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.
The traffic light waits for you to tell me
The tale of a shattered life tonight
And I just passed by
When you have had the chance to fight
Or would you spend your last days alone
Thinking nobody would have cared to know
Just look me in the eye and see that it's a lie
So you’re telling me this is how you're going down
You thought that I never really wanted you around
Well you were way off track to think like that
'Cause now you're taking back everything that you ever said
About how I'd never want to see you again
Well this is what I, what I left behind
(What I left behind, what I left behind)
We need a change and a minute of my time
Did I get your name?
Will you say that I haven't been asked that in years
Now I think the traffic light that stood in the way
So that I could hear what you had to say
I'm halfway through your story
Can't help thinking that you're just like me
This is how I'm going down
I thought they never really wanted me around
Well I was way off track to think like that
'Cause now I'm taking back everything that I ever said
About how they never want to see me again
Well this is what I, what I left behind
Forgetting about ourselves
Is like history that dust is covering
Left on the self, on the self
The crosswalks make the way for us
To say what we need to say
Yeah girl, this is how you're going down
You thought that I never really wanted you around
Well you were way off track to think like that
'Cause now you're taking back everything that you ever said
About how I never want to see you again
Well this is what I, what I left behind
This is how you're going down
This is what I, what I left behind
The tale of a shattered life tonight
And I just passed by
When you have had the chance to fight
Or would you spend your last days alone
Thinking nobody would have cared to know
Just look me in the eye and see that it's a lie
So you’re telling me this is how you're going down
You thought that I never really wanted you around
Well you were way off track to think like that
'Cause now you're taking back everything that you ever said
About how I'd never want to see you again
Well this is what I, what I left behind
(What I left behind, what I left behind)
We need a change and a minute of my time
Did I get your name?
Will you say that I haven't been asked that in years
Now I think the traffic light that stood in the way
So that I could hear what you had to say
I'm halfway through your story
Can't help thinking that you're just like me
This is how I'm going down
I thought they never really wanted me around
Well I was way off track to think like that
'Cause now I'm taking back everything that I ever said
About how they never want to see me again
Well this is what I, what I left behind
Forgetting about ourselves
Is like history that dust is covering
Left on the self, on the self
The crosswalks make the way for us
To say what we need to say
Yeah girl, this is how you're going down
You thought that I never really wanted you around
Well you were way off track to think like that
'Cause now you're taking back everything that you ever said
About how I never want to see you again
Well this is what I, what I left behind
This is how you're going down
This is what I, what I left behind
Lyrics submitted by dontwasteyoursong
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
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Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I think this song is about a girl who is suicidal and she is planning out her final days but a couple days before she would do it she meets a guy who is trying to talk her out of it in the end they never meet again but he is happy that he was in her life and he hopes she will be happy again does anyone else think of the song this way?