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.
I must have read a thousand faces
I must have robbed them of their cause
Sickened thirst, sickened thirst
Keeps it together
Soft white glow in the cranium
A bull's eye made sedated
Beware
Beware
Beware
I must have read a thousand faces
And all these voices won't give up
Sickened thirst, sickened thirst
Glues it together
Catatonic leisure at 1000 miles per hour
Beware
Beware
Beware
So who's in charge in here?
Barking out loud so clear
Because I'd really like to meet him
So who's in charge in here?
In the rear view of this mirror
Because I'd really like to meet him
So who's in charge in here?
Barking out loud so clear
Because I'd really like to meet him
Uproar east
Strike west
Have you ever tasted skin
Sink your, sink your teeth in it
Have you ever tasted skin
Sink your teeth into
Have you ever?
Beware
Beware
Beware
Beware
Beware
Beware
I must have robbed them of their cause
Sickened thirst, sickened thirst
Keeps it together
Soft white glow in the cranium
A bull's eye made sedated
Beware
Beware
Beware
I must have read a thousand faces
And all these voices won't give up
Sickened thirst, sickened thirst
Glues it together
Catatonic leisure at 1000 miles per hour
Beware
Beware
Beware
So who's in charge in here?
Barking out loud so clear
Because I'd really like to meet him
So who's in charge in here?
In the rear view of this mirror
Because I'd really like to meet him
So who's in charge in here?
Barking out loud so clear
Because I'd really like to meet him
Uproar east
Strike west
Have you ever tasted skin
Sink your, sink your teeth in it
Have you ever tasted skin
Sink your teeth into
Have you ever?
Beware
Beware
Beware
Beware
Beware
Beware
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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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.
I think these lyrics are about a pilot of an ultra sonic bomber plane who has bombed many people through upper orders
it seems he doesnt want to kill them and feels guilty and aggressive for the killings
@grungeboy that's a good one
@grungeboy agreed. also, think of the shape that a bomb (part of the arsenal) takes when it falls...an arc.
I'm not truly sure if this song even has a continuous theme, but I'll say something about the Dahmer theory and how it could be credible:
must have read a thousand faces must have robbed them of their cause (Throughout life Dahmer has met and seen many people, and due to his sick nature he twisted the general view of each one and "robbed" them of their purpose; or perhaps he saw faces (which he ate occasionally) and immediatelly saw them as a grotesque thing, instead of a thing of individual beauty) sickened thirst, sickened thirst keeps it together soft white glow in the cranium a bulls eye made sedated (what ever his deep seeded issue is with himself keeps his Nuerons firing in a local area that feeds his dark drive to destroy and mutilate, the narrow mindness numbing him (sedated). Bulls eye i think is a metaphor to the nuerons firing (soft white glow) that he struck and drove him to insanity)
beware
must have read a thousand faces and all these voices won't give up (psychosis of his mind telling him (whether literally or figuratively) to hate) sickened thirst, sickened thirst glues it together a catatonic leisure at 1000 miles per hour (again deep seeded issue psychologically and physiologically local in his mind like an addiction. Catatonic leisure is a play on words alluding to "catatonic leision" which is where a "bruise" on the mind leads to psychological disorder. This "bruise" for him was figurative and he enjoyed it. The thoughts (or nuerons) fed themselves at a thousand miles an hour, meaning he was constantly feeling crazy.)
beware
so who's in charge here barking out loud so clear because i'd really like to meet him (ATDI asks what superego (or mental justification is present that drove him to insantiy)
uproar east, strike west (2 things; 1. could be talking about how he killed mostly african americans and asians; they "uproared" and bothered him and they're from the east and he struck them down in the west; 2. a play on the 2 hemispheres of the brain. east is right and west is left.)
have you ever tasted skin sink your, sink your teeth in (ATDI asking the listeners if they could relate, if they are crazy)
overall, alot of ATDI's songs have psychological references so it's not hard to see that they might approach this one in that way. to me, they seem to focus on his sickness and how it drives him. Again, I'm not sure if any of this is right. It's just my two cents and I don't know enough about the band to make a full analysis. Brilliant song BTW.
This song is incredible.
wow. what a way to start a cd. undescribably good.
senorgracioso, why do you post here if your just going to insult fans? i think the point of this is to say what you think the songs about. oh well. i think this song is about squashing a revolution or something along the lines of that.
(I believe this refers to brain activity literally taking place in someones head or cranium. A bulls eye made sedated refers to someone using an actual sedative or tranquilizer delivered via hypodermic needle hitting the vein like hitting a bulls eye on a dart board.) beware (One should always take caution with needles and sedatives- beware)
is what i really wrote it did not display correctly in the previous post.
Um, it's about drug use, abuse, addiction:
soft white glow in the cranium a bulls eye made sedated
a catatonic leisure at 1000 miles per hour
so who's in charge here barking out loud so clear because i'd really like to meet him
If you've ever done heroin (opiates) you know exactly what this means.
I've read somewhere that this song is about Jeffrey Dahmer. You know, the cannibalistic serial killer.
Dahmer sounds close enough. It is certainly about gaining control of lifes thorns, and killing them, be it a person or any other object. And what better way to destroy something than to kill it eat it and then crap it.
Dahmer sounds close enough. It is certainly about gaining control of lifes thorns, and killing them, be it a person or any other object. And what better way to destroy something than to kill it eat it and then crap it.