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.
Well he ran around
Late at night
Holding hands
Making light
Of everything that came before
But there she was behind the door
She hit them with her ten cent pistol
Because they ruined her name
Well she hit them with her ten cent pistol
And they've never been the same
There's nothing worse
In this world
Than pay-back from a
A jealous girl
The laws of man, they don't apply
When blood gets in a woman's eye
Well she hit them with her ten cent pistol
Because they ruined her name
Oh she hit them with her ten cent pistol
And they've never been the same, same
Stars did fall
Thunder rolled
Bugs crawled back
In their holes
The couple screamed, but it was far too late
Her jealous heart did retaliate
She hit them with her ten cent pistol
Because they ruined her name
Well she hit them with her ten cent pistol
And they've never been the same
Oh the same
All the same
Never been the same
Late at night
Holding hands
Making light
Of everything that came before
But there she was behind the door
She hit them with her ten cent pistol
Because they ruined her name
Well she hit them with her ten cent pistol
And they've never been the same
There's nothing worse
In this world
Than pay-back from a
A jealous girl
The laws of man, they don't apply
When blood gets in a woman's eye
Well she hit them with her ten cent pistol
Because they ruined her name
Oh she hit them with her ten cent pistol
And they've never been the same, same
Stars did fall
Thunder rolled
Bugs crawled back
In their holes
The couple screamed, but it was far too late
Her jealous heart did retaliate
She hit them with her ten cent pistol
Because they ruined her name
Well she hit them with her ten cent pistol
And they've never been the same
Oh the same
All the same
Never been the same
Lyrics submitted by mellow, edited by smallwonderrobot
Ten Cent Pistol Lyrics as written by Patrick Carney Daniel Auerbach
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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so, it's quite obvious what this song is about. revenge. jealousy. a woman scorned. i love the track. these boys have so much soul it's ridiculous. the only question i have - the title of the song is Ten Cent Pistol and that's slang usually for laced drugs to kill a dealer's customer that "crossed them". i wonder if that's the case here or are they using "Ten Cent Pistol" for an actual weapon. if so, it gives it an old pulp novel feel which i think is great. either way, it's a fantastic song. anyone know, though?
i was wondering the same thing mzquirk... but i just think that they simply used that term to come across with that same message... 'revenge' <br /> either way..i like it..terms get changed so much anyway..so using it in a story like this is pretty fucking awesome.. !
ten cent pistol.<br /> ten cents = cheap.<br /> pistols are guns, guns shoot.<br /> ten cent pistol = cheap shot<br /> <br /> last night i thought of that, it made my night.
I read, and I believe, that the 'ten cent pistol' is a generic term meaning cheap weapon, and that in the case of this song it was acid. It really fits with them 'never being the same', as if they continue to live, and 'she hit them with'....great song regardless.
I love this song because I definitely found out about my ex partner's cheap married skank. My "ten cent pistol" was spilling the beans to her husband's mother (mother-in-law) about the affair. And it only came down to this because they live in another state otherwise there would've been more damage...
It's true:
"The laws of man, they don't apply When blood gets in a woman's eye"
suckaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas
@blueberryheart Hmmhmmhmm yes unfortunately very true. Be careful kids and remember if you poison someone because they wronged you "you" poison your spirit.. forever. So please be smart kick them in the balls, tell their mom they rapped you. anything just don't destroy their body, mind or spirit.<br /> <br /> Mad love to you all.
I think it might be "thunder rolled" instead of "thunder road".
It is thunder rolled...just got the album, reading the lyrics now!
@alabee Yes you are right.
@mzquirk: Thats interesting, I didn't know about the second meaning of "ten cent pistol", but it does make sense. I always wondered about the line "And they've never been the same" if the scorned woman shot them. It's an odd way to say that someone died. But it came to my mind with your drug-reference that the drugs might have changed them in the sense of brain damage. But that sounds far fetched, now that I'm wirting it :D Also, "there she was behind the door". So I guess I'll go with the shooting-scenario ;)
Quite right. Must be the drug poison. "there she was behind the door" is only referring to a woman listening behind the door. The couple were found out. Why would she be standing behind the door with a gun?
ten cent pistol is old slang for poison. back in the day it was cheap, deadly and anyone could use it, hence the term ten cent pistol.
It's about a girl who found out her husband/boyfriend/significant other was cheating on her and the revenge she had.
he either cheated on her or was spreading rumours about her "they ruined her name" and to get revenge she used a "ten cent pistol" She took a cheap shot
i think that he most likely cheated on her because it says they" him and the other woman" not just he"
he either cheated on her or was spreading rumours about her "they ruined her name" and to get revenge she used a "ten cent pistol" She took a cheap shot
i think that he most likely cheated on her because it says they" him and the other woman" not just he"
Revenge. I love this song.
It's very obvious the song is about revenge. The title, though, is what's up for interpretation. I don't think they were directly referencing a "ten cent pistol," as in the poison or laced drugs some of you mentioned. I think it was more of a thing that they used to indirectly say that she slyly got her revenge, as someone would slyly lace drugs or slip poison into a beverage. Maybe she spread a rumor or something terrible enough for them to "never be the same?" Maybe the rumor was bad enough to make people look at them differently, and not associate with them? I'm not exactly sure, but I honestly don't think drugs or poison were actually involved in this haha.