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 heard them calling in the distance
So I packed my things and ran
Far away from all the trouble
I had caused with my two hands
Alone we traveled on with nothing but a shadow
We fled far away
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran (deep into the mountain sound)
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran
Some hid scars and some hid scratches
It made me wonder about their past
And as I looked around, I began to notice
That we were nothing like the rest
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran (deep into the mountain sound)
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran
Whoa
We sleep until the sun goes down
Whoa
We sleep until the sun goes down
Whoa
We sleep until the sun goes down
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran (deep into the mountain sound)
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran (deep into the mountain sound)
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran
La la la, whoa, la la la
We sleep until the sun goes down
La la la, whoa whoa, la la la
We sleep until the sun goes
So I packed my things and ran
Far away from all the trouble
I had caused with my two hands
Alone we traveled on with nothing but a shadow
We fled far away
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran (deep into the mountain sound)
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran
Some hid scars and some hid scratches
It made me wonder about their past
And as I looked around, I began to notice
That we were nothing like the rest
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran (deep into the mountain sound)
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran
Whoa
We sleep until the sun goes down
Whoa
We sleep until the sun goes down
Whoa
We sleep until the sun goes down
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran (deep into the mountain sound)
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran (deep into the mountain sound)
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)
Through the woods, we ran
La la la, whoa, la la la
We sleep until the sun goes down
La la la, whoa whoa, la la la
We sleep until the sun goes
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Light Up The Sky
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Jane's Addiction
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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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,
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Our hero is on the run. He knows that he is guilty and carries his guilt with him, in his shadow. Thus, to avoid his shadow, he hides during the day and flees at night. When he reflects on the people he is running from he can't help but think that they too have their own reasons for hiding and that his crime doesn't seem so terrible anymore.
I think this song is about realizing the actual weight of your decisions and not the weight that you might assume. Deals with paranoia.
Considering the band's Icelandic origins and your interpretation, this song could be based on an ancient Icelandic folk tale, which I remember reading about when I was young, about an outlaw who hid in the woods. I can't remember the name of the hero or of the story either, so I will have to look it up, but thanks for your interpretation!
In my opinion, it's about someone that realizes that he has entire future in front of him. He plans to get away from his mistakes and move forward with his life. On that road to moving on there's times when one has to fight for themselves, and in that sense finding themselves. While others are wondering why he's in such a hurry, he believes there wasting their lives "sleeping till the sun goes down" while he wants to venture off, to where his future will take him "deep into the mountain sound". While he's searching and creating his own path he meets other people with their own set of "scars and scratches. He realizes that everybody truly has their own journey and even "we" are nothing like the rest. The rest of the song, the repetition, everything, represents traveling on and moving forward; to never falter on your path. No matter how many times he's questioned, he sticks to his story and pushes on forward.
It's mountain sound not song
I think all of these interpretations have been missing the cultural context. Of Monsters and Men is from Iceland, a nation with a strong belief in the fey folk and the creatures of the night. Their relationship with these beings is less antagonistic than their European counterparts, and belief in their existence is very widespread.
With this in mind, the meaning of the song becomes clear; it's about a couple of kids hearing the song of the fairy folk, and running up to their mountain lair to party with them, before noticing the scars of their long lives and realizing "That we were nothing like the rest". The verse is told from the perspective of the youths, and the chorus is the fey folk ("We sleep until the sun goes down/Through the woods we ran).
One, I hope they correct the title real soon. Anyway I don't know if I'm correct and I can be very wrong. However, to me is that each of the people have a had a past that eventually made them realize they were lonely and wanted something better for themselves. Then they ran into each other in a crowded place and noticed each other from afar, because they "were nothing like the rest." They fell in love and they're growing old with each other; however, they're trying to take it slow so they can enjoy every moment with each other. I think this leads into Little Talks honestly.
In easier words, I think it is the journey they had to find each other and the journey they had to be with each other.
I really like this song. Their whole album is pretty great. And yeah the title is Mountain Sound, not Mountain Song.
I think it's about running away with a lover. The first stanza could indicate that by getting together, they caused a lot of trouble. Perhaps the lead singer stole the girl from someone and she agreed to go along with him. Everyone is chasing him and angry with him, thus the need to get away.
This song is about looking at the big picture and seeing how important or trivial your decision were no matter how they felt at the time.
I think its about the band and raising up in the local scene... I can personally relate to this cause I am in a underground band myself. I heard them calling in the distance So I packed my things and ran Far away from all the trouble I had caused with my two hands Alone we traveled on with nothing but a shadow We fled far away
I think thats about going on tour and seeing the world
And as I looked around, I began to notice That we were nothing like the rest
I think is him realizing they sound nothing like bands that they listened to or play with
Sounds to me like it's about going from Iceland to the U.S. to tour. "We sleep until the sun goes down" references the time change. The verses describe the many people they see on their tours.