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.
I am not going to leave you
Not for good
You are the real one
I am no fool
Fooled by the night
Drinking the poison
Enough to get right
Then to freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
Only see in
Gone the days in the country, not alone
This old wood stove cooks my food and keeps me warm
The dog in the night singing his song
Drinking the poison until my visions gone
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
I only see in
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
I only see in
Her heels click on the sidewalk
Adding tempo to the sound
Of the city living hard
This ain't no one bar town
Holding a new hand
She don't know his last name
She doesn't need the anguish or the pain
He had a place that was just up the street
She was down for the walk
He had a view that couldn't be beat
And the looks and the talk
He put the right music on
That music led her astray
Touching her just like he should
She was heading that way
Moving though her tangent
Couldn't breathe couldn't talk
Falling in lust with an accident
Sometimes time seems to stop
He put the right music on
That music led her astray
Touching her just like he should
She was heading that way
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
Only see in
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
I Only see in
Mornings barely breathing when i awake
I eat something to kill this dull ache
Have you been sleeping or is it still your town
Are you drinking the poison that is phasing me out?
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
Only see in
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
I Only see in
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
I Only see in
She's getting close, and he doesn't know.
Not for good
You are the real one
I am no fool
Fooled by the night
Drinking the poison
Enough to get right
Then to freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
Only see in
Gone the days in the country, not alone
This old wood stove cooks my food and keeps me warm
The dog in the night singing his song
Drinking the poison until my visions gone
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
I only see in
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
I only see in
Her heels click on the sidewalk
Adding tempo to the sound
Of the city living hard
This ain't no one bar town
Holding a new hand
She don't know his last name
She doesn't need the anguish or the pain
He had a place that was just up the street
She was down for the walk
He had a view that couldn't be beat
And the looks and the talk
He put the right music on
That music led her astray
Touching her just like he should
She was heading that way
Moving though her tangent
Couldn't breathe couldn't talk
Falling in lust with an accident
Sometimes time seems to stop
He put the right music on
That music led her astray
Touching her just like he should
She was heading that way
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
Only see in
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
I Only see in
Mornings barely breathing when i awake
I eat something to kill this dull ache
Have you been sleeping or is it still your town
Are you drinking the poison that is phasing me out?
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
Only see in
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
I Only see in
Freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision
I Only see in
She's getting close, and he doesn't know.
Lyrics submitted by playtek
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Just another classic :) this band is why I moved to the pacific northwest :)
I came here to see what others thought about this song but there aren't any real interpretations yet so I'll throw mine out there.
As with many MTB songs I'm pretty sure this one has a relationship type theme. To me it seems like there are two distinct sounds/moods to this song. The slower part at the beginning and the end, and the more up tempo chunk of the song in the middle, which starts with the line, "her heels click on the side walk".
The first part seems like he (or some guy) is away in the country for whatever reason, kind of isolated from society and his life back home. He seems to pass the time by getting drunk (drinking the poison) and maybe just hanging with a dog or something, all while thinking about a girl he has left behind. It almost seems like he is stuck up in some lonely log cabin in the woods or something, but the reason he is there is never really revealed.
The up tempo part starts and brings in to picture the girl's life which I think is pretty obvious. She has been left alone back in the city and eventually gets lonely and can't help but start spending time with other men. The "holding a new hand, she doesn't know his last name, she doesn't need the anguish or the guilt" line suggests she is ashamed of possibly cheating on the guy who has gone away to the country for whatever reason. The the next chunk of the song is pretty easy to understand, but I really like the presentation of how this new guy seduces her by putting the right music on, having a bad ass view, the looks and the talk, etc. etc. She can't resist his charm. I also really like the line, "he had a place that was just up the street, she was down for the walk"
Eventually the song slows back down and returns to the guy stuck out in the woods drinking his poison. Though this time around it is the morning and he is waking up with a hangover, as evidenced by the line, "I need something to kill this dull ache". I'm pretty sure some of the lyrics are just a bit off here btw, but anyway, it almost seems like he can sense that his girlfriend has been out the night before with another guy; "have you been sleeping, or is it still your town....are you drinking the poison and phasing me out". He is wondering if she is out drinking and hooking up with other guys and phasing him out of her life because he is not around.
