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.
like a fist clutching bread just to hoard and withhold like the grain that they locked in the silo
we'll be eating soup of stone til what we grow is what we own,
but we won't steal from the land what's freely given
tear up the deeds to the land, throw the debts into the furnace,
debts to god to the banks and to the landlord
don your armor don your helm, which was forged from an old plows blade
train your horses round and aim your guns at Sydney
I was born from a seed that was swallowed by a mad woman
from the lips and the tongue of ceridwen
I had took just a taste that had splashed up from the black kettle
in the waves neither drowned nor aged a day
down their lying in the brush was one bloody tethered horse,
and one detective in the service of the crown
even theough we're just one pistol against an army of policemen
I insist that we are many and they are few
It was on Van Dieman's land where your father came in transport
chained like cattle to the deck of a ship
held hostage in a word, stolen from the shores of erin
south australia bound in bondage of the queen's men
we'll be eating soup of stone til what we grow is what we own,
but we won't steal from the land what's freely given
tear up the deeds to the land, throw the debts into the furnace,
debts to god to the banks and to the landlord
don your armor don your helm, which was forged from an old plows blade
train your horses round and aim your guns at Sydney
I was born from a seed that was swallowed by a mad woman
from the lips and the tongue of ceridwen
I had took just a taste that had splashed up from the black kettle
in the waves neither drowned nor aged a day
down their lying in the brush was one bloody tethered horse,
and one detective in the service of the crown
even theough we're just one pistol against an army of policemen
I insist that we are many and they are few
It was on Van Dieman's land where your father came in transport
chained like cattle to the deck of a ship
held hostage in a word, stolen from the shores of erin
south australia bound in bondage of the queen's men
Lyrics submitted by anticivkid
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