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.
Well I'm starting to be free of this.
If I would have died
would that have made the rest better?
A canary in a coal miner's cage,
the last one to go not yet a red letter day.
Last night I fell asleep to air.
In the morning I'll wake up
to my lungs filled with clutter.
Will I ever breathe again?
Run, run take cover.
The walls in this house
are caving in like sleep paralysis.
Black out! Black out! Black out!
Last night I fell asleep to air.
In the morning I'll wake up
to my lungs filled with clutter.
Now I swim out to the ocean crest,
I stretch my hand out to deliver a letter.
A paranoid poet’s distress.
Past a few weird trees and mist,
a voice beckons to me
from between the bed and the covers.
Canaries telling fables of men.
like so many poets who fell in love with the bottle.
If the bird went first then I'm gone too.
And all of my friends are pouring liquor on my grave.
Tipping their hats and their bottles, and walking off.
But in a few short hours they'll be here too.
Last night I fell asleep to air.
In the morning I'll wake up
to my lungs filled with clutter.
If I would have died
would that have made the rest better?
A canary in a coal miner's cage,
the last one to go not yet a red letter day.
Last night I fell asleep to air.
In the morning I'll wake up
to my lungs filled with clutter.
Will I ever breathe again?
Run, run take cover.
The walls in this house
are caving in like sleep paralysis.
Black out! Black out! Black out!
Last night I fell asleep to air.
In the morning I'll wake up
to my lungs filled with clutter.
Now I swim out to the ocean crest,
I stretch my hand out to deliver a letter.
A paranoid poet’s distress.
Past a few weird trees and mist,
a voice beckons to me
from between the bed and the covers.
Canaries telling fables of men.
like so many poets who fell in love with the bottle.
If the bird went first then I'm gone too.
And all of my friends are pouring liquor on my grave.
Tipping their hats and their bottles, and walking off.
But in a few short hours they'll be here too.
Last night I fell asleep to air.
In the morning I'll wake up
to my lungs filled with clutter.
Lyrics submitted by A Carbon Sketch
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