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.
Walk you home to see
Where you're living around
And I know this place
Pour yourself on me
And you know I'm the one
That you won't forget
In your den always
I see something's right
When I see your wink
When he comes around
I see you're fixing the shine
And my face won't speak
Hate to be so emotional
I didn't mean to get physical
But when he pulled in and revved it up
I said you call that a pickup truck
And in the moonlight I throwed him down
A kicking, screaming, a rolling around
A little piece of a bloody tooth
Just so you know I was thinking of you
Just so you know I was oh
Trembling knees are weak
And its cold as a hole
Hug your bones and skin
Crackling wood's gone white
And my eyes swolled up now
I can see the light
Hate to be so emotional
I didn't mean to get physical
But when he pulled in and revved it up
I said you call that a pickup truck
And in the moonlight I throwed him down
A kicking, screaming, a rolling around
A little piece of a bloody tooth
Just so you know I was thinking of you
Just so you know I oh
Just so you know I oh
Just so you know I oh
I hate to be so emotional
I didn't mean to get physical
But when he pulled in and revved it up
I said you call that a pickup truck
And in the moonlight I throwed him down
A kicking, screaming, a rolling around
A little piece of a bloody tooth
Just so you know I was thinking of you
Just so you know I was thinking of you
Just so you know I oh
Just so you know I oh
Where you're living around
And I know this place
Pour yourself on me
And you know I'm the one
That you won't forget
In your den always
I see something's right
When I see your wink
When he comes around
I see you're fixing the shine
And my face won't speak
Hate to be so emotional
I didn't mean to get physical
But when he pulled in and revved it up
I said you call that a pickup truck
And in the moonlight I throwed him down
A kicking, screaming, a rolling around
A little piece of a bloody tooth
Just so you know I was thinking of you
Just so you know I was oh
Trembling knees are weak
And its cold as a hole
Hug your bones and skin
Crackling wood's gone white
And my eyes swolled up now
I can see the light
Hate to be so emotional
I didn't mean to get physical
But when he pulled in and revved it up
I said you call that a pickup truck
And in the moonlight I throwed him down
A kicking, screaming, a rolling around
A little piece of a bloody tooth
Just so you know I was thinking of you
Just so you know I oh
Just so you know I oh
Just so you know I oh
I hate to be so emotional
I didn't mean to get physical
But when he pulled in and revved it up
I said you call that a pickup truck
And in the moonlight I throwed him down
A kicking, screaming, a rolling around
A little piece of a bloody tooth
Just so you know I was thinking of you
Just so you know I was thinking of you
Just so you know I oh
Just so you know I oh
Lyrics submitted by llscience, edited by Fortunatus, ThusItWas, jwohland
Pickup Truck Lyrics as written by Ivan Nathan Followill Anthony Caleb Followill
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I really think it's pretty straightforward. He's in love with some girl and the girl is seeing someone else. The guy knows he should just go on, so he hates to be so emotional about this. He beats the other guy up and he's trying to ridicule him at least in his own mind or in his own way. It never says that he's much better than the other guy and he probably doesn't make any moves towards the girl. He's just trying to get the other guy out off the way somehow and it's probably he's beating the other one up purely in his mind. Yes, there could be other interpretations of the meaning, but the straightforward thing is this one