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.
Baby gets born, rolls on his back,
Opens his eyes and hears a voice
A-saying oh
I'll tell you a secret about yourself,
I'll tell you a secret about yourself
Your father was bad, his father was bad,
His father was bad need I go any further on?
You not gonna try to involve yourself,
Your pliable head is a walking hope
'Cause even now, there's a bone snapping,
Doughy embryo, bloody hands clapping,
The blood is clapping
If all the boys say you did it,
And all the girls say you did it,
And if all the boys say you did it,
And all the girls say you did it
Then man, you're as guilty as the ones the came before,
You sleepwalked over here, the drawbridge creaks ignored.
So leave the engine room and go,
Leave the engine room and build a road,
Leave the engine room, the steam will peter out and I'm
Tired of the centuries passing, the vacuum and the womb
And I respect that things have changed and I'm alone
And I remember snatches here,
And I involve myself with utter madness
Leave me lounging, with my nerves butchered,
And the ceiling torched, in the birth canal
Cos even now, there's a bomb dropping,
It's ever dropping
'Cause all the boys say I did it,
And all the girls say I did it,
And mother all the boys say I did it,
And all the girls say I did it
And man, I'm as guilty as the ones that came before.
Opens his eyes and hears a voice
A-saying oh
I'll tell you a secret about yourself,
I'll tell you a secret about yourself
Your father was bad, his father was bad,
His father was bad need I go any further on?
You not gonna try to involve yourself,
Your pliable head is a walking hope
'Cause even now, there's a bone snapping,
Doughy embryo, bloody hands clapping,
The blood is clapping
If all the boys say you did it,
And all the girls say you did it,
And if all the boys say you did it,
And all the girls say you did it
Then man, you're as guilty as the ones the came before,
You sleepwalked over here, the drawbridge creaks ignored.
So leave the engine room and go,
Leave the engine room and build a road,
Leave the engine room, the steam will peter out and I'm
Tired of the centuries passing, the vacuum and the womb
And I respect that things have changed and I'm alone
And I remember snatches here,
And I involve myself with utter madness
Leave me lounging, with my nerves butchered,
And the ceiling torched, in the birth canal
Cos even now, there's a bomb dropping,
It's ever dropping
'Cause all the boys say I did it,
And all the girls say I did it,
And mother all the boys say I did it,
And all the girls say I did it
And man, I'm as guilty as the ones that came before.
Lyrics submitted by SteveBlythe
Leave the Engine Room Lyrics as written by Jeremy Joseph Pritchard Alexander Kaines Robertshaw
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I agree with magicmenagerie on this one, I think it's about if guilt can be inborn. That's why he says "Your father was bad, his father was bad" and the others say he is "as guilty as the ones that came before". I also agree that "the Engine Room" is the womb.
Combining this with the things SoftMint mentioned above and the killing/abortion references in the lyrics ("Bombs dropping", "Nerves butchered") it's maybe that the child is killed immidiately after it's born (immidiately after leaving the engine room) due to its guilt. The last part where he is kind of admiting that he is guilty shows the cruelty of all this. The child, who's still small can't do anything about it and can't seem to justify itself in any way. So it just, after all, takes the blame. Because it has no other chance.
At least that's my interpretation. Pretty cruel, I woudln't have thought this because the song is so calm and beautifull. And the references f the child in a womb are also quite peacefull. Maybe there is another thing hidden here, but I can't seem to find it out now.