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 so glad to be here I could slit my fucking wrist
This chaos is just what I need to keep me nice and pissed
My chest fills up with acid till the veins pop in my head
I wake up every morning wishing God would strike me dead
But...
When the whole world looks at me they see some other guy
Doesn't matter what I say, they all made up their minds
I didn't like it then, and I still don't like it now
But I find the strength to smile somehow
And say...
I'm so glad to be here I could jump off every bridge
But everybody's got a rope around one of my limbs
Tryin' to get their piece they keep on tearing me apart
They wanna get inside me so they can kick around my heart
'Coz...
When the whole world looks at me they see some other guy
Doesn't matter what I say, they all made up their minds
I didn't like it then, and I still don't like it now
But I find the strength to smile somehow
And say...
I'm so glad to be here
I'm really glad to be here
I'm so glad to be here
I'm really glad to be here
I'm so glad I could just hang myself from the highest tree
I'm longing for the crush of rushing trains over me
I haven't had a good night sleep since 1995
I'm too tired to ask why I keep myself alive
But...
When the whole world looks at me they see some other guy
Doesn't matter what I say, they all made up their minds
I didn't like it then, and I still don't like it now
But I find the strength to smile somehow
And say...
I'm so glad to be here
I'm really glad to be here
I'm so glad to be here
I'm really glad to be here
This chaos is just what I need to keep me nice and pissed
My chest fills up with acid till the veins pop in my head
I wake up every morning wishing God would strike me dead
But...
When the whole world looks at me they see some other guy
Doesn't matter what I say, they all made up their minds
I didn't like it then, and I still don't like it now
But I find the strength to smile somehow
And say...
I'm so glad to be here I could jump off every bridge
But everybody's got a rope around one of my limbs
Tryin' to get their piece they keep on tearing me apart
They wanna get inside me so they can kick around my heart
'Coz...
When the whole world looks at me they see some other guy
Doesn't matter what I say, they all made up their minds
I didn't like it then, and I still don't like it now
But I find the strength to smile somehow
And say...
I'm so glad to be here
I'm really glad to be here
I'm so glad to be here
I'm really glad to be here
I'm so glad I could just hang myself from the highest tree
I'm longing for the crush of rushing trains over me
I haven't had a good night sleep since 1995
I'm too tired to ask why I keep myself alive
But...
When the whole world looks at me they see some other guy
Doesn't matter what I say, they all made up their minds
I didn't like it then, and I still don't like it now
But I find the strength to smile somehow
And say...
I'm so glad to be here
I'm really glad to be here
I'm so glad to be here
I'm really glad to be here
Lyrics submitted by Ryan Cacophony
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" After getting off a tour, the transition back to civilian life ain't easy - life feels wrong, like it isn't yours and ya don't belong there. Within 12 hours, I'm going crazy, have even less tolerance for the little things that piss me off, need to drive faster than a shitty old Hyundai was meant to, and am at a loss on how to budget my time, re-learning what a day is and what it's suddenly supposed to consist of. "Glad To Be Here" came out of one of those moments where you're in the last place you'd want to be.
Like in the 80's at the DMV, when the lines went out the door, ya get to the window and the lady says there's another form to fill out, and you have to wait on line again for another 3 hours. Or traffic court, waitin' to see the judge. I think I've seen half the ones in NJ, one in Westchester, got out of having to sit in one in Virginia. But yeah, if you're ever in that spot, in that kinda traffic, in that kinda trouble, or with those kinds of people, think of the verses to this song, it'll say it all for ya."