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.
A north wind sinks
The fence around a lot full of debris
Near the corner of Memorial and me.
Where resurrected
Brick and drywall lean back into place,
There’s a terrified reflection of my face.
All alone at the gleaming knife display
In the Army Surplus Sales,
As the dusk descends and my inspiration fails.
Ghost-filled discount parkas,
Sleeping bags,
Peer at me from
The crumpled dark.
Inky bruises punched into the sky by bolts of light,
And then leak across the body of tonight.
While rain and thunder drop and roll,
Then stop short of a storm,
Leave the air stuck with this, waiting to be born.
As I stand before an unresponsive
Automatic door --
Just another door that won’t open for me anymore --
The exit red gets brighter then blinks off.
Presses me into
The crumpled dark.
There’s a billboard by the highway
That says “Welcome to;”
“Bienvenue à;"
But no sign to show you when you go away.
And our demolitions punctuate
All we mean to say, then leave too late.
So I’ll make my shaky exclamation mark
With a handful of
Crumpled dark.
The fence around a lot full of debris
Near the corner of Memorial and me.
Where resurrected
Brick and drywall lean back into place,
There’s a terrified reflection of my face.
All alone at the gleaming knife display
In the Army Surplus Sales,
As the dusk descends and my inspiration fails.
Ghost-filled discount parkas,
Sleeping bags,
Peer at me from
The crumpled dark.
Inky bruises punched into the sky by bolts of light,
And then leak across the body of tonight.
While rain and thunder drop and roll,
Then stop short of a storm,
Leave the air stuck with this, waiting to be born.
As I stand before an unresponsive
Automatic door --
Just another door that won’t open for me anymore --
The exit red gets brighter then blinks off.
Presses me into
The crumpled dark.
There’s a billboard by the highway
That says “Welcome to;”
“Bienvenue à;"
But no sign to show you when you go away.
And our demolitions punctuate
All we mean to say, then leave too late.
So I’ll make my shaky exclamation mark
With a handful of
Crumpled dark.
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