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.
Beauty is a harlot
She will dance with any bastard
She’s undiscerning in her choice of partner
I could have her of course, if I wished
But I object to her promiscuousness
Beauty just doesn’t suit me, for
Beauty is a harlot
An easy lane for lazy artists
I won’t be fooled by her vulgar charm
It is the easiest trick in the book
Music’s the worm and beauty’s the hook
And I’m sure you would swallow her whole
But I’m not here to satisfy souls, for
Beauty is a siren
Trying to draw me from my chosen mission
I won’t be tempted by her seductive singing
On principle I refuse, to be party to her abuse
It is not my job to squat in the gutter
Sharing the teet with you beauty drowned suckers
You paid to see satire and rage
I swear I won’t let beauty set foot on this stage, for
Beauty is a harlot
A spotlight hogging superficial starlet
She will toy with your defenceless heart and leave you
Tear streaked when the lights come on
You look around to find her gone
And despite your size, you’ve not a clue
That as you fell for her, she stole from you, for
Beauty is harlot
She will lie with any two bit artist
And for all those other bloody bastards
She seems to come so easily
But she comes so hard to me
She will dance with any bastard
She’s undiscerning in her choice of partner
I could have her of course, if I wished
But I object to her promiscuousness
Beauty just doesn’t suit me, for
Beauty is a harlot
An easy lane for lazy artists
I won’t be fooled by her vulgar charm
It is the easiest trick in the book
Music’s the worm and beauty’s the hook
And I’m sure you would swallow her whole
But I’m not here to satisfy souls, for
Beauty is a siren
Trying to draw me from my chosen mission
I won’t be tempted by her seductive singing
On principle I refuse, to be party to her abuse
It is not my job to squat in the gutter
Sharing the teet with you beauty drowned suckers
You paid to see satire and rage
I swear I won’t let beauty set foot on this stage, for
Beauty is a harlot
A spotlight hogging superficial starlet
She will toy with your defenceless heart and leave you
Tear streaked when the lights come on
You look around to find her gone
And despite your size, you’ve not a clue
That as you fell for her, she stole from you, for
Beauty is harlot
She will lie with any two bit artist
And for all those other bloody bastards
She seems to come so easily
But she comes so hard to me
Lyrics submitted by pavlova
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Mountain Song
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
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"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
Plastic Bag
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“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.
I think the meaning is found in the commentary on contemporary songs. It's about how they are lazy, lack depth and just sing about beauty and other cliché, run of the mill sort of concepts. But at the same time he is "tempted" by it. Tim first tried to become a successful singer not comedian, and he believes if he were to sing about such superficial matters he could become successful, but he doesn't want to stoop to that. However, now being a comedian, he cannot sing about beauty even if he wanted to.
I went to see this show at the start of last year in Brisbane, Australia and before he sang it he says "Only musical comedians would relate to this song", indicating that it is a common belief among such artists. When an audience comes to one of his gigs they don't want beauty, they want "satire and rage" and he almosts longs to sing about beauty. And despite being easy for cheap, shallow artists, it's hard for him to do it.
I think beauty is referring to pop songs and mainstream, mass consumption artists. She's "promiscuous" in that any "lazy artist" can become famous in our "beauty drowned sucker" society. This plays on how all pop songs seem to sound the same, use the same four cords, are written by the same people, etc. Then just dressed up with a pretty person and but on big shows. A stark contrast to a loan man on stage with a piano.
Tim could easily write a pop song, find fame and fortune, but he refuses. "She will toy with your defenseless heart and leave you" refers to cycle of celebs being chewed and spit out and replaced.
"But she comes so hard to me" refers to his constant internal battle to resist selling out. It's tempting and he struggles to stay on his "chosen mission" of "satire and rage"