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 only take heat when you need to
You only take heat (E) when you need to
And you need to
Come let me brief you
And let you see where greed leads to
And you need to
Inspire the love inside your people
Our people, equal
[For teens oh] knows people, no [spyads]
No more hellfires and please no more gunfire
Dance 4 Life (4x)
Quench we [meable] in thirst
Put them first
And when the floodgates burst
Come inside and we'll keep you strong
We protect the children of this new dawn
We're properly skilled and we fear no storm
And what we're building will persevere long
After the wicked ‘em disappear
Justice, dues and rights gone clear
And the and the youth we have will start this year
And the youth we have will start this year
Dance 4 Life (12x)
H.I.V. aids is lethal
You only take heat (E) when you need to
And you need to
Come let me brief you
And let you see where greed leads to
And you need to
Inspire the love inside your people
Our people, equal
[For teens oh] knows people, no [spyads]
No more hellfires and please no more gunfire
Dance 4 Life (4x)
Quench we [meable] in thirst
Put them first
And when the floodgates burst
Come inside and we'll keep you strong
We protect the children of this new dawn
We're properly skilled and we fear no storm
And what we're building will persevere long
After the wicked ‘em disappear
Justice, dues and rights gone clear
And the and the youth we have will start this year
And the youth we have will start this year
Dance 4 Life (12x)
H.I.V. aids is lethal
Lyrics submitted by jambomdaman
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Dj tiesto made this song because he hates to see how many lives are being damaged by H.I.V. He wants people to have safe sex. Also, he is engaged and is getting married this year, so he is setting a good example for what people should do.
does dance 4 life mean: 1)dance to live? 2)dance in celebration of life? or 3)dance the entire duration of life?
@Lysergy This song was made for the Dance4life international youth initiative to raise awareness and promote prevention of HIV/AIDS.
The lyrics are incorrect - the first few lines should read: You only take heed when you need to You only take heed when you need to And you need to
By this he is saying that you only pay attention when you need to, and you need to pay attention.
Seems to me like a "message song" that can't decide on it's message. The line at the end "HIV AIDS is lethal" just comes out of nowhere.
@Europan Leopard This song was made for the Dance4life international youth initiative to raise awareness and promote prevention of HIV/AIDS. <br /> If you had just taken the effort to Google it you would've known.