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.
Stop them from shimmering away
On blank sidewalk glittering asphalt somewhere summer days
The wrong way kids were something more than friends
Navigating a sprawl without end
Did you ever want to take bad advice
Did you ever want to go and take it twice
Do you remember when the world began
To put up its thorny fence
Right, you are my friend
So what's wrong with them
There go the wrong way kids
Singing whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh oh
Singing whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh oh
Whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh oh
And they call them the wrong way kids
The kids today are gone away petitioning the dust
With no one to look up to
Because they're looking up to us
Just misfit melancholy dregs gone lost in the mall
Wanderers to nowhere at all
Did you ever want to take bad advice
Did you ever want to go and take it twice
Do you remember when the world began
To put up its thorny fence
Right, you are my friend
So what's wrong with them
There go the wrong way kids
Singing whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh oh
Singing whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh oh
Whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh oh
And they call them the wrong way kids
On blank sidewalk glittering asphalt somewhere summer days
The wrong way kids were something more than friends
Navigating a sprawl without end
Did you ever want to take bad advice
Did you ever want to go and take it twice
Do you remember when the world began
To put up its thorny fence
Right, you are my friend
So what's wrong with them
There go the wrong way kids
Singing whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh oh
Singing whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh oh
Whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh oh
And they call them the wrong way kids
The kids today are gone away petitioning the dust
With no one to look up to
Because they're looking up to us
Just misfit melancholy dregs gone lost in the mall
Wanderers to nowhere at all
Did you ever want to take bad advice
Did you ever want to go and take it twice
Do you remember when the world began
To put up its thorny fence
Right, you are my friend
So what's wrong with them
There go the wrong way kids
Singing whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh oh
Singing whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh oh
Whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh oh
And they call them the wrong way kids
Lyrics submitted by BatteryLegion
Wrong Way Kids Lyrics as written by Brett Gurewitz Greg Graffin
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Anyone else love the stanza:
The kids today are gone away petitioning the dust With nobody to look up to because they're looking up to us Just misfit melancholy dregs gone lost in the mall Wanderers to nowhere at all
G or B really seem critical of their past here. Almost as though they're chastising themselves for living the way they did because NOW they're the parents and the kids TODAY are all vapid little shits because they don't have a decent familial role model to look up to.
I couldn't agree more. I love it when bands like Bad Religion sing to the dysfunctional families of the world. I was more than fortunate to have the right role models, my parents and an older brother, and it's hard for me to think of a life unlike that although my classmates, all around me, about 1/5th of my peers, had nobody to look up to except for their friends' parents, their friends, and themselves. That's hard to think of.
Guys, I am not a native english speaker so I am having a hard time trying to get the meaning of some phrases. For example, in the stanza above cited what does petitioning the dust mean? <br /> <br /> Also, in the first stanza, what is the meaning of shimmer away? <br /> <br /> Thanks!
I seem to remember reading about BR planning on making a video using this song with the video being composed of pictures of kids at punk rock shows-particularly from when BR was just starting in the early 80's.
So I agree, I think the song has to do about the togetherness and unity that stems from the punk "scene" if you will, or at least, whichever sub-scene is particular to bands like BR and others with a similar mindset- Bouncing souls, Pennywise, Anti Flag, Articles of Faith, all seem to come to mind off hand (hopefully those bands cover a bit of range-as its not necessarily an age thing)
I'm not sure what the intended meaning of this song is, but it reminds me of when I was a kid wandering around town on my skateboard. I'm sure people would have considered me a "wrong way kid". Then the world put up its thorny fence and I had to grow up. I love this song.
I get more out of it than that. My first punk concert was recent (Bad Religion with The Bouncing Souls and Off With Their Heads) even though I'm 19. And I talked with the guy next to me before and during and we sort of became concert friends and afterwards exchanged information and he hugged me, not full on, more of the shake and back pat thing we do nowadays. But it made me think about how we're all involved in this subculture and we share our ideals and we're all automatically unified by that one thing. Sort of like nerds (not using the word negatively) at a comic-con, or even just smokers and one asks them for a cigarette or a light. There's an instant connection, and instant camraderie (sp?). I think that Bad Religion (I forget if this is a Brett or a Greg) are reflecting on their younger days and how that was, and describing it and how life has tried to knock them down but they don't fall.
Really, I think it's about being young, being part of the punk subculture that is rejected by society and the unity that comes from that, (as well as making bad decisions, sometimes more than once and having fun) and maybe they feel it has faded for them (or not, I don't know) and how they looked up to people like Darby Crash and The Adolescents and now they're the ones everyone looks up to.
I don't think it had to be 80s really. Just your photos at punk shows. I think the description says "your old punk rock photos." So you hanging with a bunch of punks wearing band shirts would probably do it too.
I don't think it had to be 80s really. Just your photos at punk shows. I think the description says "your old punk rock photos." So you hanging with a bunch of punks wearing band shirts would probably do it too.
I remember once seeing a Greg Graffin interview on YouTube from 1984; he was talking about how he had the right atmosphere growing up to go the right way and that he didn't like seeing his peers crashing and burning, even though that was what they were doing. He probably has no idea how amazing he is, and how much that interview has changed my life.
Anyways, that's pretty much what this is about. I just wish there were less families like this and no need to sing songs about this, because it's sad.
I just realized; is Brett quoting Don Draper here:
The kids today are gone away petitioning the dust With nobody to look up to because they're looking up to us
From episode 4, season 1 of Mad Men (aired 2007): Roger Sterling: I bet there were people in the Bible walking around, complaining about "kids today." Don Draper: Kids today, they have no one to look up to. 'Cause they're looking up to us.