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.
All I had hoped for
I kept inside your car
The rabbit in the barn
Most of all I wait
I wait beside the door
I wait beside the door
And all I was wrong trembling in the cage
I was diamonds in the cage
In seven hours I consider death
And your father called to yell at me
You little boy, you little boy
Found out you cheated me
I ran behind the barn and cut my hands somehow
Blood in the meadowlark
I punched your ears instead
I punched you in the head
You only laughed and laughed and laughed
How I was wrong tingling from the kill
Tickle me until you devil bird you evil still
Slept on my arms, sleeping in the sill
I was sleeping in the room with you
You little boy, you little boy
How could you run from me now?
The loneliest chime in the house
The loneliest chime in the house
You let it out you let it out
Come to me Calvary still
I'm weeding and raking until
I'm bleeding in spite of my love for you
It bruised and bruised my will
Counting alluvial plains
The breathing inside of the range
You touched me inside of my cage
Beneath my shirt your hands embraced me
Come to me feathered and frayed
For I am the ugliest prey,
For I am the ugliest prey
The owl, the reckless reckless praise
You said you'd wait for me
Down by the Tannery Creek
Far out by the clotheslines where we used to kiss behind the sheets
Wrapped in a blanket of red
The owl and the tanager said
The owl and the tanager said
One waits until the hour is death
I kept inside your car
The rabbit in the barn
Most of all I wait
I wait beside the door
I wait beside the door
And all I was wrong trembling in the cage
I was diamonds in the cage
In seven hours I consider death
And your father called to yell at me
You little boy, you little boy
Found out you cheated me
I ran behind the barn and cut my hands somehow
Blood in the meadowlark
I punched your ears instead
I punched you in the head
You only laughed and laughed and laughed
How I was wrong tingling from the kill
Tickle me until you devil bird you evil still
Slept on my arms, sleeping in the sill
I was sleeping in the room with you
You little boy, you little boy
How could you run from me now?
The loneliest chime in the house
The loneliest chime in the house
You let it out you let it out
Come to me Calvary still
I'm weeding and raking until
I'm bleeding in spite of my love for you
It bruised and bruised my will
Counting alluvial plains
The breathing inside of the range
You touched me inside of my cage
Beneath my shirt your hands embraced me
Come to me feathered and frayed
For I am the ugliest prey,
For I am the ugliest prey
The owl, the reckless reckless praise
You said you'd wait for me
Down by the Tannery Creek
Far out by the clotheslines where we used to kiss behind the sheets
Wrapped in a blanket of red
The owl and the tanager said
The owl and the tanager said
One waits until the hour is death
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
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.
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
I've got it!!
But I totally would not have been able to come up with this without all of you giving me ideas, so thank you! So, someone suggested that it sounded like a continuation of Casimir Pulaski, which gave me an idea, and so I have been listening to it a lot and reading the lyrics along with it. I do think it has a lot to do with death... soooo.......
First off, most of the song is in past tense, which is a great indication of death, especially of you compare it to Casimir Pulaski. And someone in here mentioned that owls prey on tanagers, and at one point he does say "I am the ugliest prey" which is the only present tense in the song (not exactly sure of the significance of that yet). But if he is preyed on, I thought maybe an abusive relationship? Or maybe it has something to do with the other's father? Not exactly sure where all that comes in either. But he does say "you touched me inside of my cage/ beneath my shirt your hands embraced me," which does give the impression of an intrusion, which it may be, metaphorically, if you think about it as an abusive relationship, but someone mentioned that your heart is in your rib cage. He was in love! At the end of the song, he says, "you said you'd wait for me down by the tannery creek/ far out by the clothesline where we used to kiss behind the sheets/ wrapped in a blanket of red/ the owl and the tanager said (2x)/ one waits until the hour is death" And that made me think about how M. Night Shyamalan used red as a symbol for the presence of ghosts in the Sixth Sense. And red is often a symbol of death, so if someone is "wrapped in a blanket of red," they are dead.. and that's why "one waits until the hour is death" because that's the time they will meet! When he dies! And THAT is why he considers death in the beginning of the song!!
So thank you to all of those whose comments gave me ideas about this. I didn't read all of the comments, so as far as I know someone already cracked it.
Another thing, too, is that the song is strangely dark. Sufjan often does sad, but not really much does he do dark, so that could be another indicator of a death/ghost type of theme.