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'm a poor boy now
You can see these scars
cut from love and ink
did you think i'd wait?
see these lungs that breathe
filled with tar and disease
slowly wearing thin
no i won't let you in
i'm a poor girl now
it's been said and done
cut from love and glue
but i never said this to you
see these eyes deceived
filled with hearts unsigned
lining wearing thin
but no i wont let you in
this places has attracted the publics attention
but why let that get
what were you doing when i couldn't see?
you took too much time
this places has attracted the publics attention
but why let that get
what were you doing when i couldn't see?
you took too much time
You can see these scars
cut from love and ink
did you think i'd wait?
see these lungs that breathe
filled with tar and disease
slowly wearing thin
no i won't let you in
i'm a poor girl now
it's been said and done
cut from love and glue
but i never said this to you
see these eyes deceived
filled with hearts unsigned
lining wearing thin
but no i wont let you in
this places has attracted the publics attention
but why let that get
what were you doing when i couldn't see?
you took too much time
this places has attracted the publics attention
but why let that get
what were you doing when i couldn't see?
you took too much time
Lyrics submitted by beforeifreeze
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
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I'm probably under-analyzing, but to me it seems like this song is about a missed opportunity to be in a relationship. Perhaps the two people involved both liked each other but didn't want to say anything in fear that the other person didn't feel the same way.
Either way, what a fantastic song. Absolutely beautiful.