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.
i know what i did
cause if you're my friend
i've lied to you this far
i'm no one to trust
i've got a brand new pen
and i drink too much
there i was like a holy lantern
i was held up bright but
i was held up battered
you know, you know, you know i'll burn out soon
there you were like sunday mass
all the boring little hymns that'll never pass
you know, you know, you know...
don't go to bed in the garden
i'll be throwing apples away
when no ones awake
there i was like the devils mouth
with a terrible lie that i want to announce
you know, you know, you know i'll burn out soon
there you were like a broken lamb
you're eyes, they shut not to open again until
you know, you know that i've burnt through yeah
don't go to bed in the garden
i'll be throwing apples away
when no ones awake
don't make your bed in the garden
ill be planting flowers all may ay ay
someone here has seen the culprit!
someone here has found me out
someone here has seen the culprit!
no one here is getting out!
don't go to bed in the garden
i'll be throwing apples away
when no ones awake
don't go to bed in the garden
i'll be throwing apples away
when no ones awake
don't make your bed in the garden
i'll be planting flowers all may
until my pitchfork breaks
my pitchfork breaks
my pitchfork breaks
my pitchfork breaks
until my pitchfork breaks
my pitchfork breaks
my pitchfork breaks
my pitchfork breaks
until my pitchfork breaks
cause if you're my friend
i've lied to you this far
i'm no one to trust
i've got a brand new pen
and i drink too much
there i was like a holy lantern
i was held up bright but
i was held up battered
you know, you know, you know i'll burn out soon
there you were like sunday mass
all the boring little hymns that'll never pass
you know, you know, you know...
don't go to bed in the garden
i'll be throwing apples away
when no ones awake
there i was like the devils mouth
with a terrible lie that i want to announce
you know, you know, you know i'll burn out soon
there you were like a broken lamb
you're eyes, they shut not to open again until
you know, you know that i've burnt through yeah
don't go to bed in the garden
i'll be throwing apples away
when no ones awake
don't make your bed in the garden
ill be planting flowers all may ay ay
someone here has seen the culprit!
someone here has found me out
someone here has seen the culprit!
no one here is getting out!
don't go to bed in the garden
i'll be throwing apples away
when no ones awake
don't go to bed in the garden
i'll be throwing apples away
when no ones awake
don't make your bed in the garden
i'll be planting flowers all may
until my pitchfork breaks
my pitchfork breaks
my pitchfork breaks
my pitchfork breaks
until my pitchfork breaks
my pitchfork breaks
my pitchfork breaks
my pitchfork breaks
until my pitchfork breaks
Lyrics submitted by thequiettype
A Fox In The Garden Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © HIPGNOSIS SONGS GROUP
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"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.
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Amazing
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Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
It seems to me that the person speaking is yearning for someone they care deeply about. You can tell by the way he whines "Doooon't go to bed in the garden.." that something inside is killing him about the situation he is in, and keeping him up all night: "I'll be throwing apples away, when no one's awake.." It seems a helpless situation that he cannot, for some reason, be proactive about-- Either by will or actual helplessness, in that even if he made an effort, nothing would change. So instead, he let's it eat away at him. He tries thinking out loud (the chorus) so that maybe she will hear him, but of course, she won't.
He reminisces about the moment when he first laid eyes on her: "There you were like Sunday mass.." The way he keeps talking about her, and his first impression, notes that she is important to him, and there are feelings he has towards her that he has been keeping in the dark. Since he is not telling her directly, it seems he doesn't want her to know, but he wishes she did at the same time.
Apples to me, signify the hours that he is throwing away staying up and concerning himself with the conflict at hand. Apples are seen in biblical texts as vital, or sacred, and important, as in Adam and Eve, and "DON'T eat the apple!" Time is a valuable part in the the human life, so precious time should not be wasted, and neither should good apples.
And judging by the way he promises that he'll by planting flowers till his pitchfork breaks, insinuates that he isn't going to give up until something is achieved or solved.
I may be off, but it seems that he is placing himself in the role of the Devil as the snake from the garden in the story of Adam and Eve, and that he knows that he has bad intentions, or has been a bad person in the past, and he doesn't want to hurt the girl, but wants what he wants regardless. What he wants is to still be decided.
Make sure you read Song of Solomon 2:15 before you try to analyze this song. I'm nearly positive that this song is viewed through that lens ie foxes are essentially spoilers of the purity of the garden. Here's a link blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm.