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.
They met on the dance floor in the old high school gym,
He fell like a rock, she kinda liked him.
And his heart beat like thunder, as they moved cross the floor,
When the music was over, she slipped out of his arms, and out the door.
Yeah a man loves a woman, but he can't understand,
Why she's sad when she stares, at the ring on her hand.
Or she sits in some club, where the long shadows fall.
Drops a coin in the jukebox, not the phone on the wall.
So close, yet so far away.
So close, yet so far away.
We believe in tomorrow, maybe more than today.
We're so close, so close, yet so far away.
Some people think, if you really believe,
That's what you need to solve all the mysteries.
Yea I know someone, who just heads for the sun,
She says "I don't want to be wise, I just want to stay young".
So close, yet so far away.
So close, yet so far away.
We believe in tomorrow, though we're stuck in today.
Baby we're so close, so close, yet so far away.
There's a restless look in your eye tonight.
There's a secret hurt in my heart.
And the dream that pulls us together girl,
Is a dream, that's gonna tear us, tear us apart.
There's a restless look in your eye tonight,
Oh, are you lookin' for some way out of here.
We gotta fight to keep it together girl,
For the dream, that keeps us,
So close, yet so far away.
So close, yet so far away.
Who would of thought girl that we'll end up this way.
Getting' so close, so close,
So far away.
We're living in a dream world.
Yet we're livin' today girl.
Just you and me baby.
Gotta try, gotta try, gotta try, gotta try, gotta try, gotta try, gotta try.
He fell like a rock, she kinda liked him.
And his heart beat like thunder, as they moved cross the floor,
When the music was over, she slipped out of his arms, and out the door.
Yeah a man loves a woman, but he can't understand,
Why she's sad when she stares, at the ring on her hand.
Or she sits in some club, where the long shadows fall.
Drops a coin in the jukebox, not the phone on the wall.
So close, yet so far away.
So close, yet so far away.
We believe in tomorrow, maybe more than today.
We're so close, so close, yet so far away.
Some people think, if you really believe,
That's what you need to solve all the mysteries.
Yea I know someone, who just heads for the sun,
She says "I don't want to be wise, I just want to stay young".
So close, yet so far away.
So close, yet so far away.
We believe in tomorrow, though we're stuck in today.
Baby we're so close, so close, yet so far away.
There's a restless look in your eye tonight.
There's a secret hurt in my heart.
And the dream that pulls us together girl,
Is a dream, that's gonna tear us, tear us apart.
There's a restless look in your eye tonight,
Oh, are you lookin' for some way out of here.
We gotta fight to keep it together girl,
For the dream, that keeps us,
So close, yet so far away.
So close, yet so far away.
Who would of thought girl that we'll end up this way.
Getting' so close, so close,
So far away.
We're living in a dream world.
Yet we're livin' today girl.
Just you and me baby.
Gotta try, gotta try, gotta try, gotta try, gotta try, gotta try, gotta try.
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Light Up The Sky
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When We Were Young
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This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
It sounds like it is describing a series of different relationships in which the male is very enthusiastic about the relationship but the female is not, often because she does not feel quite ready for love.
The first (“she slipped out of his arms and out the door”) describes a man who is entranced by a woman, but she feels intimidated and tries to get away as soon as she can.
The second (“a man loves a woman but he don’t understand why she’s sad when she stares at the ring on her hand”) is about a man who really enjoys the relationship he is in with a woman, but the woman does not love him back and feels trapped.
The third (“she sits in some club, where the long shadows fall, drops a coin in the jukebox, not the phone on the wall”) describes a woman who is introverted. She gets pleasure from solitude activities as opposed to romantic involvement.
The fourth (“Yea I know someone, who just heads for the sun, she says "I don't want to be wise, I just want to stay young") describes a woman who enjoys her youthful freedom so much that she doesn’t want to grow up and be involved in romantic relationships. It follows the verse “Some people think, if you really believe, that's what you need to solve all the mysteries,” a reference to those who naively think all your problems in life are solved just because you found your true love.
The fifth (“There's a restless look in your eye tonight. There's a secret hurt in my heart. And the dream that pulls us together girl, Is a dream, that's gonna tear us, tear us apart. There's a restless look in your eye tonight, Oh, are you lookin' for some way out of here. We gotta fight to keep it together girl, For the dream, that keeps us …”) describes the anxiety over uncertainty in a relationship status and the man’s desire to hold it together.
The refrain (“So close, yet so far away”) describes that the narrator feels he has the relationship, but it’s still out of his reach because of her lack of a desire to be in it.