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.
It's fifty years since Sputnik, when the Russians shocked the world
With an orb and two antennae Earth would never be the same
Fueling our worst fears that we'd be vulnerable and weak
If we did not respond in kind, we'd lose the game
So we got our act together, and Explorer One went flying
But not before the Russians sent a dog up into space
If I said I knew why they thought dogs should fly, I would be lying
They were caught up in some kind of human race
A race to the furthest star
A race to the galaxies above
If a little bit of fear can go so far
Imagine what a world could do with love
Gagarin took a spin around the globe in 61 and
He was followed ten months later by an astronaut named Glenn
Alexei took a spacewalk, Captain Kirk, he took our TV
And I've never been the same since then
A race to the furthest star
A race to the galaxies above
If a little bit of dreaming goes so far
Imagine what a world could do with love
Imagine human footprints on a distant lunar plane
Imagine floating science labs where gravity is gone
Imagine the potential that our species could contain
If we were drawn to love again
I heard a scientist declare the world as we know it
Is destined to be swallowed up in some gigantic hole
And nothing that you do on earth will outlast or survive this
Is there any point in trying to take control?
Just another baby boomer, writing poems
Putting flowers into rifles, hugging trees and singing songs
And the questions in the air aren't rocket science
What's the point and where on Earth do we belong?
In our race to the furthest star
A race to the galaxies above
If a little bit of vision goes so so far
Imagine what a world could do with love
With an orb and two antennae Earth would never be the same
Fueling our worst fears that we'd be vulnerable and weak
If we did not respond in kind, we'd lose the game
So we got our act together, and Explorer One went flying
But not before the Russians sent a dog up into space
If I said I knew why they thought dogs should fly, I would be lying
They were caught up in some kind of human race
A race to the furthest star
A race to the galaxies above
If a little bit of fear can go so far
Imagine what a world could do with love
Gagarin took a spin around the globe in 61 and
He was followed ten months later by an astronaut named Glenn
Alexei took a spacewalk, Captain Kirk, he took our TV
And I've never been the same since then
A race to the furthest star
A race to the galaxies above
If a little bit of dreaming goes so far
Imagine what a world could do with love
Imagine human footprints on a distant lunar plane
Imagine floating science labs where gravity is gone
Imagine the potential that our species could contain
If we were drawn to love again
I heard a scientist declare the world as we know it
Is destined to be swallowed up in some gigantic hole
And nothing that you do on earth will outlast or survive this
Is there any point in trying to take control?
Just another baby boomer, writing poems
Putting flowers into rifles, hugging trees and singing songs
And the questions in the air aren't rocket science
What's the point and where on Earth do we belong?
In our race to the furthest star
A race to the galaxies above
If a little bit of vision goes so so far
Imagine what a world could do with love
Lyrics submitted by bananahero
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