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.
Sing, muse, of the passion of the pistol
Sing, muse, of the warning by the whistle
On a night so dark in the waning
A dawn obscured by slate sky raining
Five and twenty burglars by the reservoir
A teenage lookout on the signal tower
The mogul's daughter in hog-tie
The mogul fingers the wrong guy, all lies
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, perfect crime
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect crime
It was the perfect crime
The bagman's quaking at the fingers
The hand-off glance a little lingers
A well-dressed man in the crosshairs
A shot rings out from somewhere upstairs
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect crime
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect crime
It was the perfect crime
It was like a ticker-tape parade
When the plastique on the safe was blown away
And we all gaze from eye to eye
As we mouth our silent goodbyes
The valley's sleeping like a bastard
It stinks of slumber and disaster
Two words are spoken with tap wire
The agent's ploy finds a surefire backfire
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect crime
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect crime
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect crime
Sing, muse, of the warning by the whistle
On a night so dark in the waning
A dawn obscured by slate sky raining
Five and twenty burglars by the reservoir
A teenage lookout on the signal tower
The mogul's daughter in hog-tie
The mogul fingers the wrong guy, all lies
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, perfect crime
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect crime
It was the perfect crime
The bagman's quaking at the fingers
The hand-off glance a little lingers
A well-dressed man in the crosshairs
A shot rings out from somewhere upstairs
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect crime
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect crime
It was the perfect crime
It was like a ticker-tape parade
When the plastique on the safe was blown away
And we all gaze from eye to eye
As we mouth our silent goodbyes
The valley's sleeping like a bastard
It stinks of slumber and disaster
Two words are spoken with tap wire
The agent's ploy finds a surefire backfire
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect crime
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect crime
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect crime
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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"Sing news" should be "Sing, Muse." One of my favorite parts of this song is the fact that Meloy actually invokes a muse, like Homer, Virgil, and Milton before him. Its VERY neo-classical, and its in a 70's-ish disco-ish pop song, which reminds me of Resevoir Dogs. (Maybe because of the "five and twenty burglars by the resevoir.")