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.
I've got a bitter pot of je ne sais quoi
Guess what---I'm stirring it with a monkey's paw
Since I saw you coming out of my barber's shop
In that skimpy little halter top
Did you light the candles? Did you put on "Kind of Blue"?
Did you use that Ivy Leaage voodoo on him, too?
He thinks he'll be alright but he doesn't know for sure
Like every other unindicted coconspirator
Mata Hari had a house in France
Where she worked on all her secret plans
Men were falling for her sight unseen
She was a genius
There's a face in every window of the Songwriter's Neighborhood
Everybody's your best friend whey you're doing well--I mean good
The poet who lived next door when you were young and poor
Grew up to be a backstabbing entrepreneur
Albert Einstein was a ladies' man
While he was working on his universal plan
He was making out like Charlie Sheen
He was a genius
When you dropped me and you staked your claim
On a V.I.P. who could make your name
You latched on to him and I became
A minor inconvenience
Your protege don't care about art
I'm the one who always told you you were smart
You broke my heart into smithereens
And that took genius
You and the barber make a handsome pair
Guess what---I never liked the way he cut your hair
I didn't like the way he turned your head
But there's nothing I can do or say I haven't done or said
Everybody needs a place to stand
And a method for their schemes and scams
If I could only get my record clean
I'd be a genius
Guess what---I'm stirring it with a monkey's paw
Since I saw you coming out of my barber's shop
In that skimpy little halter top
Did you light the candles? Did you put on "Kind of Blue"?
Did you use that Ivy Leaage voodoo on him, too?
He thinks he'll be alright but he doesn't know for sure
Like every other unindicted coconspirator
Mata Hari had a house in France
Where she worked on all her secret plans
Men were falling for her sight unseen
She was a genius
There's a face in every window of the Songwriter's Neighborhood
Everybody's your best friend whey you're doing well--I mean good
The poet who lived next door when you were young and poor
Grew up to be a backstabbing entrepreneur
Albert Einstein was a ladies' man
While he was working on his universal plan
He was making out like Charlie Sheen
He was a genius
When you dropped me and you staked your claim
On a V.I.P. who could make your name
You latched on to him and I became
A minor inconvenience
Your protege don't care about art
I'm the one who always told you you were smart
You broke my heart into smithereens
And that took genius
You and the barber make a handsome pair
Guess what---I never liked the way he cut your hair
I didn't like the way he turned your head
But there's nothing I can do or say I haven't done or said
Everybody needs a place to stand
And a method for their schemes and scams
If I could only get my record clean
I'd be a genius
Lyrics submitted by Major Valor
Genius Lyrics as written by Zevon Klein
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Great version of a great song,
I find the true GENIUS line in the song is this;
"You broke my heart into smithereens....and that took Genius!"
Warren was a rather cold hearted and self serving individual. Don't get me wrong, he's my personal songwriting God but read "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon" and you'll be amazed.
That line......"You broke my heart into smithereens...and that took Genius" speaks to me as a man who thought he'd always be the 'heart breaker' but had the tables turned on him and felt the 'stomach punch' that anybody who's ever had a their heart broken will understand.
RIP Warren. We miss you man.
"...felt the 'stomach punch' that anybody who's ever had a their heart broken will understand..." - Exactly how it felt like. Sir, YOU are The Genius.
I love how the second line starts out "GUESS WHAT!" Only Warren Zevon could write that sort of lyric and make it work the right way Imagine Michael Jackson, Billy Joel or even Bob Dylan singing something like that. It just wouldn't be the same, and it would sound stupid. But Zevon's whole personality lends itself fully to this sort of verbal expression. Guess what--Warren Zevon is great
Absolutely love this song. Top shelf Zevon, for sure.
I agree that the song is sprinkled with anger, but the first two lines give you an idea of how to take it:
"I've got a bitter pot of je ne sais quoi" (literally "I don't know what")
"Guess what-I'm stirring it with a monkey's paw" (an object that grants the possessor 3 wishes with severe consequences)
His emotions are bubbling over with confusion while being stirred by an object that's capable of producing both enormous joy and pain.
Also, pay attention to the confessions that are mixed in with the jabs...
"I became A minor inconvenience"
"I'm the one who always told you you were smart"
"You broke my heart into smithereens"
"But there's nothing I can do or say I haven't done or said"
But the biggest admission and the one that elevates the song to the level of...wait for it...genius is:
"If I could only get my record clean I'd be a genius"
The previous jabs prove to be slivers of jealousy. He isn't a genius and it's likely that he'll never become one. Therefore, he'll never get her back.
One thing I really like about the writing is how he hits you with something humorous, then immediately counters with something painful and honest. One moment it's praise for Einstein and Sheen's skill with the ladies, the next is the sobering truth where he admits that he's emotionally destroyed.
WZ will always be one of the greats. It really sucks that he's gone.
God rest his soul. I completely agree. One of the best and too bad more people don't appreciate his talents.
To me it seems like a bitter and sarcastic song for someone who really screwed him over in a relationship; a jab at how well he was played by this woman.
Interesting use of autotune here.
He killed her.
The first two lines are his planning it. The middle of the song is why. By the end he has been arrested and he makes a smart remark about being a genius if he gets his record clean.
And, he will.
This song is exactly why Stephen King once said something to the effect that no music collection is complete without Warren Zevon.
I love the tune, the string arrangement and the incredibly smart lyric. \n\nNo one else could have made this rhyme:\n\n"He thinks he\'ll be alright but he doesn\'t know for sure\nLike every other unindicted co-conspirator"\n\nor this one:\n\n"The poet who lived next door when you were young and poor\nGrew up to be a backstabbing entrepreneur"\n\nI love Dylan but Mozambique is child\'s play next to this.