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.
Oh God!
The sound they must have heard in the distance:
A wilderness of sound and movement repeating itself across
The narrows of mountainsides, the cries of creatures crashing
Against cold rock, human voices heralding the hillside.
Their bellows bounding ripe with resonance
From here unimportant call received the all important answer.
Oh goddess who bore us what we must have done to have buried
Your daughters and prayed for a son.
The wind and the rain spoke a language of wonder
To a species rising thickly to a dialogue with thunder
In the empty place between better and worse
Language unravels and irony hurts.
In the common place between hunger and thirst
The words that define us a blessing and curse
The words that confine the ideas traversed the ear
To hear the song without verse, the sound of the sound of the sound
Utter first, the burst into nothing so sudden and soft.
The silence inside you when the music has stopped.
The sound they must have heard in the distance:
A wilderness of sound and movement repeating itself across
The narrows of mountainsides, the cries of creatures crashing
Against cold rock, human voices heralding the hillside.
Their bellows bounding ripe with resonance
From here unimportant call received the all important answer.
Oh goddess who bore us what we must have done to have buried
Your daughters and prayed for a son.
The wind and the rain spoke a language of wonder
To a species rising thickly to a dialogue with thunder
In the empty place between better and worse
Language unravels and irony hurts.
In the common place between hunger and thirst
The words that define us a blessing and curse
The words that confine the ideas traversed the ear
To hear the song without verse, the sound of the sound of the sound
Utter first, the burst into nothing so sudden and soft.
The silence inside you when the music has stopped.
Lyrics submitted by gorgonseye
Goddess Gagged Lyrics as written by Lucas Hoskin Arif Mirabodlbaghi
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
This also relates to spoils. "language is the heart's lament, a weak attempt to circumvent the loneliness inherent in the search for permanence." Words are just words, utterly failing to communicate our emotions, whereas music does. The first few lines refer to themselves, or music in general "What they must have heard". They didn't hear words or poetry, the heard music "a wilderness of sound and movement repeating itself across the narrows of mountainsides, the cries of creatures crashing against cold rock, human voices heralding the hillside, their bellows bounding ripe with resonance" i might think that means percussion (creatures crashing), the echoing of the sole music (repeating itself) singing (the human voices heralding the hillside). Unfortunately, i haven't gotten into the goddess part, i know that it may be what they were saying? maybe they were the creators of music, and their lyric was about their goddess giving birth to a daughter, but because of society's sexism, or simply society's conclusion that "god" is male, not female. Maybe this goes even further than biblical times, but that wouldn't make any sense seeing as the album is divided into past, present and future. Maybe this means that we are restarting the whole process, that we will communicate by music instead of words, that we will start a new religion upon a goddess instead of a god? I know there is mention of flidias earlier in the album, but does flidias also control the wind and the rain and the thunder? the wind and rain and thunder make music, which is possibly where man got it from, and stole it. It was a blessing and curse since it does so much, but is taking away our language?
thanks for listening to me rant