The whole freeze frame vision line confuses me but it sounds good.
Anyway, I could be totally wrong, but that's the story that plays out in my head when I listen to this song. At first when I bought OMNI this was my least favorite song, probably because of how long it takes to get into the up beat part, but now I really like it.
I'm not checking my spelling so please excuse any typos.
This sounds right on to me. The only thing different is that I hear the lyrics as "Gone the days in the country, and I'm alone" <br /> <br /> "The dog in the night singing his song" refers to a coyote or something howling at the moon.<br /> <br /> I think the freeze frame vision thing is drug related. I've heard people describe drug experiences causing their vision to lag behind reality and almost freeze up. It sounds like that's what could be going on here.
I believe that the "freeze frame vision" refers to the man constantly thinking about the last time he saw her.
It reminds me of my ex who, after years of time a part and another 3 yr relationship with a guy as spectacular as a paperclip, had so much pent up life not lived that she sought any means to try and capture it. She frowned upon my one nighters, then all things changed once she saw how boring things for her were. So she traded her uggs for some heels and hit the pavement determined to screw a random or two to feel as though she's living. She didn't care who it was, just someone with enough game to make her feel like a million that night. I think it was beyond lust at that point, rather just infatuation with the act, the surroundings, and usually insignificant details. After writing that, I'm glad I found someone else.
Her heels click on the sidewalk adding tempo to the sound of the city living hard this ain’t no one bar town Holding a new hand she don’t know his last name she doesn’t need the anguish or the pain
This song is amazing. One of the best last lines of an album ever.
"She's getting close, and he doesn't know."
This is why I love MTB.
pretty sure its Of the city living 'heart' not hard :D
No.
Pretty sure it's "Gone for days in the country,and I'm alone".
I love this song,it's amazing <3
Official lyrics from MTB's website:
I’m not going to leave you, not for good You are the real one and I am your fool
Fooled by the night and drinking the poison Enough to get right, then to freeze frame vision
Freeze frame vision Freeze frame vision I only see in
Gone for days in the country and I am alone This old wood stove cooks my food and keeps me warm
A dog in the night is singing his song and I’m drinking the poison until my visions gone
Freeze frame vision Freeze frame vision I only see in
Her heels click on the sidewalk adding tempo to the sound of the city living hard this ain’t no one bar town Holding a new hand she don’t know his last name she doesn’t need the anguish or the pain
He had a place that was just up the street if she was down for the walk He had a view that couldn’t be beat and the looks and the talk
He put the right music on that music led her astray Touching her just like he should but she was heading that way
Moving through her tangent Couldn’t breath couldn’t talk Falling in lust with an accident when sometimes time seems to stop
Freeze frame vision Freeze frame vision I only see in
The morning’s barely breathing when I awake I need something to kill this dull ache Have you been sleeping or is it still your town? Are you drinking the poison and phasing me out?
Freeze frame vision Freeze frame vision I only see in
She’s getting close and he doesn’t know
Simple amazing song. This is a masterpiece.You can actually interpret the lyrics in many ways. To me I think it's about a guy that broke up with a girl that thinks about her but at the sametime uses "the poison" to forget her, as he is trying to forget her "freeze frame vision" hits him, he thinks about these special moments hes had with this individual that he can't stop visualizing. As the beat drops at 2:32 the poison /alcohol got him feeling drunk or a type of way which lead him thinking of a guy leading on his chick. This guy has everything and he was only in it to smash one night. At the sametime freeze frame vision hits, artist is going through these frame visions while still thinking about the upsetting things she could be doing.
Although this can't be true because he was fooled by the night and drinking the poison....