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.
Baby's ball all blood red of flayed pigs
And silk soft little things
Fill a house hung from strings
And I fly out on my silver, scissoring wings
(with the other sardines)
Over cities of things mommies need
Light as gas, and half-assedly free,
Like I was in nineteen ninety three.
Over the ruins like we're staggering apes.
What we get is what we take
In a split open place where a man can get kinged
In a palace of panic and flames
Where nobody gets blamed
By the tired, and broke down, and beat.
In sunken gardens where there was a street.
West over water I rambled and paced,
And the blood river raced like the sweat down my face.
And the stadium roared.
And the warriors embraced.
And the golden shore groaned
Beneath the weight of my tastes.
And I blazed
In the last orange hours of the day,
Until the dust hazed and hid us away.
So, little baby, be brave.
I see your dad riding over the rise,
Crashing his whole cavalcade through the crowd.
Watch them run on all sides.
And the neon white branches,
And the carrion fly
On a congressman's eye
I have wrapped up for you in some old autumn leaves,
And left under a rock out on Rock-Rockaway Beach,
Beneath the trees.
I have laughed my best hiss to the whistling breeze.
There's a hole in my throat.
You can note my last wheeze if you need.
And then take hold of the rope
Down we scream.
And silk soft little things
Fill a house hung from strings
And I fly out on my silver, scissoring wings
(with the other sardines)
Over cities of things mommies need
Light as gas, and half-assedly free,
Like I was in nineteen ninety three.
Over the ruins like we're staggering apes.
What we get is what we take
In a split open place where a man can get kinged
In a palace of panic and flames
Where nobody gets blamed
By the tired, and broke down, and beat.
In sunken gardens where there was a street.
West over water I rambled and paced,
And the blood river raced like the sweat down my face.
And the stadium roared.
And the warriors embraced.
And the golden shore groaned
Beneath the weight of my tastes.
And I blazed
In the last orange hours of the day,
Until the dust hazed and hid us away.
So, little baby, be brave.
I see your dad riding over the rise,
Crashing his whole cavalcade through the crowd.
Watch them run on all sides.
And the neon white branches,
And the carrion fly
On a congressman's eye
I have wrapped up for you in some old autumn leaves,
And left under a rock out on Rock-Rockaway Beach,
Beneath the trees.
I have laughed my best hiss to the whistling breeze.
There's a hole in my throat.
You can note my last wheeze if you need.
And then take hold of the rope
Down we scream.
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this is probably my favorite song off their new album. next to hanging from a hit. i just cant figure out what it means!
i think this is about a woman he is with. and he asks what her husband is like. I feel like the husband might either be dead, or she has a husband who belittles her and she doesnt really have a life because of him.
the second comment was supposed to be for a different song
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"I think of Rider as a weird kind of lullaby. I know that sounds really, um...distressing. But I just picture this sort of, like, some kind of viking-like figure who is kind of like bashing his way through the countryside, just raping and pillaging, you know, just destroying everything that he touches. And then he comes home to his kid, and he's like, "Oh, you know, my kid just woke up. He had a bad dream. Let me sing you a lullaby really quickly." And the kid is just thinking, "My dad's so strong and big and powerful." You know, somehow, that's what I think of when I think of Rider." -Will Sheff thecurrent.org/feature/2011/06/10/okkervil-river-live