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.
Monday the twenty-sixth of March:
The patient's passing seizures are becoming more pronounced by the day
The underlying cause seems to be some slow progressive decay
If I don't find a cure, I fear my patient must surely fade away
But I swear, I'll apply my science
To the cause
Brooking no defiance
I'll deliver her from this malady
She'll dance again
And I'll never forget when we first were courting
And she faced me, and her eyes were gleaming
In the moonlight, and she spoke so sweetly:
Don't let me go, my darling
Hold me safely 'til the morning
Promise when the lights are fading
You'll save me
Tuesday the seventeenth of May:
A worrying symptom has reared its head this week
She's been bedbound for a month
And now the patient is no longer able to speak
She tries to utter sounds
But the grip of the illness is strong and the patient is weak
On the bed, in a cold sweat
Like a corpse, but she'll live yet
When I find the cure, I can surely promise
She'll laugh again
And she did on our wedding day
When we danced, and laughed the world away
Even now I can hear her say:
Don't let me go, my darling
Hold me safely 'til the morning
Promise when the lights are fading
You'll save me
Sunday the twenty-third of June:
The patient no longer responds to stimuli of any kind
She's now my only charge
I clothe her and feed her, and nightly I read by her side
For though she's paralysed
I know that inside there must still be a functioning mind
Neatly laid on the bedsheet
I can still hear her fading heartbeat
I'll keep her stable and continue my research
She'll smile again
And I must bring her back to me
In her eyes I can see the gleam
In my mind I can hear her pleading:
Don't let me go, my darling
Hold me safely 'til the morning
Promise when the lights are fading
You'll save me
Tuesday the eighteenth of July:
My latest apparatus is the only thing that's keeping her alive
I had to stop her heart
The mechanical replacement will ensure the other organs can survive
Her body is destroyed
But what nature has neglected, the fruit of modern science shall provide
And I've broken every code of practice
But for my love, I'd shift the planet's axis
She'll return to me when she's been repaired
She'll live again
And I swear I can see the gleam
In her eyes amidst the new machines
And at night I can hear her whisper:
Don't let me go, my darling
Hold me safely 'til the morning
Promise when the lights are fading
You'll save me
The patient's passing seizures are becoming more pronounced by the day
The underlying cause seems to be some slow progressive decay
If I don't find a cure, I fear my patient must surely fade away
But I swear, I'll apply my science
To the cause
Brooking no defiance
I'll deliver her from this malady
She'll dance again
And I'll never forget when we first were courting
And she faced me, and her eyes were gleaming
In the moonlight, and she spoke so sweetly:
Don't let me go, my darling
Hold me safely 'til the morning
Promise when the lights are fading
You'll save me
Tuesday the seventeenth of May:
A worrying symptom has reared its head this week
She's been bedbound for a month
And now the patient is no longer able to speak
She tries to utter sounds
But the grip of the illness is strong and the patient is weak
On the bed, in a cold sweat
Like a corpse, but she'll live yet
When I find the cure, I can surely promise
She'll laugh again
And she did on our wedding day
When we danced, and laughed the world away
Even now I can hear her say:
Don't let me go, my darling
Hold me safely 'til the morning
Promise when the lights are fading
You'll save me
Sunday the twenty-third of June:
The patient no longer responds to stimuli of any kind
She's now my only charge
I clothe her and feed her, and nightly I read by her side
For though she's paralysed
I know that inside there must still be a functioning mind
Neatly laid on the bedsheet
I can still hear her fading heartbeat
I'll keep her stable and continue my research
She'll smile again
And I must bring her back to me
In her eyes I can see the gleam
In my mind I can hear her pleading:
Don't let me go, my darling
Hold me safely 'til the morning
Promise when the lights are fading
You'll save me
Tuesday the eighteenth of July:
My latest apparatus is the only thing that's keeping her alive
I had to stop her heart
The mechanical replacement will ensure the other organs can survive
Her body is destroyed
But what nature has neglected, the fruit of modern science shall provide
And I've broken every code of practice
But for my love, I'd shift the planet's axis
She'll return to me when she's been repaired
She'll live again
And I swear I can see the gleam
In her eyes amidst the new machines
And at night I can hear her whisper:
Don't let me go, my darling
Hold me safely 'til the morning
Promise when the lights are fading
You'll save me
Lyrics submitted by mediocremurphy, edited by minuette
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oo somebody already upped this!
anyway yeah, pretty much about a doctor starting to push the limits to save his beloved and going a bit nuts