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.
Watch it all change and watch it go away.
Watch it all never be the same again.
Watch it all all be nothing like we thought before.
Watch it all. Watch it.
Watch it all be lies, damned lies, statistics.
Lie to me. Lie to me. Lie to me.
Take it all in and take it all from me.
Take it all and bury it deep inside of you.
Take it all and run away.
Take it all forever.
Take it all.
Take it all.
Take it all.
Take it all.
Take it all.
Bury your hands in the sand.
You'll never use them on me again.
Bury your hands in the sand.
You'll never use them on me again.
Lie, take it all.
Take it. Take it all. Take it.
Lie, take it all.
Take it. Take it all. Take it.
Bury your hands in the sand.
You'll never use them on me again.
Bury your hands in the sand.
You'll never use them on me again.
I'm exhausted from shaking hands with your meat hook fingers.
This is my nightmare [x12]
Lie to me, this is my nightmare.
Lie, this is my nightmare, to me.
This is my nightmare.
This is my nightmare.
Bury your hands in the sand.
You'll never use them on me again.
Bury your hands in the sand.
You'll never use them on me again.
And I'm exhausted from shaking hands with your meat hook fingers.
Lies, damned lies, statistics.
Lie to me. Lie to me. Lie to me.
Lie, bury your hands in the sand.
Lie, you'll never use them on me again.
Lie.
Watch it all never be the same again.
Watch it all all be nothing like we thought before.
Watch it all. Watch it.
Watch it all be lies, damned lies, statistics.
Lie to me. Lie to me. Lie to me.
Take it all in and take it all from me.
Take it all and bury it deep inside of you.
Take it all and run away.
Take it all forever.
Take it all.
Take it all.
Take it all.
Take it all.
Take it all.
Bury your hands in the sand.
You'll never use them on me again.
Bury your hands in the sand.
You'll never use them on me again.
Lie, take it all.
Take it. Take it all. Take it.
Lie, take it all.
Take it. Take it all. Take it.
Bury your hands in the sand.
You'll never use them on me again.
Bury your hands in the sand.
You'll never use them on me again.
I'm exhausted from shaking hands with your meat hook fingers.
This is my nightmare [x12]
Lie to me, this is my nightmare.
Lie, this is my nightmare, to me.
This is my nightmare.
This is my nightmare.
Bury your hands in the sand.
You'll never use them on me again.
Bury your hands in the sand.
You'll never use them on me again.
And I'm exhausted from shaking hands with your meat hook fingers.
Lies, damned lies, statistics.
Lie to me. Lie to me. Lie to me.
Lie, bury your hands in the sand.
Lie, you'll never use them on me again.
Lie.
Lyrics submitted by stabbedbygrace
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There are already some very good interpretations, i think. For me, this song is about desperation, when there is no hope or something to believe in anymore. Like an atheist on his deathbed, who has no goal in front of him,just the assurance that everything will be over soon. So maybe it's really about death , but you can also see it as an metaphor, i think. When all hope is gone, what will you do? You always need something to believe in, but this doesn't have to be a religion.
I've got to somewhat agree with Metalhead on this one, but I don't see where in the song that points to this "Deathbed Atheist" ever being a Christian. I think he's lying on his deathbed, having been an atheist all his life and is now fearing the possibility of there being a God. This is the "nightmare" that he mentions, the fear or him living his life being an atheist and possibly being wrong. I think the first few lines are him admitting that everything he's been told or convinced as an atheist was wrong and he's now asking himself, What if they all have been lies and statistics? Where this song shifts, however, is where he says,
"Take it all and bury it deep inside of you. Take it all and run away."
I think he's encouraging those around his deathbed, who have seen him nervous or frightened by the thought of afterlife and is telling them to remember what he is feeling. To remember that there may be a God after all and wants them to search it out themselves. I also think he's telling those people, in this next line:
"Bury your hands in the sand. You'll never use them on me again."
to forget their old ways of being atheists and neglect his teachings by burying their "hands in the sand." Then the last thing I got from this song was from:
"I'm exhausted from shaking hands with your meat hook fingers."
I think it's the deathbed atheist saying he's done making deals with the devil who works via lies, deception and traps and that the atheist is now moving on. Again, the nightmare is him wondering if he's lived his whole life working for the devil and being wrong in his beliefs. This is just my own interpretation, let me know if you have any input.
I think your right to be honest. And the fact that so many atheists are just spamming the youtube versions of the song because they're butthurt sorta proves it, sorta kinda. Mostly, when one group starts posting hate comments about a song, it's because it shows them the truth they have been denying. At least, that's what I deduct from experience, and by way of deduction I haven't seen it be any other way so it should be true. ELEMENTARY, WATSON! (even though it was never said in the books)
Wow this is so incredibly incorrect. Christians obviously grasping at straws. Sorry guys, this song is about -SURPRISE- an atheist on his deathbed.
