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 crawl across the floor never see the light
Only shadows on the wall
Somebody said there is reality behind
But I'm afraid to turn and fall, ohh
Set me free for eternity
And now they talk about my destiny again
I hear their footsteps in the dark
But then again there was the silence and the pain
Ooh, Lord that made me feel so lost
Help me, get out of here
Save me, my world's an illusion
I'm still inside the cave imprisoned in the line
And silhouettes on the wall
I have to turn around to see what's goin' on
'Cause what I saw was never all
Just a move is the solution
It's not enough to stand and stare
Leave the cave and find the reason
For the cross you have to bear
Never, never
Never return to a place your born
Never, never
Never return to the place you're born
Never, never
Never return to the place you're born
Never, never
We will never, we will never return to the principle
Never, never
We will never, we will never return to the principle
Never, never
We will never, we will never return to the principle
Never, never
We will never, we will never return to the principle
Only shadows on the wall
Somebody said there is reality behind
But I'm afraid to turn and fall, ohh
Set me free for eternity
And now they talk about my destiny again
I hear their footsteps in the dark
But then again there was the silence and the pain
Ooh, Lord that made me feel so lost
Help me, get out of here
Save me, my world's an illusion
I'm still inside the cave imprisoned in the line
And silhouettes on the wall
I have to turn around to see what's goin' on
'Cause what I saw was never all
Just a move is the solution
It's not enough to stand and stare
Leave the cave and find the reason
For the cross you have to bear
Never, never
Never return to a place your born
Never, never
Never return to the place you're born
Never, never
Never return to the place you're born
Never, never
We will never, we will never return to the principle
Never, never
We will never, we will never return to the principle
Never, never
We will never, we will never return to the principle
Never, never
We will never, we will never return to the principle
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"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
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Wu-Tang Clan
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.
American Town
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Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
If I'm not wrong, its about the philosophy principle. You never know about the truth unless you see it. Even then, nobody will want to know and they will ignore you
^ Pretty much, more specifically it's about Plato's myth of the cavern.
Even though the lyrics are not here, some of you may come here for the meaning.
This song is about Plato's allegory of the Cave. In the allegory, Plato describes people born as prisoners chained in a cave, unable to turn their heads. All they can see is the wall of the cave. Behind them burns a fire. Between the fire and the prisoners there is a parapet, along which puppeteers can walk. The puppeteers, who are behind the prisoners, hold up puppets that cast shadows on the wall of the cave. The prisoners are unable to see these puppets, the real objects, that pass behind them. What the prisoners see and hear are shadows and echoes cast by objects that they do not see. Such prisoners would mistake appearance for reality. Then according to Plato, one of the men breaks the chains and manages to get out of the cave and sees the light of day and real objects for the first time. His duty is to go back to the cave and release all others from their shackles. Some people will follow him, but some are convinced that the shadows on the cave are the real life and they will be hard to be persuaded to abandon their enslaved life. The chained people are all of us, believing in false ideals and living in a corrupted society. The man who broke the chains is the Philosopher, who sees the truth of life and its true forms and tries to awaken the rest of the people. In this case, it could be the artist, trying to awaken and stimulate people with his music.
This song is about Plato's allegory of the Cave. In the allegory, Plato describes people born as prisoners chained in a cave, unable to turn their heads. All they can see is the wall of the cave. Behind them burns a fire. Between the fire and the prisoners there is a parapet, along which puppeteers can walk. The puppeteers, who are behind the prisoners, hold up puppets that cast shadows on the wall of the cave. The prisoners are unable to see these puppets, the real objects, that pass behind them. What the prisoners see and hear are shadows and echoes cast by objects that they do not see. Such prisoners would mistake appearance for reality. Then according to Plato, one of the men breaks the chains and manages to get out of the cave and sees the light of day and real objects for the first time. His duty is to go back to the cave and release all others from their shackles. Some people will follow him, but some are convinced that the shadows on the cave are the real life and they will be hard to be persuaded to abandon their enslaved life. The chained people are all of us, believing in false ideals and living in a corrupted society. The man who broke the chains is the Philosopher, who sees the truth of life and its true forms and tries to awaken the rest of the people. In this case, it could be the artist, trying to awaken and stimulate people with his music.