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.
Descending,
An orbit gone wrong,
Europa rely,
Europa will rely,
The monolith is calling me.
The monolith is calling me.
Living on the ideal of,
borrowed time.
Living on your own,
the darkness of the light,
the silence in between,
I remember your eyes,
and softness of the skin,
Living on your own,
borrowed time.
The monolith is calling me,
the names of all the ones I loved,
no time in space,
no day or night to know,
how long I’ve been away from your home,
how long – I’ve drifted away - I’ve drifted away
An orbit gone wrong,
The shell of a man,
has lost his form again,
The shell of man.
Forgotten form,
an orbit gone wrong
Descending,
an orbit gone wrong.
Borrowed time,
can't show me.
Monolith is calling,
descending, the names of
my own memories.
This shell of a man has forgotten,
his human form at last,
shell of a man forgotten,
his human form again
Look to the sky for Mary.
Bleed up to the light.
Shell of a man forgotten,
his human form at last,
shell of man,
forgotten human form.
Your dream died today.
Turn it around,
crumbling odds,
your failed me,
turn it around,
crumbling down,
you failed me.
Shell of a man forgotten, bleed up to the light
Shell of a man forgotten his human form again.
Shell of a man Europa - lift me up.
Shell of man, turning over, your dream died today.
Shell of man has forgotten human form - you failed me
Shell of man, forgotten human form
Shell of man, your dream died today
Shell of man forgotten
Shell of man. Living on borrowed time.
An orbit gone wrong,
Europa rely,
Europa will rely,
The monolith is calling me.
The monolith is calling me.
Living on the ideal of,
borrowed time.
Living on your own,
the darkness of the light,
the silence in between,
I remember your eyes,
and softness of the skin,
Living on your own,
borrowed time.
The monolith is calling me,
the names of all the ones I loved,
no time in space,
no day or night to know,
how long I’ve been away from your home,
how long – I’ve drifted away - I’ve drifted away
An orbit gone wrong,
The shell of a man,
has lost his form again,
The shell of man.
Forgotten form,
an orbit gone wrong
Descending,
an orbit gone wrong.
Borrowed time,
can't show me.
Monolith is calling,
descending, the names of
my own memories.
This shell of a man has forgotten,
his human form at last,
shell of a man forgotten,
his human form again
Look to the sky for Mary.
Bleed up to the light.
Shell of a man forgotten,
his human form at last,
shell of man,
forgotten human form.
Your dream died today.
Turn it around,
crumbling odds,
your failed me,
turn it around,
crumbling down,
you failed me.
Shell of a man forgotten, bleed up to the light
Shell of a man forgotten his human form again.
Shell of a man Europa - lift me up.
Shell of man, turning over, your dream died today.
Shell of man has forgotten human form - you failed me
Shell of man, forgotten human form
Shell of man, your dream died today
Shell of man forgotten
Shell of man. Living on borrowed time.
Lyrics submitted by LLN
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I'm pretty sure this song is about 2010 (The sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey. In 2010, a crew travels to the abandoned Discovery 9 ship, in orbit around a moon of Jupiter. A man from the Discovery 9 Voyage disappeared after a monolith took him through space and time, and he became the first of a new race born on the moon of Jupiter, Europa. I believe this song is describing what happened to him.
Nah, the album is about a man that runs away to Europa to escape the chaos and disorder of Earth. Soon after arrival he realizes what he has left behind -- a family, friends, all the ones he loved etc. -- but he dies before making the return trip.
(Elton John's "Rocket Man" plays)