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.
And everything will come to pass.
And it all happened in the dash
I saw the numbers on each side
But all that mattered was the line
When you left so many came
To see the stone they had engraved
It all happened way too fast
It all happened in the dash
And everything will come and go
And we will never really know
Just how much falls in-between
Or we'd say everything will be.
But we can't sum up every page
With just one cover and one name
It all happened way too fast
And all we had becomes a dash
And if I had one more chance for us to start things over
Ya know I wouldn't change a thing
And if I had one more chance for us to be together
If I could do it all again, I wouldn't change a thing
And everything will come to be
Another distant memory
Something alone to make you laugh
One for your own epitaph
And in the end what will they say
About your spirit and your name
It all happened way too fast
And all we are becomes a dash
And if I had one more chance for us to start things over
Ya know I wouldn't change a thing
And if I had one more chance for us to be together
If I could do it all again, I wouldn't change a thing
Life is what happens in-between the dreams you're trying to remember
Life is what happens in-between going for your longest breath underwater
Life is what happens in-between the red lights and stop signs
Life is what happens in-between losing your patience on the express line
Life is what happens in-between letting the phone ring and staring at the number
Life is what happens in-between finding out what no one wants to tell ya.
Life is what happens in-between staying for the end of your favorite song
Life is what happens in-between wanting to say it, but waiting too long
Life is what happens in-between each fight on the message board
Life is what happens in-between each time I leave for another tour
Life is what happens in-between the holding out for a better spot
Life is what happens when you take a chance and lose what ya got
Life is what happens in-between the traffic stopped to look at the crash
Life is what happens in-between forgetting to hit save and starting from scratch
Life is what happens between agreeing that the year went by so fast
Life is what happens and all we have becomes a dash
And it all happened in the dash
I saw the numbers on each side
But all that mattered was the line
When you left so many came
To see the stone they had engraved
It all happened way too fast
It all happened in the dash
And everything will come and go
And we will never really know
Just how much falls in-between
Or we'd say everything will be.
But we can't sum up every page
With just one cover and one name
It all happened way too fast
And all we had becomes a dash
And if I had one more chance for us to start things over
Ya know I wouldn't change a thing
And if I had one more chance for us to be together
If I could do it all again, I wouldn't change a thing
And everything will come to be
Another distant memory
Something alone to make you laugh
One for your own epitaph
And in the end what will they say
About your spirit and your name
It all happened way too fast
And all we are becomes a dash
And if I had one more chance for us to start things over
Ya know I wouldn't change a thing
And if I had one more chance for us to be together
If I could do it all again, I wouldn't change a thing
Life is what happens in-between the dreams you're trying to remember
Life is what happens in-between going for your longest breath underwater
Life is what happens in-between the red lights and stop signs
Life is what happens in-between losing your patience on the express line
Life is what happens in-between letting the phone ring and staring at the number
Life is what happens in-between finding out what no one wants to tell ya.
Life is what happens in-between staying for the end of your favorite song
Life is what happens in-between wanting to say it, but waiting too long
Life is what happens in-between each fight on the message board
Life is what happens in-between each time I leave for another tour
Life is what happens in-between the holding out for a better spot
Life is what happens when you take a chance and lose what ya got
Life is what happens in-between the traffic stopped to look at the crash
Life is what happens in-between forgetting to hit save and starting from scratch
Life is what happens between agreeing that the year went by so fast
Life is what happens and all we have becomes a dash
Lyrics submitted by Ryan Cacophony
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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.
""Dash" I missed a close family member's funeral while on tour. Not the first time. I was told of the meaningful words that were said. One thing that struck me was how the headstone will have the date of birth, and the date of death... but it's the little 'dash' in-between the two dates that really matters. That dash represents everything that happens in-between those two dates, a person's entire life. In the end, everything we are, everything we care about, is just a 'dash'. We should respect that little line between the numbers, and make it a good one. Like Lennon said about life happening while we're off making plans, I think life is what passes by pointlessly when we concern ourselves with the wrong things. The little battles we wage against each other, those are the markers that life passes by in-between. I don't want to die and have that dash consist of wasted moments, bad choices and regrets. I'm making the effort to keep the poison out. This is the only chance. "