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.
Press play, fast forward
Non stop we have the beaten path before us
It was all there, in plain sight
Come on people, we have all seen the sunshine
We will never get back to
To the old school
To the old rounds, it's all about the newfound
We are the newborn, the world'll know all about us
(We are the future and we're here to stay)
We've come a long way since that day
And we will never look back, at the fading silhouette
We've come a long way since that day
And we will never look back, look back at the fading silhouette
Straight ahead on the path we have before us
Day by day, soon the change will come
Don't you know we took a big step forward
Just lead the way and we pull the trigger
And we will never get back to
To the old school
To the old grounds, it's all about the newfound
We are the newborn, the world knew all about us
(We are the future and we're here to stay)
We've come a long way since that day
And we will never look back at the fading silhouette
We've come a long way since that day
We've come a long way since that day
And we will never look back at the fading silhouette
We've come a long way since that day
And we will never look back, look back at the fading silhouette
Non stop we have the beaten path before us
It was all there, in plain sight
Come on people, we have all seen the sunshine
We will never get back to
To the old school
To the old rounds, it's all about the newfound
We are the newborn, the world'll know all about us
(We are the future and we're here to stay)
We've come a long way since that day
And we will never look back, at the fading silhouette
We've come a long way since that day
And we will never look back, look back at the fading silhouette
Straight ahead on the path we have before us
Day by day, soon the change will come
Don't you know we took a big step forward
Just lead the way and we pull the trigger
And we will never get back to
To the old school
To the old grounds, it's all about the newfound
We are the newborn, the world knew all about us
(We are the future and we're here to stay)
We've come a long way since that day
And we will never look back at the fading silhouette
We've come a long way since that day
We've come a long way since that day
And we will never look back at the fading silhouette
We've come a long way since that day
And we will never look back, look back at the fading silhouette
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
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”
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
It's about not looking at the bad experiences of the past.