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.
Little River Band
I can feel it floating away
Inch by inch, day by day
Love boat set itself free
Castaway, slipping out to sea
I can feel it coming adrift
Even a blind man could see the rift
From an ocean liner to a Chinese Junk
There ain't been a ship that can't be sunk
I used to dream it could last forever
But pipedreams never come true
I'd be foolin' myself if I never
Thought something like this
Couldn't happen to you
I said baby you've got a man on your mind
You got a weight on your shoulders
How you ever gonna find the words to say goodbye
You don't know just what you got till it's gone
I guess you heard that a lot but it's true
It's not just a game
You can't change your life
By changing your name
It's not something you can hide away
Sooner or later it starts to show
It's written on your face
You've been betrayed
Do you really believe that I don't know
I said baby you've got a man on your mind
You got a weight on your shoulders
How you ever gonna find the words to say goodbye
It's already fallen
So it's no use to fight
And if he starts callin'
Let him know you're with me
For the rest of the night
Ooh I said baby you've got a man on your mind
You got a weight on your shoulders
How you ever gonna find the words to say goodbye
Baby you've got a man on your mind
You got a weight on your shoulders
How you ever gonna find the words to say goodbye
I can feel it floating away
Inch by inch, day by day
Love boat set itself free
Castaway, slipping out to sea
I can feel it coming adrift
Even a blind man could see the rift
From an ocean liner to a Chinese Junk
There ain't been a ship that can't be sunk
I used to dream it could last forever
But pipedreams never come true
I'd be foolin' myself if I never
Thought something like this
Couldn't happen to you
I said baby you've got a man on your mind
You got a weight on your shoulders
How you ever gonna find the words to say goodbye
You don't know just what you got till it's gone
I guess you heard that a lot but it's true
It's not just a game
You can't change your life
By changing your name
It's not something you can hide away
Sooner or later it starts to show
It's written on your face
You've been betrayed
Do you really believe that I don't know
I said baby you've got a man on your mind
You got a weight on your shoulders
How you ever gonna find the words to say goodbye
It's already fallen
So it's no use to fight
And if he starts callin'
Let him know you're with me
For the rest of the night
Ooh I said baby you've got a man on your mind
You got a weight on your shoulders
How you ever gonna find the words to say goodbye
Baby you've got a man on your mind
You got a weight on your shoulders
How you ever gonna find the words to say goodbye
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Man on Your Mind Lyrics as written by Kerryn Tolhurst Glenn Barrie Shorrock
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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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.