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.
A fist will make you understand intention
To raise alarm is underhand, so I cut off the phone
I bind you up with tape and catch some TV
It’s getting late, the shadows in the street are watching us
Check for fibres in the gaps between the teeth, the floorboards
Check the fingerprints, go through the trash
Maybe I just wanted some attention
Compulsion seeks its own way in rejection of the light
Every story needs to have an ending
We might as well give up all this pretending and clear the air
The night is crawling closer to the action
Your mouth is driving me into distraction, you talk too much
Well every story needs to have an ending
We might as well give up all this pretending and clear the air
A plague inside your home, I’m raider
Defiling all you own, raider
A cat among the crows, I’m raider
The butcher and his prose, I’m raider
To raise alarm is underhand, so I cut off the phone
I bind you up with tape and catch some TV
It’s getting late, the shadows in the street are watching us
Check for fibres in the gaps between the teeth, the floorboards
Check the fingerprints, go through the trash
Maybe I just wanted some attention
Compulsion seeks its own way in rejection of the light
Every story needs to have an ending
We might as well give up all this pretending and clear the air
The night is crawling closer to the action
Your mouth is driving me into distraction, you talk too much
Well every story needs to have an ending
We might as well give up all this pretending and clear the air
A plague inside your home, I’m raider
Defiling all you own, raider
A cat among the crows, I’m raider
The butcher and his prose, I’m raider
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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Great version of a great song,
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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.
I am from Wichita, Kansas, and am very familiar with the story of Dennis Rader. I made the connection the first time I listened to the song, and talked to Steven about it during the Grace for Drowning tour.
Rader is also known as the "BTK Strangler", the letters standing for Bind, Torture, and Kill. Other than the double entendre with the name, some of the lyrics really drew parallels to BTK, for example:
"To raise alarm is underhand, so I cut off the phone" This is something he always did.
"I bind you up with tape" The use of the word "bind"
"Maybe I just wanted some attention Compulsion seeks its own way in rejection of the light" This reminds me of how Rader craved the attention of the public, and would communicate with the local TV stations through the mail. When he started doing that again, he sent something on a floppy disk, previously asking the police if such a thing could be traced, and the police lied and said no. That's ultimately how they found out who he was.
I love this song...this is something beyond imagination...........
Just kidding. This song is about robbery. The raider is a robber. He punches the owner of the home with his fist. He cuts the phone line so the owner can't raise alarm and then he ties the owner up with tape and when he's done with the stressful first part of the robbery,he relaxes for a bit and watches some TV while the owner is tied up and talking too much like "please let me go, please don't hurt me" etc. The next part sounds like he's really searching for something, through the trash, the floorboards and all. Then he needs to check to make sure he hasn't left any finger prints. It sounds like he can't find what he broke in for as if it was just for attention. Now the ending seems like he has to kill this owner and clear the air. I really think the fact he's referring to himself as a raider instead of robber means he was searching for something in particular. He's a plaque inside this owners home and disorganizes everythinf this person owns. This song is rather violent for the album. It kind of reminds me of the serial killer concept of In Absentia. The Grace for Drowning book has a picture of a person tied up close to thw lyrics of this song but the other pictures next to it, I can't quite make sense of. Also, I wanted to point out the song Index is kind of similar to the compulsion of thia robber or raider. I think Index and his song may be connected. I'm not sure what this has to do with Grace for Drowning as a whole but every song seems to be different on this album. Brilliant song. If anyone has anymore odeas or can add on to this a interpretation, please post. I'd really like to know hat that fibres between the teeth line means.
the line(s) about checking for fibres is talking about fibres from the serial killer/robber's (Dennis Rader's) clothes... whilst tying the victim up, the victim would have fought back, trying to bite the assailant evidently, due to his hands being tied up. Hence the lines "Check for fibres in the gaps between the teeth, the floorboards" followed by "Check the fingerprints, go through the trash"... the assailant is making sure he hasn't left any incriminating evidence behind (fingerprints, strands/fibres of his clothes etc.)<br /> hope this helps you understand this masterpiece :)
Agreed this song and Index connect up with "Blackest Eyes" and "The Creator has a Mastertape" from In Absentia on the serial killer concept. Steven Wilson said that his mom is a big serial killer buff and that's where he got the interest from LOL.
This song is about the American serial killer Dennis Rader... Steven said so himself when they played this in London, whilst touring for the album "The Raven....". The song is somewhat self-explanitory knowing that...
Brilliant song.. he's the only artist (that I know of) that can make a 23-minute song that doesn't get boring. pure genius.
Precisely, you enjoy the whole song and when it reaches 14:40 you become absolutely lunatic. ah, its too much of a feeling.
I'm wondering about the morality of Steven Wilson's odes to serial killers through the years.
I have no idea what this song is about but its brilliant. We need more interpretations.
BIND, TORTURE, KILL