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.
Though I can't put my hands on you I can feel you now
In the bones and the blood flowing needles on the ground
In the ether I sail to you floating on the fumes
Run aground on the shore for you simple wreckage
Taree walk out and raise the road to my tilted shadow
I only know I've made it home when I drown in your ghost light
Though I can't put a name on you I will cry it out
In my heart I will hold what my bloody hands have dropped
Run aground on the floor for you simple wreckage
Taree walk out and raise the road to my tilted shadow
I only know I've made it home when I drown in your ghost light
In your ghost light
Taree walk out and raise the road to my tilted shadow
I only know I've made it home when I drown in your ghost light
In your ghost light
Taree! Taree! Taree!
In the bones and the blood flowing needles on the ground
In the ether I sail to you floating on the fumes
Run aground on the shore for you simple wreckage
Taree walk out and raise the road to my tilted shadow
I only know I've made it home when I drown in your ghost light
Though I can't put a name on you I will cry it out
In my heart I will hold what my bloody hands have dropped
Run aground on the floor for you simple wreckage
Taree walk out and raise the road to my tilted shadow
I only know I've made it home when I drown in your ghost light
In your ghost light
Taree walk out and raise the road to my tilted shadow
I only know I've made it home when I drown in your ghost light
In your ghost light
Taree! Taree! Taree!
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings, edited by Mellow_Harsher, wh33ls, LurkInTheDark, derpatrol
Taree Lyrics as written by Chris Cornell Benedict Shepherd Hunter
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Whoever posted these lyrics is a moron.
Its about the place that chris grew up in, and has been dubbed an "ode to nature". Its an important song for him, stating all the mystical emotions he experienced when he was amongst nature as a child. And the name is a reference to a sign saying "taree" that was styled like the hollywood sign, only it was overgrown with plants.
Taree is actually a name of Japanese origin. Not sure if it has personal significance to Chris or not, nor am I sure of the meaning.
Also, I love how you can really hear Chris getting his Soundgarden voice back through the course of this album.
WELCOME BACK, GUYS!
Apparently, Ben wrote the music before they broke up. I guess Chris wrote the lyrics this year. Taree is in reference to a sign in Kingston, WA. It was the letters that make up "Taree" in similar form as the famous Hollywood sign. Not sure what the lyrics mean but I just watched the commentary on youtube for this song.
Isn't it a reference to heroin? "In the bones and the blood flowing Needles on the ground (...) Simple Wreckage (...) I only know I've made it home When I drown In your ghost light"
Heck yeah sobeliz24 - i definitely hear that classic Soundgarden vocals in Chris's voice. It rocks man - most of the songs on King Animal he did a great job on vocally. I'm hoping their next album rocks too i dont wanna jinx it but dont know how much fighting time these guys have left as a band. I hope alot but we shall see.
LoL it's so funny how all of these songs seem to be in reference to a drug w/ the power of Heroine and all.. but uhh.. yeah. If it is about that symbolic town of his growing up. GHOST light.. ghosts are gone.. he wants to drown in the light of that memory .. his tilted shadow.. maybe he feels like now hes just a shadow roamin around without that place. But i mean.. the verses suggest a double meaning like.. he cant put a name on Taree anymore.. cant place his hands there... he can still feel it - IN THE BONES AND THE BLOOD FLOWING.. sure like maybe thru heroine use he can feel it .. needles on the ground, etc. - i see that. in the "ether" he "sails" .. floating on the "fumes" yup... i can see an injection...lol... of double meaning in this song b/w inspirational and vivid imagery and connecting all of that in a powerful way to the place he grew up in. Good instrumentals and vocals in this one guyz.
English grammar is not exactly my strongest side, so nevermind that...Ok, my take on this song is that it's not just about the place(an bay with the "Taree" sign), it's more about things happend there...Key lyric line for me is "In my heart i will hold what my bloody hands have dropped", meaning he regrets something, some bad mistake he did, probably somebody he lost, cause of his weakness, stupidity, pride or alike. Those were probably the best times of his life and had the strongest impact on him, but he feels he did something very wrong(posible cause of drug abuse, but it doesen't have to be that, or that only. "Needles on the ground", and "floating on the fumes" can mean a lot of things). Anyway, things went bad.. So, memories hunt him, in his imagination he always goes back to his "home". But, the tricky part is he cannot ever realy be there and be the real him, caues not only he would have to go there, he would also have to bring back the time, the people, everything...and that's only posible in another, "ghost" dimension. Thats the reason for mixing real and surreal in his lyrics (cause he likes when it gets mixed in his head, it's the only way he can get home). The chous can also mean that the sing is not realy there anymore, and the whole place looks very different now, so he prays for the road to pop out from out of nowhere, so he could go to his favourite place that only he knows egsists. If you imagine a scene as described in the chorus lyrics, it looks very much like some portal pasing scene from sci-fi movies.
Taree is an unnamed beautiful woman he secretly loves but had to leave behind to face impossible odds. She's forever in his heart, flowing within his blood, & gives his bones the strength he needs to persevere in order to right a heinous wrong. He daydreams of her 24/7 until he can be with her glowing form of perfection within the invisible ghost light realm of the dreamworld again.