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.
Exhume this wretched corpse
Its lifelessness to be withheld
His pale face tells the story of an unjust life
A sickening story of uncomfortable familiarity
The saddened shadow of a man that once was
Casts me into disgrace
The dissecting begins in the chest
Bone saws gnaw through lifeless flesh
A heartless cavity reveals a painless end
Preceded by a pain unknown
His bold voice forever silenced
Sever the skull
His mind lies in peace
Free from the torment of existence
Its lifelessness to be withheld
His pale face tells the story of an unjust life
A sickening story of uncomfortable familiarity
The saddened shadow of a man that once was
Casts me into disgrace
The dissecting begins in the chest
Bone saws gnaw through lifeless flesh
A heartless cavity reveals a painless end
Preceded by a pain unknown
His bold voice forever silenced
Sever the skull
His mind lies in peace
Free from the torment of existence
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
The easy explanation...."An Autopsy" is about a body of some sort that has been removed from it's grave and is being examined. The more complex explanation....it's not exactly an exhumed being that has been taken by graverobbers or anything, but a body that was dug up for an honest reason. They weren't examining someone who died naturally. This being had something else going on at the time of it's passing and they (the ones conducting the autopsy) are unraveling a story as they make each incision. As they examine him, they seem to become one with him in some eerie way. It's a very disturbing and graphic moment. I think that the being, when it was alive, became sudddenly taken over by something else....possibly a ghost or some source of evil and even after it had passed, the torment within itself had remained and the body's mind was trapped.
After they "sever the skull", they free the being from the torment that was life and is death. I believe the mind of the being had been dormant and is now in discarnate form....where it goes is beyond me.
This is a lot of explanation for one song, but I'm majorly into these guys and (side note) when you smoke bud, they take you on a trip you'd never imagine....hence the long explanation.
:]
Absolutely agree with you. Really great song by a great band.
The definition of "exhume" means to 'bring back from neglect,' which by what KrackedJars stated earlier, a grave of some kind, cast aside.
"It's lifelessness to be withheld" is quite a confusing part, because withholding it's lifelessness would mean to refrain from believing that it is dead, meaning that it is either posessed by some sort of spirit (Noted in "The saddened shadow of a man that once was." Shadow being a term for ghost) or, the lesser, a zombie or undead.
"Sickening story of uncomfortable familiarity" meaning what i think to be that they have seen something not unlike this, but it still makes them uneasy.
"A heartless cavity reveals a painless end." It is unknown if they themselves removed the heart, or if they came upon it already gone.
"Preceded by a pain unknown." In conjunction with the previous line, this states that his heart may have been taken from him and something may have possesed him through the area where his heart would be. (Remember "shadow?") This could cause indescribable pain.
"His bold voice was forever silenced." Meaning he has suffered death and has no control of life anymore.
The rest is well defined by KrackedJars.
LONG LIVE THE FACELESS MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!
Great song by the band. "Free from the torment of existence" It leads me to believe he/she wanted to die.
which would line up with the idea of being tormented and possesed by a spirit.
i think if something were doing that to me, i would want to die too...
A man, taken from his long slumber, he died painlessly, but death is an unknown pain to anyone, so they remove his head, as his existence is already ended...