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.
Tonight I need the bright lights,
Still got her face on my mind.
Heading where the talk is cheap
and I'm dressed to a "t" so they won't notice me.
It's warm for October
and I've got the windows down.
The skyline whispers her promises,
the same lie each night.
But I force myself to believe...
And I swore it'd be different but how could it be?
What I came to escape is right here inside of me.
The city's a desert
with photographic stars.
Each pretty face is just a mirage,
and my mouth's full of sand again.
But I force myself to believe,
across the river's the cure for what's sick inside of me.
And I swore it'd be different but how could it be?
What I came to escape is right here inside of me.
And I swore it'd be different but how could it be?
What I came to escape is right here inside of me.
I look in the mirror past the buildings,the sky's getting light.
Another piece of my innocence is the admission I paid there tonight.
Slow down past her exit though it makes me sick, and I imagine her saying,
"You're better than this... you're better than this."
And I swore it'd be different but how could it be?
What I came here to escape is right here inside of me.
And I swore it'd be different but how could it be?
What I came to escape is right here inside of me.
Woah-woah
And I swore it’d be different.
Still got her face on my mind.
Heading where the talk is cheap
and I'm dressed to a "t" so they won't notice me.
It's warm for October
and I've got the windows down.
The skyline whispers her promises,
the same lie each night.
But I force myself to believe...
And I swore it'd be different but how could it be?
What I came to escape is right here inside of me.
The city's a desert
with photographic stars.
Each pretty face is just a mirage,
and my mouth's full of sand again.
But I force myself to believe,
across the river's the cure for what's sick inside of me.
And I swore it'd be different but how could it be?
What I came to escape is right here inside of me.
And I swore it'd be different but how could it be?
What I came to escape is right here inside of me.
I look in the mirror past the buildings,the sky's getting light.
Another piece of my innocence is the admission I paid there tonight.
Slow down past her exit though it makes me sick, and I imagine her saying,
"You're better than this... you're better than this."
And I swore it'd be different but how could it be?
What I came here to escape is right here inside of me.
And I swore it'd be different but how could it be?
What I came to escape is right here inside of me.
Woah-woah
And I swore it’d be different.
Lyrics submitted by iamdestroyer
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this song has been in my head alllllll day. danny's got such an amazing voice
um as far as meaning goes... i'm thinking it's about a guy with a guilty conscience. it seems to me that the singer has been cheating on his girlfriend, although at first glance it seems he's the one being cheated on because of the lines "the skyline whispers her promises, the same lie each night" however it's stating he needs to get away, doesn't want to be noticed ect ect. also he says it's warm for october, implying he may be under the heat of a guilty conscience. i feel he's cheating on the girl because he may have lost interest but doesn't know how to leave her or he's testing out whether he truely feels for her. hence forcing himself to believe what she says, even though to him it's a lie. moving on to the chorus the difference he wants is a change of scene, a different girl BUT he can't escape his girlfriend because he still sees her face and hears her promises, because he knows what he's doing is wrong. i'm most convinced of this during the stanza near the end that starts "i look in the mirror..." paying admission with his innoccence, exiting past her making him sick, "you're better than this, you're better than this"? one word: cheating. so in conclusion... it's about a boy who cheats on his girlfriend, but still can't get her off his mind.