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.
This Jet Life, don't scrub, you blot that
Flow runs in the Porsche, I'm out front and got my top back
Label me a author, fore founder of lifestyle rap
Watching these niggas borrow game, not acknowledging where they got that
Though I fall back, let them run with that, consider those my rebel kids
Clashing with they father figure when they know they wanna be just like him
Where might I have been without my pen to scribble about what I done wit 'em
Girls that I took home last night, Chevys I sat on top them rims
I'm good in front of that camera lens, weed smoke when my video spins
At her house, rolling up in her boy shorts, my mafia bitch
Plotting up, I'm counting up, going for it cause I go and get it
So you liable to see her with me, my pockets fat, my tie skinny
Loud pack, got a louder engine, 80 large, all Benjamins
Vacationing, 2 nights spending, I ain't tripping
Fool I know how to get that back, homie my triple O showed me that
Same thing showed my how to roll them Zags
And my reputation precedes me, they already know
I keep it capital G apostrophe D
Going hard, making it look easy
'Cause when I do what it do, I do it like I'm doing it for TV
And my reputation precedes me, they already know
I keep it capital G apostrophe D
Going hard, making it look easy
'Cause when I do what it do, I do it like I'm doing it for TV
You know I do it like I'm doing it for do
Watch the shoes, ostrich, you know what time it is like 2 watches
My reputation, detonation on destination
I separated, elevated, get salutation
I'm seldom seen in forest green foreign machine
Dirty south but the engine clean and that pussy clean
Criminal thing, a criminal mind
I got a pocket full of dead presidents, I'ma bring them alive
Riding shotgun with that K on the side
Bitches that I'm done with, let them lay on the side
Clock on your mind, I'm ahead of your time
Hublot transform like Optimus Prime
Diamonds on, diamonds off, shawty ass kinda soft
Tattoos, lip gloss, pockets on Rick Ross
I'm fantasizing a tantalizing experience
Bitches like photography, I just take a pic
And my reputation precedes me, they already know
I keep it capital G apostrophe D
Going hard, making it look easy
'Cause when I do what it do, I do it like I'm doing it for TV
And my reputation precedes me, they already know
I keep it capital G apostrophe D
Going hard, making it look easy
'Cause when I do what it do, I do it like I'm doing it for TV
I'm up in this, 442 on them Budnik rims
I'm what a pimp, all them gangsta bitches fuck with him
Bring ducketts in
When records wasn't really bumping, they was in love with him
To see him balling is like drugs to them
Mama calling for that Jet to put a reservation in
Ain't concerned where she going 'long as she stay with him
They be seeking that foundation, stable niggas with paper
I'm all that, but I'm stingy, you ain't write n'an one of these raps
And love, I'm so serious, you might get high from Henny
Get stupid fly at any event, spray some Ozium in that vent
Bring them hoes and tell them shake that shit, send my jail niggas flicks
We live it, she love it, in the kitchen, in the oven mitt
It's Jet Life over e'ry bitch
And e'ry bitch ass nigga breaking they back, tryna take care of them
We get high, we laugh at them
I swear ain't no comparin' them to no nigga in my area
This Jet Life, no play time, we cut them hoes, you carry them
And my reputation precedes me, they already know
I keep it capital G apostrophe D
Going hard, making it look easy
'Cause when I do what it do, I do it like I'm doing it for TV
And my reputation precedes me, they already know
I keep it capital G apostrophe D
Going hard, making it look easy
'Cause when I do what it do, I do it like I'm doing it for TV
Flow runs in the Porsche, I'm out front and got my top back
Label me a author, fore founder of lifestyle rap
Watching these niggas borrow game, not acknowledging where they got that
Though I fall back, let them run with that, consider those my rebel kids
Clashing with they father figure when they know they wanna be just like him
Where might I have been without my pen to scribble about what I done wit 'em
Girls that I took home last night, Chevys I sat on top them rims
I'm good in front of that camera lens, weed smoke when my video spins
At her house, rolling up in her boy shorts, my mafia bitch
Plotting up, I'm counting up, going for it cause I go and get it
So you liable to see her with me, my pockets fat, my tie skinny
Loud pack, got a louder engine, 80 large, all Benjamins
Vacationing, 2 nights spending, I ain't tripping
Fool I know how to get that back, homie my triple O showed me that
Same thing showed my how to roll them Zags
And my reputation precedes me, they already know
I keep it capital G apostrophe D
Going hard, making it look easy
'Cause when I do what it do, I do it like I'm doing it for TV
And my reputation precedes me, they already know
I keep it capital G apostrophe D
Going hard, making it look easy
'Cause when I do what it do, I do it like I'm doing it for TV
You know I do it like I'm doing it for do
Watch the shoes, ostrich, you know what time it is like 2 watches
My reputation, detonation on destination
I separated, elevated, get salutation
I'm seldom seen in forest green foreign machine
Dirty south but the engine clean and that pussy clean
Criminal thing, a criminal mind
I got a pocket full of dead presidents, I'ma bring them alive
Riding shotgun with that K on the side
Bitches that I'm done with, let them lay on the side
Clock on your mind, I'm ahead of your time
Hublot transform like Optimus Prime
Diamonds on, diamonds off, shawty ass kinda soft
Tattoos, lip gloss, pockets on Rick Ross
I'm fantasizing a tantalizing experience
Bitches like photography, I just take a pic
And my reputation precedes me, they already know
I keep it capital G apostrophe D
Going hard, making it look easy
'Cause when I do what it do, I do it like I'm doing it for TV
And my reputation precedes me, they already know
I keep it capital G apostrophe D
Going hard, making it look easy
'Cause when I do what it do, I do it like I'm doing it for TV
I'm up in this, 442 on them Budnik rims
I'm what a pimp, all them gangsta bitches fuck with him
Bring ducketts in
When records wasn't really bumping, they was in love with him
To see him balling is like drugs to them
Mama calling for that Jet to put a reservation in
Ain't concerned where she going 'long as she stay with him
They be seeking that foundation, stable niggas with paper
I'm all that, but I'm stingy, you ain't write n'an one of these raps
And love, I'm so serious, you might get high from Henny
Get stupid fly at any event, spray some Ozium in that vent
Bring them hoes and tell them shake that shit, send my jail niggas flicks
We live it, she love it, in the kitchen, in the oven mitt
It's Jet Life over e'ry bitch
And e'ry bitch ass nigga breaking they back, tryna take care of them
We get high, we laugh at them
I swear ain't no comparin' them to no nigga in my area
This Jet Life, no play time, we cut them hoes, you carry them
And my reputation precedes me, they already know
I keep it capital G apostrophe D
Going hard, making it look easy
'Cause when I do what it do, I do it like I'm doing it for TV
And my reputation precedes me, they already know
I keep it capital G apostrophe D
Going hard, making it look easy
'Cause when I do what it do, I do it like I'm doing it for TV
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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.