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.
So is it courage or strength
And is that what I'm waiting for?
If I could just kill myself
Would it also kill the remorse?
I wanted so badly to catch a break
But I'm only breaking down
I'm still here and standing
But if it's up to me
I don't think I'll be hanging around
The drink slips down my throat
And the burn cures nice and slow
All the worst parts I wouldn't want you to see
The only parts left of me
Now, here I am
Just a kid without a better plan
But it's the simple thoughts that haunt me the most
I never got to see the west coast
Spent my nights just asking why
Would God let me become like this
Was it a joke from the start?
Was I suppose to laugh more at it?
And everyone's quoting their teachers and preachers
But their words make me feel so alone
No one ever says that they've had those thoughts
In the middle of the night
No one ever admits that they waited to take their life
The drink slips down my throat
And the burn cures nice and slow
All the worst parts I wouldn't want you to see
The only parts left of me
Now, here I am
Just a kid without a better plan
But it's the simple thoughts that haunt me the most
I never got to see the west coast
But it's the life I dreamed I have
The love I've found in my grasp
The words I could share with someone
Those thoughts keep the breath in my lungs
That tomorrow my hope will become
To feel a love that can't be undone
And save a wretch like me
So if the drink slips down your throat
And the burn cures nice and slow
All the worst parts you wouldn't want me to see
The same parts, I have in me
Now, scares me to thinking this way
I feel just like you do
But when you're by yourself you should know
One day we got to see the west coast
And is that what I'm waiting for?
If I could just kill myself
Would it also kill the remorse?
I wanted so badly to catch a break
But I'm only breaking down
I'm still here and standing
But if it's up to me
I don't think I'll be hanging around
The drink slips down my throat
And the burn cures nice and slow
All the worst parts I wouldn't want you to see
The only parts left of me
Now, here I am
Just a kid without a better plan
But it's the simple thoughts that haunt me the most
I never got to see the west coast
Spent my nights just asking why
Would God let me become like this
Was it a joke from the start?
Was I suppose to laugh more at it?
And everyone's quoting their teachers and preachers
But their words make me feel so alone
No one ever says that they've had those thoughts
In the middle of the night
No one ever admits that they waited to take their life
The drink slips down my throat
And the burn cures nice and slow
All the worst parts I wouldn't want you to see
The only parts left of me
Now, here I am
Just a kid without a better plan
But it's the simple thoughts that haunt me the most
I never got to see the west coast
But it's the life I dreamed I have
The love I've found in my grasp
The words I could share with someone
Those thoughts keep the breath in my lungs
That tomorrow my hope will become
To feel a love that can't be undone
And save a wretch like me
So if the drink slips down your throat
And the burn cures nice and slow
All the worst parts you wouldn't want me to see
The same parts, I have in me
Now, scares me to thinking this way
I feel just like you do
But when you're by yourself you should know
One day we got to see the west coast
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Brilliant.