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.
Anderson/Squire/Howe/White/Sherwood/Khoroshev
What you gonna do when the lightning strikes and hits you
Who ya gonna call for the secret of stealing the world
Swimming in this ocean of words on your new cellphone
Diving for the wisdom of pearls in your eyes
Come on
What ya gonna do when the lightning strikes and hits you
How ya gonna laugh when the joker forgets his lines
Stepping off a cloud into space whatever greets you
Show me how you got this award for being alive
Waking up is waking to the power
Dancing up is dancing till the dawn
Talk talk talk will always get you someplace
Shake it up 'n' shake me till I'm done
Shake it up now!
She ay... Do wa bap
She ay... Do wa bap
She ay... Do wa bap
She ay... Do wa bap
Who ya gonna call when the power
Begins to chase you
Spinning out of shape now you're learning to live again
Fastening your seatbelt tonight it could get jumpy
Showing me the good 'n' that
Life is not in vain
Take take take 'n' take me through the lightning
Walk don't talk me always on the run
Ride it out until you get the picture
Shake it up and let me get me some
Let me get me some
Eya he say touch it together
Touching my spirit touching my feeling
Eya he say touch it together
Touching my spirit touching my feeling
Eya he say coming together
Touching my spirit touching my feeling
Eya he say coming together
Touching my spirit touching my feeling
Talk, talk, talk, keep moving 'round in circles
Moving till the moon is on the run
Take me take me take me to the new day
Take me out and let me get me some
Take take take and dance me through the lightning
Moving to the left 'n' to the sun... ya ya ya
Help me get me some... ya
Help me get me some... come on
Ooh ya... ooh ya... ooh ya... ooh ya
Ooh ya... ooh ya... ooh ya
What you gonna do when the lightning strikes and hits you
Who ya gonna call for the secret of stealing the world
Swimming in this ocean of words on your new cellphone
Diving for the wisdom of pearls in your eyes
Come on
What ya gonna do when the lightning strikes and hits you
How ya gonna laugh when the joker forgets his lines
Stepping off a cloud into space whatever greets you
Show me how you got this award for being alive
Waking up is waking to the power
Dancing up is dancing till the dawn
Talk talk talk will always get you someplace
Shake it up 'n' shake me till I'm done
Shake it up now!
She ay... Do wa bap
She ay... Do wa bap
She ay... Do wa bap
She ay... Do wa bap
Who ya gonna call when the power
Begins to chase you
Spinning out of shape now you're learning to live again
Fastening your seatbelt tonight it could get jumpy
Showing me the good 'n' that
Life is not in vain
Take take take 'n' take me through the lightning
Walk don't talk me always on the run
Ride it out until you get the picture
Shake it up and let me get me some
Let me get me some
Eya he say touch it together
Touching my spirit touching my feeling
Eya he say touch it together
Touching my spirit touching my feeling
Eya he say coming together
Touching my spirit touching my feeling
Eya he say coming together
Touching my spirit touching my feeling
Talk, talk, talk, keep moving 'round in circles
Moving till the moon is on the run
Take me take me take me to the new day
Take me out and let me get me some
Take take take and dance me through the lightning
Moving to the left 'n' to the sun... ya ya ya
Help me get me some... ya
Help me get me some... come on
Ooh ya... ooh ya... ooh ya... ooh ya
Ooh ya... ooh ya... ooh ya
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More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Me too!!! I LOVED this song when I was little! This is like my ultimate childhood memory song. Well, all of Yes is... Especially the Ladder album... But this song is the most.
Haha, I remember trying to interpret it driving from Colorado to Cali... Fun stuff
I have no idea, But "What you gonna do when the lightening stricks and hits you" seems like something to do with Karma...