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're a million miles away this Christmas
You're a million miles away from home
But if you feel like coming back, coming back, let me know
I haven't heard you call me sister
I haven't heard it said in years
But it's a funny thing now it's the only thing I want to hear
For I don't know you anymore
I said ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling
Ring a sleigh bell
Ring a doorbell
I want to wish you well
Our family was never perfect
You did your best to tear it down
Well everybody made mistakes
I wish we could fix'em now
I understand that you are angry
Well, maybe I am angry too
Cause I still love you brother
But I don't know what to make of you
When I don't know you anymore
I said ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling
Ring a sleigh bell
Ring a doorbell
I want to wish you well
I said ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling
Ring a sleigh bell
Ring a doorbell
I want to wish you well
Now do you sit by your plastic tree
And tell your friends you've no family
It's not over, over, over
It's not over, over, over
I said ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling
Ring a sleigh bell
Ring a doorbell
I want to wish you well
I said ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling
Ring a sleigh bell
Ring a doorbell
I want to wish you well
I want to wish you well
I want to wish you well
I want to wish you well
You're a million miles away from home
But if you feel like coming back, coming back, let me know
I haven't heard you call me sister
I haven't heard it said in years
But it's a funny thing now it's the only thing I want to hear
For I don't know you anymore
I said ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling
Ring a sleigh bell
Ring a doorbell
I want to wish you well
Our family was never perfect
You did your best to tear it down
Well everybody made mistakes
I wish we could fix'em now
I understand that you are angry
Well, maybe I am angry too
Cause I still love you brother
But I don't know what to make of you
When I don't know you anymore
I said ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling
Ring a sleigh bell
Ring a doorbell
I want to wish you well
I said ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling
Ring a sleigh bell
Ring a doorbell
I want to wish you well
Now do you sit by your plastic tree
And tell your friends you've no family
It's not over, over, over
It's not over, over, over
I said ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling
Ring a sleigh bell
Ring a doorbell
I want to wish you well
I said ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling
Ring a sleigh bell
Ring a doorbell
I want to wish you well
I want to wish you well
I want to wish you well
I want to wish you well
Lyrics submitted by amidala19a
Wish You Well [Previously Unreleased Track] Lyrics as written by Alison Loren Sudol Alison Sudol
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
To me this song is about a girl who really just wants her brother back, but he lives somewhere far away and never sees him anymore. In the first verse, since it talks about Christmas, she's really just starting to notice how much she misses him because Christmas time is usually spent with family. "I haven't heard you call me sister/I haven't heard it said in years/But it's a funny thing now it's the only thing I want to hear/For I don't know you anymore" is proving that she hasn't seen him in so long and he's changed. The chorus is really her singing about Christmas and how she wants his Christmas to be good so she is 'Wishing him well.' "Our family was never perfect/You did your best to tear it down" might be saying that something tragic could have happened to their family, like a death of someone who was close and the family was sort of torn apart after that. "Well everybody made mistakes/I wish we could fix'em now" is saying that she forgives him for being somewhat of a cause for their family to be torn apart and she wants it all to be forgotten/'fixed' but it can't be, so it is merely a wish. "I understand that you are angry/Well, maybe I am angry too/Cause I still love you brother" means that they're both mad about what happened to their family, but he is still her brother and she loves him. "But I don't know what to make of you/When I don't know you anymore" once again shows that she doesn't know how much he's changed, and doesn't even really know what's happening with him. "Now do you sit by your plastic tree/And tell your friends you've no family" This last verse has the most signifigance to me, because it indicates that the brother wants to be rid of his past too, but, "It's not over, over, over/It's not over, over, over" means that he still has his sister who cares about him and he can't tell his friends that he has no family. That's really what comes to my mind whenever I hear this song.