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, tonight, tonight
The stars are aligned, and the planets colliding
The plan is arriving, and she's out there smiling
The fear is upon us, the skies tried to warn us
The parents are goners, no children to mourn us
It's driving me crazy, this war is my lady
We've lost all our babies, and God is amazing
The tick of the timer, the slip of the rhymer, the pimp and the riser
Your cross, there you'll find her
Hey, hey
Death is on the tip of her tongue and
Danger's at the tip of her fingers
Streets are on fire tonight
Death is on the tip of her tongue and
Danger's at the tip of her fingers
Streets are on fire tonight
Disease, the virus is spreading in all directions
No safe zone no cure and no protection
No symptoms define the signs of an infection
No vaccines, remedies, and no corrections
Quarantine the dreams and seal off the connections
Don't let them in, not a friend, not a reflection
Everybody's got it and want you to have it next and
Don't accept them if you want to stay as an exception
No pill can heal the ill of this
Sickness, some are still in doubt of its existence
Some call it forgiveness and some call it the vengeance
Some say it's an exit and some say it's an entrance
The poor say the rich have the cure
The rich say the poor are the source
Revolutionaries say it's psychological war
Invented by the press, just to have something to report
Some say the first case came from a maternity ward
Some say a morgue, some say the skies, some say the floors
Whores say the nuns, nuns say the whores
And everybody is sure
The scientist say it only affects the mind
The little boy said it only affects the girls
The preacher man said it's going to kill off the soul
A bum said it's going to kill the whole wide world
Death is on the tip of her tongue and
Danger's at the tip of her fingers
Streets are on fire tonight
Death is on the tip of her tongue and
Danger's at the tip of her fingers
Streets are on fire tonight
"Believe!", so say the neon signs by the
Loudspeakers repeating that everything is fine
A subtle solace to demolish the troubled conscience
Of a populace with no knowledge and every freedom denied
Every dream is designed and broadcasted
From the masters to the masses
From the antennas on the top of the shrines
Refine the receiver and plant it
During the panic and short it, it reports back
Everything in your mind, everything is lying
Everything is dying, everything is a rule
Everything is a crime, everything was here then
Everything rewind the new
Weather burned the feathers off everything flying
(And she likes it, and she loves it)
The sadness, the madness, the bad shit
The lavish, the fastest, the clashes, the ashes to ashes
Everything intertwined
My femme fatale my darling fraudulent angel
Once caught her changing the batteries in her halo
Receipt for her wings and everything that she paid for
And the address to the factory where they made those
Scientist said she's all inside my mind
The little boy said "What happened to all the girls?"
The preacher man said "She's going to kill off your soul"
The dope boy said "It's the whole wide world"
Death is on the tip of her tongue and
Danger's at the tip of her fingers
Streets are on fire tonight
Death is on the tip of her tongue and
Danger's at the tip of her fingers
Streets are on fire tonight
The stars are aligned, and the planets colliding
The plan is arriving, and she's out there smiling
The fear is upon us, the skies tried to warn us
The parents are goners, no children to mourn us
It's driving me crazy, this war is my lady
We've lost all our babies, and God is amazing
The tick of the timer, the slip of the rhymer, the pimp and the riser
Your cross, there you'll find her
Hey, hey
Death is on the tip of her tongue and
Danger's at the tip of her fingers
Streets are on fire tonight
Death is on the tip of her tongue and
Danger's at the tip of her fingers
Streets are on fire tonight
Disease, the virus is spreading in all directions
No safe zone no cure and no protection
No symptoms define the signs of an infection
No vaccines, remedies, and no corrections
Quarantine the dreams and seal off the connections
Don't let them in, not a friend, not a reflection
Everybody's got it and want you to have it next and
Don't accept them if you want to stay as an exception
No pill can heal the ill of this
Sickness, some are still in doubt of its existence
Some call it forgiveness and some call it the vengeance
Some say it's an exit and some say it's an entrance
The poor say the rich have the cure
The rich say the poor are the source
Revolutionaries say it's psychological war
Invented by the press, just to have something to report
Some say the first case came from a maternity ward
Some say a morgue, some say the skies, some say the floors
Whores say the nuns, nuns say the whores
And everybody is sure
The scientist say it only affects the mind
The little boy said it only affects the girls
The preacher man said it's going to kill off the soul
A bum said it's going to kill the whole wide world
Death is on the tip of her tongue and
Danger's at the tip of her fingers
Streets are on fire tonight
Death is on the tip of her tongue and
Danger's at the tip of her fingers
Streets are on fire tonight
"Believe!", so say the neon signs by the
Loudspeakers repeating that everything is fine
A subtle solace to demolish the troubled conscience
Of a populace with no knowledge and every freedom denied
Every dream is designed and broadcasted
From the masters to the masses
From the antennas on the top of the shrines
Refine the receiver and plant it
During the panic and short it, it reports back
Everything in your mind, everything is lying
Everything is dying, everything is a rule
Everything is a crime, everything was here then
Everything rewind the new
Weather burned the feathers off everything flying
(And she likes it, and she loves it)
The sadness, the madness, the bad shit
The lavish, the fastest, the clashes, the ashes to ashes
Everything intertwined
My femme fatale my darling fraudulent angel
Once caught her changing the batteries in her halo
Receipt for her wings and everything that she paid for
And the address to the factory where they made those
Scientist said she's all inside my mind
The little boy said "What happened to all the girls?"
The preacher man said "She's going to kill off your soul"
The dope boy said "It's the whole wide world"
Death is on the tip of her tongue and
Danger's at the tip of her fingers
Streets are on fire tonight
Death is on the tip of her tongue and
Danger's at the tip of her fingers
Streets are on fire tonight
Lyrics submitted by Phaithdzyne
Streets on Fire Lyrics as written by Derrick Braxton Christopher Eddy Paultre
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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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,
Actually, if you any of you have paid attention to his music this song is more-so-ever a "prophetic" description of what is taking place right now and in the near future. Yes, this has something to deal with music, but the virus is deeper than that. This song is about the end...the end of the world. How hip hop is sneaking subliminal messages that slowly poisons the mind. We hear a tight beat but pay little to no attention to the message around it. We'll hear the lyrics but don't research the meaning of it. Then we someone finally realizes what's being said and speaks on it they're being called radical and bizaar. How many of you know what his song "I'm beaming" refers to? "Dumb it down" He painted it out for us but we weren't really paying attention to who these characters are and how they're affecting us. The characters are just pawns in a hierarchies' game. God warned us but I'm guessing we're too "cool" to listen. He knew that Satan would use music to deceive the mind because when he was in heaven he was the direction of a choir....do your research. When you think something is too far fetched sometimes it's not. I didn't pay attention until I started listening to the lyrics and my spirit said something wasn't right. Who's the illuminati and how are they affecting you?