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.
Was a disaster
Sitting in bed at five
Won't betray me within a lowman's eye
Wasn't the sex
Wasn't the wives
Never fully go up the side
With the disbelief that the kid was right
The man digs stopped four-hundred fights
With pick-me-ups and flawless lies
Broke through the lines and tried the crack
Wasn't the plastic in the house that quit
That treat the maid
Everybody's sick
With the woman sticks in a heart of gold
Everything is a little bit sore
Wasn't the discipline kid who melts
The wife who told you what you thought
But you and i can live inside this wall Without like this
Everybody's waiting for the return kids
And put it in your head
Put it in your head
Sex and our wills will stay our lips
Now put it in your head
Put it in your head
Wasn't the demon in the lip-cracked skin
Double times inside the wind
Wasn't the leak of every man in law
The idea that it's the death of fall
Now they can tick you off and try to make a little laugh
But put it in your head
Put it in your head
See the shotguns that look like time
And put it in your head
Put it in your head
Wasn't the miles in the world of puke
I could kill you if I looked like you
If you never believed,
Never could fight
How do you know if the words are right
Wasn't the teacher that got a call
The deejay still seems to swallow
A bottle of come and a bottle of skin
miles above the wall everywhere
Like spoken sex and all I fear
Everyone does what they fear
But you and I can live inside this wall without like this
Frightening lives
You and me
Frightening lives
Above the sand
Frightening lives
All will weep
Frightening lives
Desperate scene
Sitting in bed at five
Won't betray me within a lowman's eye
Wasn't the sex
Wasn't the wives
Never fully go up the side
With the disbelief that the kid was right
The man digs stopped four-hundred fights
With pick-me-ups and flawless lies
Broke through the lines and tried the crack
Wasn't the plastic in the house that quit
That treat the maid
Everybody's sick
With the woman sticks in a heart of gold
Everything is a little bit sore
Wasn't the discipline kid who melts
The wife who told you what you thought
But you and i can live inside this wall Without like this
Everybody's waiting for the return kids
And put it in your head
Put it in your head
Sex and our wills will stay our lips
Now put it in your head
Put it in your head
Wasn't the demon in the lip-cracked skin
Double times inside the wind
Wasn't the leak of every man in law
The idea that it's the death of fall
Now they can tick you off and try to make a little laugh
But put it in your head
Put it in your head
See the shotguns that look like time
And put it in your head
Put it in your head
Wasn't the miles in the world of puke
I could kill you if I looked like you
If you never believed,
Never could fight
How do you know if the words are right
Wasn't the teacher that got a call
The deejay still seems to swallow
A bottle of come and a bottle of skin
miles above the wall everywhere
Like spoken sex and all I fear
Everyone does what they fear
But you and I can live inside this wall without like this
Frightening lives
You and me
Frightening lives
Above the sand
Frightening lives
All will weep
Frightening lives
Desperate scene
Lyrics submitted by crazycrackah
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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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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.
Listened to this song for a few hours, it's quickly become a favorite of mine. After finding out for sure that the main line is "But you know I can't live inside this war without our bed." this is what I ended up with-
Wars and disasters in the bed I find That won't betray, within the lonely die It wars in the sex, wars in the wise Metaphorical upward slide
Or the dizzy belief that the good was right The mandate to stop four-hundred fights With the pick-me-ups and throttle lies Broke through the lines and tried to cry
Wars in the plastic in the house that quit The truth that made everybody sick That woman mistakes in a heart of gold Everything is a little bit sold and The wars in the disciplined kid who melts The wife who told you, what you felt
But you know I can't live inside this war without our bed.
Everybody's waiting for the returned kids that Put it in your head Put it in your head Suctioned our wills with stained-lime lips now Put it in your head Put it in your head
Wars in the team you're in the lip-cracked skin Double-time it's inside of the win Wars in the weak in every man along The idea that it's death to fall down
They can take you up and try to make a little life but Put it in your head Put it in your head See the shotguns are looped like time and Put it in your head Put it in your head
Wars in the margarine in a world of puke That I could kill you, if I look like you If you never believed, never would find An idea that our lives are round
The wars in the lips you elevate in a call The DJ that still seems too small Or the battle of cum and a battle of skin The miles of love that won't ever win Like spoken sex and all I fear Everyone does what they fear
But you know I can't live inside this war without our bed.
Frightening lives For you and me Frightening lives Above the sea Frightening lives All will lead Frightening lives Desperate scene
To me this song is showing how anxiety, fear and anger have creeped into a person's life to the point that he is losing sleep over it. It's about the sum of everything that's happening around him and how he is allowing it to weigh down upon his life.