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.
He wants to die in a lake in Geneva
The mountains can cover the shape of his nose
He wants to die where nobody can see him
But the beauty of his death will carry on so
I don't believe him
He greets me with kisses when good days deceive him
And sometimes we're scorned and sometimes I believe him
And sometimes I'm convinced, my friends think I'm crazy
Get scared and call him but he's usually hazy
At one in the morning, day is not ended
By two he is scared that sleep is no friend
And by four he will drink but he cannot feel it
Sleep will not come because sleep does not will it
And I don't believe him, morning is mocking me
I?ll wander the streets, avoiding them eats
?Til the ring on my finger slips to the ground
A gift to the gutter, a gift to the city
The veins of which have broken me down
And I don't believe him, morning is mocking me
Oh, the Gods that he believes never fail to amaze me
He believes in the love of his God of all things
But I find him wrapped up in all manner of sins
The drugs that deceive him and the girls that believe him
I can't control you, I don't know you well
These are the reasons I think that you're ill
I can't control you, I don't know you well
These are the reasons I think that you're ill
And since last that we parted
Last that I saw him down by a river
Silent and hardened
Morning was mocking us, blood hit the sky
I was just happy, my manic and I
He couldn't see me, the sun was in his eyes
And birds were singing to calm us down
And birds were singing to calm us down
And I'm sorry young man, I cannot be your friend
I don't believe in a fairytale end
I don't keep my head up all of the time
I find it dull when my heart meets my mind
And I hardly know you, I think I can tell
These are the reasons I think that we're ill
I hardly know you, I think I can tell
These are the reasons I think that I'm ill
And the Gods that he believes never fail to disappoint me
The Gods that he believes never fail to disappoint me
My nihilist, my happy man, my manic and I
Have no plans to move on
But birds are singing to calm us down
And birds are singing to calm us down
The mountains can cover the shape of his nose
He wants to die where nobody can see him
But the beauty of his death will carry on so
I don't believe him
He greets me with kisses when good days deceive him
And sometimes we're scorned and sometimes I believe him
And sometimes I'm convinced, my friends think I'm crazy
Get scared and call him but he's usually hazy
At one in the morning, day is not ended
By two he is scared that sleep is no friend
And by four he will drink but he cannot feel it
Sleep will not come because sleep does not will it
And I don't believe him, morning is mocking me
I?ll wander the streets, avoiding them eats
?Til the ring on my finger slips to the ground
A gift to the gutter, a gift to the city
The veins of which have broken me down
And I don't believe him, morning is mocking me
Oh, the Gods that he believes never fail to amaze me
He believes in the love of his God of all things
But I find him wrapped up in all manner of sins
The drugs that deceive him and the girls that believe him
I can't control you, I don't know you well
These are the reasons I think that you're ill
I can't control you, I don't know you well
These are the reasons I think that you're ill
And since last that we parted
Last that I saw him down by a river
Silent and hardened
Morning was mocking us, blood hit the sky
I was just happy, my manic and I
He couldn't see me, the sun was in his eyes
And birds were singing to calm us down
And birds were singing to calm us down
And I'm sorry young man, I cannot be your friend
I don't believe in a fairytale end
I don't keep my head up all of the time
I find it dull when my heart meets my mind
And I hardly know you, I think I can tell
These are the reasons I think that we're ill
I hardly know you, I think I can tell
These are the reasons I think that I'm ill
And the Gods that he believes never fail to disappoint me
The Gods that he believes never fail to disappoint me
My nihilist, my happy man, my manic and I
Have no plans to move on
But birds are singing to calm us down
And birds are singing to calm us down
Lyrics submitted by junkiesong, edited by ghostyyy, SimmaDownSimba, abadonnas, duskmite
My Manic and I Lyrics as written by Laura Beatrice Marling
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The song is obviously about some sort of love of hers, a man who suffers from manic depression, clear from the title and hints given away in the song, such as his insomnia "Sleep will not come because sleep does not will it". From the first verse we can assume that he wants to die, this probably played on her mind and resulted in her perhaps not even fully believing in his depression, "I don’t believe him". This could also be because of his religious views and how he does not obey the laws of God, resulting in her not fully believing that he tells the truth all the time, "He believes in the love in his god of all things But I find him wrapped up in all manner of sins". The line "Till ring on my finger slips to the ground" could be perhaps an engagement ring, implying that they were once engaged? "The drugs that deceive him and the girls that believe him" could insinuate that perhaps they broke up due to his addiction to drugs and alcohol (which was mentioned in the first verse) and perhaps he was cheating on her, sympathy sex with other girls who believe that he does suffer this depression? The penultimate verse could be their breaking up, or just a time when she saw him, and it describes the emotions she felt, such as anger, "And birds were singing to calm us down" is simply the sound of the birds singing, almost as if the whole of nature might understand the anger that she was feeling. "And I’m sorry young man, I cannot be your friend. I don’t believe in a fairytale end", after the break up she might feel that she can no longer be friends with him as there are too many strong feelings like perhaps anger and hatred and confusion. "I don’t keep my head up all of the time" shows that she might have been sad at the idea of leaving him forever, but she feels it is the right thing to do. "And I hardly know you, I think I can tell. These are the reasons I think that we're ill" she might feel as if she barely knows him any more due to the drugs etc. and she might also be implying that she too suffers from depression by saying "These are the reasons I think that WE'RE ILL".
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