about
It kind of does sound JEW/BR-ish. Lyrically, it's awesome too. I think it's about the way people buy their way to the top and use cutthroat tactics and backstabbing and stuff like that. This is also one of the catchiest song's I've ever heard.
this song, although catchy, and aperently not self explanatory... is deep and open. it's all about world apathy. it's about how we know what happens everyday in our world... yet we ignore it and turn the other cheek. how we can ignore genocides and hollocausts as long as we aren't personally affected. it's also about how the media controls our lives and forces us to have this apathetic outlook. "you keep us entertained" is about how we can look on as long as there is something else going on. then the song commands us to "dance to the invisible hook"... meaning to keep on living for nothing. this is a challenge to make a difference.
i dont know that this is what the song was actually meant to say, but i think it fits well. it could be about the whole entertainment industry (Hollywood, TV networks, music execs, etc.) and how they are leading our generation away from the truth. By glamorizing drugs, alchohol, dangerous and reckless stunts, and premarital sex, they are causing thousands of media-viewing teens to participate in these activities and end up hurt or dead. But no one calls the media on it because they "keep us entertained" and we "overlook the bloodstains on [their] hands". the media has a lifestyle that they want everyone to follow, basically, an invisible hook they want us to dance to. Has anyone heard the line "sex sells"? that might have some bearing on "they can sell what they took" (they took sex and twisted it away from its original definition into something sinful and dangerous, and now they are selling it back to us). again, im not saying that this is definitely what the songs about, but it's an interesting thought....
wow i love this song it is so good musically and lyrically. its about the modern market, buy sell and liquidate and how its killing us