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.
Seems that I have been held, in some dreaming state
A tourist in the waking world, never quite awake
No kiss, no gentle word could wake me from this slumber
Until I realize that it was you who held me under
Felt it in my fist, in my feet, in the hollows of my eyelids
Shaking through my skull, through my spine and down through my ribs
No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone
No more calling like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden
No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love
No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love
No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world
And I could hear the thunder and see the lightning crack
And all around the world was waking, I never could go back
'Cause all the walls of dreaming, they were torn wide open
And finally it seemed that the spell was broken
And all my bones began to shake, my eyes flew open
And all my bones began to shake, my eyes flew open
No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone
No more calling like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden
No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love
No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love
No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world
Snow White's stitching up your circuit-boards
Synapse slipping through the hidden door
Snow White's stitching up your circuit-board
No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone
No more calling like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden
No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love
No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love
No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world
Snow White's stitching up your circuit-boards
Synapse slipping through the hidden door
Snow White's stitching up your circuit-board
Synapse slipping through the hidden door
A tourist in the waking world, never quite awake
No kiss, no gentle word could wake me from this slumber
Until I realize that it was you who held me under
Felt it in my fist, in my feet, in the hollows of my eyelids
Shaking through my skull, through my spine and down through my ribs
No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone
No more calling like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden
No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love
No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love
No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world
And I could hear the thunder and see the lightning crack
And all around the world was waking, I never could go back
'Cause all the walls of dreaming, they were torn wide open
And finally it seemed that the spell was broken
And all my bones began to shake, my eyes flew open
And all my bones began to shake, my eyes flew open
No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone
No more calling like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden
No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love
No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love
No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world
Snow White's stitching up your circuit-boards
Synapse slipping through the hidden door
Snow White's stitching up your circuit-board
No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone
No more calling like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden
No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love
No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love
No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world
Snow White's stitching up your circuit-boards
Synapse slipping through the hidden door
Snow White's stitching up your circuit-board
Synapse slipping through the hidden door
Lyrics submitted by KatherineKissMe, edited by karurawasabi
Blinding Lyrics as written by Paul Epworth Florence Leontine Mary Welch
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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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I think it's about a girl in a coma and she has to choose whether to come back or not. I also have a theory that someone betrayed her and sort of caused the accident that put her in a coma. "seems that i have been held in some dreaming state" shes in a coma "a tourist in the waking world never quite awake" shes still here but not really "no kiss no gentle word could wake me from this slumber" thats her being unwakeable "until i realize that it was you who put me under" thats her dream state realizing she's been betrayed "felt it in my fist in my feet in the hollows of my eyelids~shaking through my skull through my spine and all down my ribs" shes having spasms the way some people in comas do because she realized her love caused this/betrayed her then the chorus is about her realizing she's not really on earth anymore. "no more calling like a crow for a body in the garden" its her body she sees and shes screaming but no one can hear her. then the no more dreaming part is about her having to make her decision-stay or go,same with the 2nd verse "and i could hear the thunder and see the lightning crack~all around the world was waking I never could go back" the thunder/lightning is her sudden realization, and how she knew she could never fully be herself again, party cause of her love's betrayal "cause all the laws of dreaming they were torn right open~and finally seemed that the spell was open" she now knows shes not even on earth anymore now and shes refusing to move on(back to chorus no more dreaming like a girl part) "and all my bones began to shake my eyes flew open~and all my bones began to shake my eyes flew open" she gives herself one final push to go back but when she wakes up shes not in her body still "snow white's stitching up the circuitboards~somones slipping through the hidden door~snow whites stitching up your circuit board" im not sure about snow white but she could be an angel,gravedigger, or maybe personification of death?shes finishing up the girl's life and then the girl moves on
This is just an idea but I see the depression view too.
This is exactly what I used to think was the meaning too. Her songs have, as my english teacher would say, "lovely imagery."