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.
Look at what you look at and see yourself life in all things
All things. All things.
What does all things mean?
Well it's like Allstate
Or All-American
Or all in the grace...of our lord
Willie
Willie Mean-Man-From-The-South
He'll bust your mouth
Take a stick and knock off your head
He'll do anything he feels like he wants to do
And he finds out he's already dead
He'll rape your sister and give you some dirt
And he'll bury you deep down within
He's the king of all things down in the springs
And the Irish of the springs that's dead
And it's...
Slick as a whistle on a Wilson sword
He keeps on with his chords and playin' with his board
Now'a Straight Razor Sammy and Ice Pick Mike
They were mad as a motherfuckin' dog
They got loose on a goose and fellas flew
And the Momma Goose moved on
There was Suckly Tumpa Tucka 'Tucky Derby Tucka Sam
Walked on and didn't give a good goddamn
There was dirt in the waters and the corners, too
There was everything had to be cleaned up
Even me and you
On and forever now
I'm takin' it back through my mind's for life
It's just on the corner of a cousin I seen
Liftin' on a cloud on a red purple dream
Walkin' on Red Cloud thinkin' on Crazy Horse
Ride on
And in the night's mind, I creeped and fell
Then I died and I descended to hell
Then I woke and I became dead again
And walked around and looked for a friend
I was deep down in the whole and I was mean and I was mad and I'd sharpen me up a spoon
I'm gonna stick it in his neck and stick it in his ass and cut his motherfuckin' head off for callin me the ??
I was runnin' in the corner and I was thinkin' and fire and I had gasoline in a bucket
I was thinkin' bout this match in my pocket
And I might just...
Burn your motherfuckin' ass up
'Cause I walk on to the levee
She talked to him 'bout the fast lane
She was ridin' in some car
The car was hooked to the Cadillac on Stars
And the..
Stars were hooked to Elvis and Elvis was my son
Say, did you think that your father was your dreamer's number one?
See you walk on down to sail down south
Walk on through town 'round now
Walk on through town with a frown now
I was once in a normal mood now
???
You gotta call, call, call yourself somethin'
Where the deer and the antelope roam
I want them back to my home on earth around
Everywhere, everywhere back behind the stairway where you
Spiders had your hairways
I...
I cut your hair off a long time ago
Shave you bald and put you on your knees
And said please just let me love you
Please, please, please
Said I don't know where I got time to place your mind upon my schedule
See, you know the committee's unfair and again, and then they play on all that to be and say you've been on
Highway, Highway 99
115's on a summertime dream
Gotta a witch bitch cat on my thunder
Got things on the house down the streets
And I'll be thinkin' today ??? I'm gonna lay down here
Let 'um keep killin' me
Who-who who who who-who are you now?
Who who who are you now?
Who who who who who who
I see you sittin' there on a tree limb
And you think you got somethin'
Somethin' that nobody else got
I see you sittin out there on my tree limb
Thinkin' you somebody that you not
And there's a tree on the other side cryin'
I didn't break no law
But the laws okay
If everybody abided what they say
Hey
Little laws okay now
Did you abide what universal law's laid out for?
God's on your wing
Sing sing sing sing say say
Say man, how long you been back in this alley?
I was back in this alley before it was an alley
Well when was you back here?
I was back in here when it was a trail
And then I was back in here when it was a mountain
And then I was back here hidin' on the top'a this hill
And you came up with your fuckin' things and strings
And brought me down to this goddamn civilization
And I told you...
You better leave up there in the mountains
Or you gonna...
Lose your mind
A little bit more and more now now everyday
Hey hey
How high is high 'till you come back from under?
Wears on love say you whistlin' on thunder, baby
Red Cloud says he gotta knife
And he might come down the mainline
And look around and see what he could see, see
But I ain't gonna show it, what I know
I'm keepin' it hid, love for you
I've got things I can do no one else could think of
Even come through
I know plants and roots and things that I can eat beyond 'can fears
Devil's weeds on roots and things on mushrooms
Minds on tears
Down through my yakkin' mouth
Movin', I'm a yakkin' man
So, I can ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga
Got you in my circle
Treat you on my beseeched streets
See him walkin'
You know where he's goin'
He's goin to the movies, man
He had a bottle wine in his pocket
And he buckin' he then he had buck then he had Buck
He kept Buck, man
Smart on the buck
He kept the buck right there in his pocket
All the time
You ever notice?
It was right by his fingertips
Just like it's...
As if he might use it
But did he really use it?
Only to...
Uh, interruption. Would you excuse me just a minute?
