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.
Cats and dogs are not substitutes for napkins
Chocolate milk does not come from brown cows
Spaghetti sauce is not the same as water because a goldfish cannot survive without oxygen or in boiling liquids made out of tomatoes
Pulling the emergency brake in the car while the vehicle is in motion is not ok
The hole at the bottom of the toilet is not for exploring, your arm will become stuck if you explore too far
The 911 operators never find your late night conversations as funny as you do
If your teacher ever calls home and couples your name with the words explosion or fire hazard in the same sentence, I will always side with them
Beer was made for drinking, not chugging, they give it a flavor for a reason
Being a teenager does not give you a license for stupidity or the right to drive
But you do have the right to sing out loud
Singing is for the tin eared and the musically impaired
The ones who think treble cleft is something fixed with plastic surgery
When you open your mouth you are Sam Cooke in his prime, Marvin Gaye and Al Green with 10X the charm and don’t let anyone tell you differently
Because songs may end past the lips
But they start somewhere between the shoulders and hips
That’s where the soul resides
And all souls are equal
Dancing is not just for school functions
And no, it’s not the motion people make in music videos where they’re trying to make their zippers kiss one another
I give you permission to stake every walking surface as your own personal dance floor
As if you are a footloose Christopher Columbus and the only way to claim the Americas was to do the electric slide
You’re going to discover that
conversations are best at 4 am
The heavier the eyelids, the sincerer the words
Those are the talks you’ll remember
It’s ok not to know the answer and silence is not awkward
It’s shared,
so share it more often than not
Labels are for soup cans
When you were created you weren’t mass produced
(just ask your mother if you don’t believe me)
Pornography is only two people getting paid
Authentic romance doesn’t begin when the background music starts
Son your sweetheart is not a princess, she’s a temple
And your body a burnt sacrifice
Daughter your lover is not a knight, he is a compass and you a map
So do not treat each other like glass, with delicate hands
Because like dough we need to be punched and kneaded to
know our weight and worth
Remember that sincerity may not always gain you friends but it will keep heaviness from your heart
Love the world or love God
For you cannot do both
Just don’t grow up too fast
Don’t be afraid to run so fast both feet leave the ground
When you stop learning hopefully it’s the same time you stop breathing
For every kid is born with color vision but adults have chosen to see the world in black and white
So when you’re offered a pair of 3D glasses grab them like your life depends on it,
because it does
The adult world is full of numbers that will make your head spin and wallets and bank accounts that are filled with abstracts,
it will tell you that you are what you make, you are what you have, you are what people remember you to be
But realize this if nothing else, that you have a God and Father that says, I always was, I always am, and your empty palms and open heart are enough for me
Chocolate milk does not come from brown cows
Spaghetti sauce is not the same as water because a goldfish cannot survive without oxygen or in boiling liquids made out of tomatoes
Pulling the emergency brake in the car while the vehicle is in motion is not ok
The hole at the bottom of the toilet is not for exploring, your arm will become stuck if you explore too far
The 911 operators never find your late night conversations as funny as you do
If your teacher ever calls home and couples your name with the words explosion or fire hazard in the same sentence, I will always side with them
Beer was made for drinking, not chugging, they give it a flavor for a reason
Being a teenager does not give you a license for stupidity or the right to drive
But you do have the right to sing out loud
Singing is for the tin eared and the musically impaired
The ones who think treble cleft is something fixed with plastic surgery
When you open your mouth you are Sam Cooke in his prime, Marvin Gaye and Al Green with 10X the charm and don’t let anyone tell you differently
Because songs may end past the lips
But they start somewhere between the shoulders and hips
That’s where the soul resides
And all souls are equal
Dancing is not just for school functions
And no, it’s not the motion people make in music videos where they’re trying to make their zippers kiss one another
I give you permission to stake every walking surface as your own personal dance floor
As if you are a footloose Christopher Columbus and the only way to claim the Americas was to do the electric slide
You’re going to discover that
conversations are best at 4 am
The heavier the eyelids, the sincerer the words
Those are the talks you’ll remember
It’s ok not to know the answer and silence is not awkward
It’s shared,
so share it more often than not
Labels are for soup cans
When you were created you weren’t mass produced
(just ask your mother if you don’t believe me)
Pornography is only two people getting paid
Authentic romance doesn’t begin when the background music starts
Son your sweetheart is not a princess, she’s a temple
And your body a burnt sacrifice
Daughter your lover is not a knight, he is a compass and you a map
So do not treat each other like glass, with delicate hands
Because like dough we need to be punched and kneaded to
know our weight and worth
Remember that sincerity may not always gain you friends but it will keep heaviness from your heart
Love the world or love God
For you cannot do both
Just don’t grow up too fast
Don’t be afraid to run so fast both feet leave the ground
When you stop learning hopefully it’s the same time you stop breathing
For every kid is born with color vision but adults have chosen to see the world in black and white
So when you’re offered a pair of 3D glasses grab them like your life depends on it,
because it does
The adult world is full of numbers that will make your head spin and wallets and bank accounts that are filled with abstracts,
it will tell you that you are what you make, you are what you have, you are what people remember you to be
But realize this if nothing else, that you have a God and Father that says, I always was, I always am, and your empty palms and open heart are enough for me
Lyrics submitted by Gasfarmer
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