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.
You've heard the story
You know how it goes
Once upon a garden
We were lovers with no clothes
Fresh from the soil
We were beautiful and true
In control of our emotions
'Til we ate the poison fruit
And now it's hard to be
Hard to be
Hard to be a decent human being
Wait just a minute
You expect me to believe
That all this misbehaving
Grew from one enchanted tree?
And helpless to fight it
We should all be satisfied
With this magical explanation
For why the living die
And why it's hard to be
Hard to be
Hard to be a decent human being
Childbirth is painful
We toil to grow our food
Ignorance made us hungry
Information made us no good
Every burden misunderstood
So I swung my tassel
To the left side of my cap
Knowing after graduation
There would be no going back
And no congratulations
From my faithful family
Some of whom are already fasting
To intercede for me
Because it's hard to be
Hard to be
Hard to be a decent human being
You know how it goes
Once upon a garden
We were lovers with no clothes
Fresh from the soil
We were beautiful and true
In control of our emotions
'Til we ate the poison fruit
And now it's hard to be
Hard to be
Hard to be a decent human being
Wait just a minute
You expect me to believe
That all this misbehaving
Grew from one enchanted tree?
And helpless to fight it
We should all be satisfied
With this magical explanation
For why the living die
And why it's hard to be
Hard to be
Hard to be a decent human being
Childbirth is painful
We toil to grow our food
Ignorance made us hungry
Information made us no good
Every burden misunderstood
So I swung my tassel
To the left side of my cap
Knowing after graduation
There would be no going back
And no congratulations
From my faithful family
Some of whom are already fasting
To intercede for me
Because it's hard to be
Hard to be
Hard to be a decent human being
Lyrics submitted by thefallofmath
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“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.
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Cory - Seriously? You say that as if you think the Garden of Eden narrative is super reasonable, and that any other explanation would be totally ridiculous. Since you asked, though, I have one...
Creatures which do not have instincts toward self preservation do not survive. Since well before the evolution of Homo Sapiens, virtually every living creature has had natural instincts for self preservation. Beyond that, the perspective of an individual creature is always its own. Cats don't know what it's like to be dogs, or even what it's like to be other cats. People don't know what it's like to be other people. Men don't know what it's like to be women, or different men from themselves. Thinking of yourself takes zero effort because you ARE yourself. Your own existence and condition are some of the first things anybody ever thinks about. Thinking of others is hard, because others are necessarily a mystery. You can't know how they feel or what they think except through deduction and study. Acting selfishly is natural, instinctive, and easy. Acting selflessly takes thought, consideration, and effort. Being a decent human being is acting against one's own urges to be self-centered, and thinking carefully about the way your actions will effect other people. Thinking is harder than not thinking. Doing something is harder than laying down. It's as simple as that.