All things. All things.
What does all things mean?
Well it's like Allstate
Or All-American
Or all in the grace...of our lord
Willie
Willie Mean-Man-From-The-South
He'll bust your mouth
Take a stick and knock off your head
He'll do anything he feels like he wants to do
And he finds out he's already dead
He'll rape your sister and give you some dirt
And he'll bury you deep down within
He's the king of all things down in the springs
And the Irish of the springs that's dead
And it's...
Slick as a whistle on a Wilson sword
He keeps on with his chords and playin' with his board
Now'a Straight Razor Sammy and Ice Pick Mike
They were mad as a motherfuckin' dog
They got loose on a goose and fellas flew
And the Momma Goose moved on
There was Suckly Tumpa Tucka 'Tucky Derby Tucka Sam
Walked on and didn't give a good goddamn
There was dirt in the waters and the corners, too
There was everything had to be cleaned up
Even me and you
On and forever now
I'm takin' it back through my mind's for life
It's just on the corner of a cousin I seen
Liftin' on a cloud on a red purple dream
Walkin' on Red Cloud thinkin' on Crazy Horse
Ride on
And in the night's mind, I creeped and fell
Then I died and I descended to hell
Then I woke and I became dead again
And walked around and looked for a friend
I was deep down in the whole and I was mean and I was mad and I'd sharpen me up a spoon
I'm gonna stick it in his neck and stick it in his ass and cut his motherfuckin' head off for callin me the ??
I was runnin' in the corner and I was thinkin' and fire and I had gasoline in a bucket
I was thinkin' bout this match in my pocket
And I might just...
Burn your motherfuckin' ass up
'Cause I walk on to the levee
She talked to him 'bout the fast lane
She was ridin' in some car
The car was hooked to the Cadillac on Stars
And the..
Stars were hooked to Elvis and Elvis was my son
Say, did you think that your father was your dreamer's number one?
See you walk on down to sail down south
Walk on through town 'round now
Walk on through town with a frown now
I was once in a normal mood now
???
You gotta call, call, call yourself somethin'
Where the deer and the antelope roam
I want them back to my home on earth around
Everywhere, everywhere back behind the stairway where you
Spiders had your hairways
I...
I cut your hair off a long time ago
Shave you bald and put you on your knees
And said please just let me love you
Please, please, please
Said I don't know where I got time to place your mind upon my schedule
See, you know the committee's unfair and again, and then they play on all that to be and say you've been on
Highway, Highway 99
115's on a summertime dream
Gotta a witch bitch cat on my thunder
Got things on the house down the streets
And I'll be thinkin' today ??? I'm gonna lay down here
Let 'um keep killin' me
Who-who who who who-who are you now?
Who who who are you now?
Who who who who who who
I see you sittin' there on a tree limb
And you think you got somethin'
Somethin' that nobody else got
I see you sittin out there on my tree limb
Thinkin' you somebody that you not
And there's a tree on the other side cryin'
I didn't break no law
But the laws okay
If everybody abided what they say
Hey
Little laws okay now
Did you abide what universal law's laid out for?
God's on your wing
Sing sing sing sing say say
Say man, how long you been back in this alley?
I was back in this alley before it was an alley
Well when was you back here?
I was back in here when it was a trail
And then I was back in here when it was a mountain
And then I was back here hidin' on the top'a this hill
And you came up with your fuckin' things and strings
And brought me down to this goddamn civilization
And I told you...
You better leave up there in the mountains
Or you gonna...
Lose your mind
A little bit more and more now now everyday
Hey hey
How high is high 'till you come back from under?
Wears on love say you whistlin' on thunder, baby
Red Cloud says he gotta knife
And he might come down the mainline
And look around and see what he could see, see
But I ain't gonna show it, what I know
I'm keepin' it hid, love for you
I've got things I can do no one else could think of
Even come through
I know plants and roots and things that I can eat beyond 'can fears
Devil's weeds on roots and things on mushrooms
Minds on tears
Down through my yakkin' mouth
Movin', I'm a yakkin' man
So, I can ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga
Got you in my circle
Treat you on my beseeched streets
See him walkin'
You know where he's goin'
He's goin to the movies, man
He had a bottle wine in his pocket
And he buckin' he then he had buck then he had Buck
He kept Buck, man
Smart on the buck
He kept the buck right there in his pocket
All the time
You ever notice?
It was right by his fingertips
Just like it's...
As if he might use it
But did he really use it?
Only to...
Uh, interruption. Would you excuse me just a minute?
Lyrics submitted by DonaldSack
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