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 brought you some francs from my travelling chest
You'll spare me the thanks 'til you know I'm the best
So come Hogmonay when love comes in slurs
Resolutions I'll make and you can label them 'Hers'
We threw our hands up high we, nearly touched the sky,
We clicked our heels and spat and swore
We'd never let it die
Chorus:
All those boy wonders
Sold their medals when they saw this train
Now this boy wonders
When he'll feel the fall of honest rain
I came from high land where the hopefuls have to hesitate
Now this boy wonders
Why the words were never worth the wait
I'm waiting, waiting.
In pastel paper pink over grey
We wrap, wrap, wrap and chuck, chuck away
The poor excuse they peddle as their prose.
Dry your tears, tie your tongue and you're never sixteen
And I'll give you a glimpse of the hard and the clean
And my travelling chest will be open to you
And boy will you learn that you haven't a clue
I even asked my best friend but he could not explain
It hit me when I left him
I felt the rain and called it genius,
Called it genius.
Chorus repeat
Lyrics submitted by post-punker, edited by epiwoosh
The Boy Wonders Lyrics as written by Roddy Frame
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I've always greatly enjoyed this great tune as indeed I do the LP which it's off, but the meaning is not easy.
I think it's basically about Roddy and his friends having a great time at Hogmanay - he's making resolutions but he's drunk and slurring so he is saying they mean nothing and are actually those of his young girlfriend, but he's also 'wondering' about more sensual and artistic matters like words - and the weather - I think rain is used as a metaphor for inspiration in the LP as whole.
'Pastel paper pink over grey' may be a reference to his preference for colourful clothes, not the dullness of grey.
The 'travelling chest' has two meanings in the song I think, one where he has got his money (francs) from for the girl at the party, one his own chest which he will let the innocent girl who is not yet sixteen and to whom he's saying 'you will learn that you haven't a clue' see when he seduces her.
The 'boy wonders' also has two meanings - one the sporty crowd who 'sold their medals when they saw this train', i.e. they were impressed at Roddy and his wild party going train of friends and I think they are ones who have the 'poor excuse they peddle as their prose' - but it also refers to his own meditations on the rain etc.
The way I hear it, it's a fairly straightforward account of what it felt like for a deep thinking artist to become a pop star, and earn the respect he had had strived for, only to find it wasn't what he'd thought. "I brought you some francs from a traveling chest" was his songs, the nuggets of wisdom he had gained in life, that he shared with his audience. You won't thank me until you know I'm the best (until the critics validate me, you can't see what I'm given you, you won't appreciate me.) In the beginning, when the dream of making it seemed impossible, the band spat and swore they'd never let it die. And now that they've achieved the success, he wonders why the words (the praise they finally got from critics) were never worth the wait. He sees inferior bands also receive the same praise from critics, with the poor excuse they peddle as their prose. He wants the feel of honest rain (the praise of people who honestly appreciate his songs, not because they're the new cool thing, but because people honestly hear and appreciate what he's giving them. But don't cry for me (dry your tears), just listen and I'll give you a glimpse of the hard and the clean. (I'll tell you about life, without the BS... and my traveling chest (all this wisdom I have to share) will be open to you. And boy will you learn, that you haven't a clue. (these songs are going to open your eyes, and make you realize what art truly is.)