I am not advocating for or against religion. I want to state from the very beginning, I don't effing care. Its a great song. I like the kinda hypnotic "Tool" like rhythem to it. It reminds me ALMOST of something that would fit in on Undertow.<br /> Having said that, everything I have read about Norma Jean on metal review sites and in magazines, refers to them as being a "christian metal band". I'm not trying to spark a debate with people looking to impress me with their vocabulary and pseudo-intellectual, deductive reasoning skills (atheists) or up-tight bible bangers, with their eyes so firmly fixed on heaven its amazing they haven't walked off a cliff (christians). <br /> All I am saying is that several magazines and e-zines, that focus exclusively on rock/metal refer to the band as being "christian". As reporting/news outlets, I believe that this is a fact they would check and confirm before labeling the band one way or the other.
@MorganLockhart<br /> <br /> Wow, that's a disgusting, bigoted interpretation. You're saying that the song is (1) about a person who has been a longtime atheist; and who (2) has been making deals with the devil, and involved with evil, lies, and deception. Wow.<br /> <br /> Is it a possibility that a person can choose not to subscribe to your religion and at the same time not be a horrible person?
I feel like it's about a man on his deathbed who was at one point an atheist but became a born again Christian. Now that he is in his final days he has a growing fear that there really is nothing and that when he's gone, he's gone. There is no heaven, this is the end, etc. I'll make an attempt to break it down.
"Watch it all change and watch it go away. Watch it all never be the same again. Watch it all all be nothing like we thought before. Watch it all. Watch it. Watch it all be lies, damned lies, statistics. Lie to me. Lie to me. Lie to me."
I feel like this is him questioning his beliefs. The 3rd line is where I got the idea that he's a born again Christian.
"Take it all in and take it all from me. Take it all and bury it deep inside of you. Take it all and run away. Take it all forever. Take it all."
I think this is just him spreading his wisdom to his loved ones before he passes. When it says "bury it deep inside of you", I think he means that he wants them to put it so deep inside of their mind that they accept it as truth and won't have this dilemma of questioning their faith when they die and will die a happy, peaceful death because they believe in heaven without a doubt.
"Bury your hands in the sand. You'll never use them on me again. I'm exhausted from shaking hands with your meat hook fingers."
To me, that is him swaying towards the belief in atheism. He's telling God, or the premise of God, that he wants nothing to do with it anymore.
"This is my nightmare."
Just him saying this is the most scared he has ever been in his life because he does not know what is going to happen. A plunge into the unknown, basically.
I think the overall message of the song is the ultimate test of faith we all experience when we die. What do we TRULY, deep down inside, believe?
i sortof get where your coming from, DubVmetalhead.<br /> i think it could also be the other way too. Maybe a christian who turned his back on it all somewhere in his life and now fearing that there really IS a God that he's turned his back on.
Nope. Definitely not someone who became a Christian. "Bury your hands in the sand, you'll never use them on me again" AKA someone who was clearly abused and refuses to allow it to continue or happen again. AKA any atheist in religious household or community.
OMFG!!! No comments on this track?!?!?!?! This is an anthem dudes!!!
I have listened to this song over and over and watched the music video several times and still can't fully decipher what it all means. Just a few personal perceptions which I guess is normally what it is until I hear from the band themselves what it means.
I think this song is about a christian on his deathbed who starts doubts his faith and is in fact doing a deathbed conversion to atheism, thus becoming a deathbed atheist.
"Watch it all change and watch it go away. Watch it all never be the same again. Watch it all all be nothing like we thought before."
This is him seeing his faith leaving him.
"Lie to me. Lie to me. Lie to me."
He wants to believe what he has come to see as a lie. He wants to believe again. He wants to believe your lie.
"Take it all in and take it all from me. Take it all and bury it deep inside of you. Take it all and run away. Take it all forever."
He doesn't want to hear your lies anymore!
"Bury your hands in the sand. You'll never use them on me again."
He denounces christianity. It will never touch his heart again.
"This is my nightmare"
In his weakest moment, he realises he is alone. There is nothing to comfort him. He lived his life believing and the one time where he needs his faith the most, it has abandoned him. A veritable nightmare.
I see this song as having a much more specific target than just general musings of a person on a deathbed. I think its about some kind of a relationship that has changed and the person is reflecting on it.
Either that or he's tried to believe in his church all his life to wonder if it was a waste. The two reasons I believe this interpretation to be true is 1) the title of the song is spin on deathbed christian where an athiest in his final thoughts wonder if he's been wrong the whole time, except this time swap it around, and 2) "Watch it all be nothing like we thought before, watch it all be lies" has to be a line referencing that Christianity is the first notable religion/cult to advertise and afterlife. I don't believe this is a song written about a born-again, generally those people are the most indoctrinated over the people who were indoctrinated at a young age and in their old wisdom coming to realize it doesn't make sense. If it wasn't for that 3rd line, I'd say it would be more up for debate, as the rest of the lyrics in all honesty could go either way.
The "take it all" part could go either way as well, no matter if the 3rd was part of the song or not. It could easily be trying to save someone from living a lie that church has taught them, or just as easily be trying to make another's life easier by lying about their faith just so that the person that's got a life left to live and feel safer.
All being said though, this is the type of song that I think both sides of the debate could easily get behind because the context is vague enough.
Signed, another athiest.
@mitch59242 <br /> ...you do realize this is a Christian band? Also, the phrase isn't "deathbed Christian", it's "there is no such thing as a deathbed atheist".