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.
From the soundtrack to the film of the same name.
Empty out your pockets, toss the lot upon the floor.
All those treasures, my friend,
You dont need them anymore.
Your days are all through dying,
They gave all their ghosts away,
So kiss close all your wounds and call living life a day.
For the planets gravitate around you,
And the stars shower down around you,
And the angels in heaven adore you,
And the saints all stand and applaud you.
So faraway,
So faraway and yet so close.
Say farewell to the passing of the years,
Though all your sweet goodbyes will fall upon deaf ears.
Kiss so softly the mouths of the ones you love,
Beneath the september moon and the heavens above.
And the world will turn without you,
And history will soon forget about you,
But the heavens they will reward you,
And the saints will be there to escort you.
So faraway,
So faraway and yet so close.
Do not grieve at the passing of mortality,
For lifes but a thing of terrible gravity.
And the planets gravitate around you,
And the stars shall dance about you,
And the angels in heaven adore you,
And the saints all stand and applaud you.
So faraway,
So faraway and yet so close.
Empty out your pockets, toss the lot upon the floor.
All those treasures, my friend,
You dont need them anymore.
Your days are all through dying,
They gave all their ghosts away,
So kiss close all your wounds and call living life a day.
For the planets gravitate around you,
And the stars shower down around you,
And the angels in heaven adore you,
And the saints all stand and applaud you.
So faraway,
So faraway and yet so close.
Say farewell to the passing of the years,
Though all your sweet goodbyes will fall upon deaf ears.
Kiss so softly the mouths of the ones you love,
Beneath the september moon and the heavens above.
And the world will turn without you,
And history will soon forget about you,
But the heavens they will reward you,
And the saints will be there to escort you.
So faraway,
So faraway and yet so close.
Do not grieve at the passing of mortality,
For lifes but a thing of terrible gravity.
And the planets gravitate around you,
And the stars shall dance about you,
And the angels in heaven adore you,
And the saints all stand and applaud you.
So faraway,
So faraway and yet so close.
Lyrics submitted by ecorchee1
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
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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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Holy no comments batman! For real? God, i love this song. I've had this on a compilation of scattered and unreleased Nick songs from way back, well before the B-Sides album got released, and this has always been one of my most loved tracks on there.
This is one of the songs that better be played at my funeral. That and Tom Wait's "Green Grass", and John Prine's "Please Don't Bury Me," and (of course) "Lay Me Low." And, thanking the man jesus, i have never had anyone terribly close to me die, but when they do, this fucker's getting played by me and my guitar for them without question, and probably much to the chagrin of anyone in attendance. A great song about death, and reassuring ourselves about it. "Your days are all through dying, they gave all their ghosts away. So kiss close all of your wounds, and call living life a day." So sadly sweet.
Oh and here's a weird thing. When i got the B-Sides album, i was surprised that "Faraway, So Close" was not on there. Disappointing, but then, at the end of the 1st CD, there was this song called "What Can I Give You?" that i had never heard sounding almost exactly like "Faraway, So Close." What's the story there? Which was written first, and why are there two? It really tripped me out and i thought i was crazy. Little Ghost Song, off the 3rd CD is similar in that respect. Odd stuff.
For the record, this song is way better than "What Can I Give You?" - sorry Nick and Co., just my feeling.
fun fact: anyone ever notice that if a soundtrack has u2 it often has nc&tbs too? plus sometimes they both do the title track. us did a untill the end of the world and so did nick. plus u2 also did a song with this name as well. and its not just wim wenders films neither. they both appear on batman soundtracks.
third sentence correction. u2 did. not us did. lol