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.
(feat. Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park))
[Intro: Mike Shinoda]
And he never lies
And he never lies
[Lupe Fiasco:]
(uh, yea)
He just sits, and watches the people in the boxes
Everything he sees, he absorbs and adopts it
He mimics and he mocks it
And he hates the box but he cant remember how to stop it
(uh) So he continues to watch it
Hopin that it can give him somethin he can box with
Or how the locksmith seen the boxes
Locked in the box and aint got the combination to unlock it
Thats why he watches, scared to look away
Cuz at that moment it might show him what to take off the locks with
So he chained himself to the box, took a lock and then he locked it
Swallowed the combination and then forgot it
As the doctors jot it all down with they pens and pencils
The same ones that took away his voice and just left his instrumental, like damn
[Chorus Mike Shinoda:]
And he never lies
(he never lies, he never lies, uh)
And he never lies
(uh, he never lies, he never lies, no)
And he never lies
(he never lies)
Cuz he never said anything at all
[Lupe Fiasco:]
He just sits, and listens to the people in the boxes
Everything he hears, he absorbs and adopts it
Anything not comin out the box he blocks it
See he loves the box and hope they never stop it
Anything the box tell him to do, he does it
Anything it tell him to get, he shops and he cops it
He protects the box, locks it in a box when he goes to sleep
But he never sleeps
Cuz he stays up to watch it, scared to look away
Cuz at that moment it might get stolen
And thats the last of the boxes
So he chained himself to the box, took a lock and locked it
Swallowed the combination and then forgot it
As the doctors jot it all down with they pens and pencils
The same ones that took away his voice and just left his instrumental, like damn
[Chorus:]
And he never lies
(he never lies, he never lies, uh)
And he never lies
(uh, he never lies, he never lies, no)
And he never lies
(he never lies)
Cuz he never said anything at all, anything at all
(he never lies, uh)
[Interlude Lupe Fiasco:]
And you cant tell me just who you are
You by new clothes just to hide those scars
You build that roof just to hide those stars
Now you cant take it back to the start x2
[Chorus:]
And he never lies
(he never lies, he never lies, uh)
And he never lies
(uh, he never lies, he never lies, no)
And he never lies
(he never lies)
Cuz he never said anything at all, anything at all
[fading out:]
And you cant tell me just who you are
You by new clothes just to hide those scars
You build that roof just to hide those stars
Now you cant take it back to the start [x3]
[Intro: Mike Shinoda]
And he never lies
And he never lies
[Lupe Fiasco:]
(uh, yea)
He just sits, and watches the people in the boxes
Everything he sees, he absorbs and adopts it
He mimics and he mocks it
And he hates the box but he cant remember how to stop it
(uh) So he continues to watch it
Hopin that it can give him somethin he can box with
Or how the locksmith seen the boxes
Locked in the box and aint got the combination to unlock it
Thats why he watches, scared to look away
Cuz at that moment it might show him what to take off the locks with
So he chained himself to the box, took a lock and then he locked it
Swallowed the combination and then forgot it
As the doctors jot it all down with they pens and pencils
The same ones that took away his voice and just left his instrumental, like damn
[Chorus Mike Shinoda:]
And he never lies
(he never lies, he never lies, uh)
And he never lies
(uh, he never lies, he never lies, no)
And he never lies
(he never lies)
Cuz he never said anything at all
[Lupe Fiasco:]
He just sits, and listens to the people in the boxes
Everything he hears, he absorbs and adopts it
Anything not comin out the box he blocks it
See he loves the box and hope they never stop it
Anything the box tell him to do, he does it
Anything it tell him to get, he shops and he cops it
He protects the box, locks it in a box when he goes to sleep
But he never sleeps
Cuz he stays up to watch it, scared to look away
Cuz at that moment it might get stolen
And thats the last of the boxes
So he chained himself to the box, took a lock and locked it
Swallowed the combination and then forgot it
As the doctors jot it all down with they pens and pencils
The same ones that took away his voice and just left his instrumental, like damn
[Chorus:]
And he never lies
(he never lies, he never lies, uh)
And he never lies
(uh, he never lies, he never lies, no)
And he never lies
(he never lies)
Cuz he never said anything at all, anything at all
(he never lies, uh)
[Interlude Lupe Fiasco:]
And you cant tell me just who you are
You by new clothes just to hide those scars
You build that roof just to hide those stars
Now you cant take it back to the start x2
[Chorus:]
And he never lies
(he never lies, he never lies, uh)
And he never lies
(uh, he never lies, he never lies, no)
And he never lies
(he never lies)
Cuz he never said anything at all, anything at all
[fading out:]
And you cant tell me just who you are
You by new clothes just to hide those scars
You build that roof just to hide those stars
Now you cant take it back to the start [x3]
Lyrics submitted by bexx11
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This song to me is about a person lying to himself about who he truly is. The box could be a tv but i think it's just more of a metaphorical thing about people locking themselves in a box and being happy and content with what they have. Just sitting in their safe place of nothing new nothing changed. In the beginning he is young he starts out mimicking the people to fit in but he slowly forgets how to stop it. At first e never looks away from the box because he is scared that he might like not fitting in. Anything that society and popularity tells him to do he shops and he cops it. He is a person that has no voice that has no soul he is just out there doing whatever he feels like will help him fit in. His box grows into an obsession he never sleeps because he would hate to look away for just one moment to see all his popularity fall away. He would give up being happy for just one moment to watch that box and make sure it doesn't get rattled. Best part of the song right here. "And you cant tell me just who you are You by new clothes just to hide those scars You build that roof just to hide those stars Now you cant take it back to the start x2 " He has built up on top of so much of what he is that he doesn't even know who he is. He's out buying clothes to hide pain he is going through materialistic items to shadow his dreams of the stars and achieving something. This is a person that has thrown away everything they once where to be someone they never wanted to be. At the end he can't tell anybody who he is or what sets him apart or even what he wants and by the time he realizes it it's too late to change it and go back to the start.
Nichole i really like your interp even though it has nothing to do with the song lmao. I mean to you but yeah lol. I actually first heard this song on a soccer video so it made me lol. I really don't like too much rap but this song is good.