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.
(verse 1)
SHOEBOX:
Folks often know me only as Shoebox
My one man band can rock off your crew socks
It’s called Worm Quartet and I do synth punk comedy
I toss out sweat like I toss out harmonies
Lyrically I’m equally nonsensical and brilli-ant
Sometimes it’s nigh-political, sometimes a wookie willie rant
I’ve topped the comedy charts for whatever that’s worth
And I won’t rest until I’ve mentioned every nipple on earth
I’ve got a giant grin that some people find alarmin’
And hair so damned long that I don’t need Charmin (ew.)
I tend to be remembered by the people that I meet
And by the ones who run screaming when they see me on the street
So that’s why I tend to think that it’s a little weird
When I’m mistaken for a ginger-headed rapper with a beard
The demon stepson of Alan Sherman and Vanilla Ice
He lives in Jersey for some reason and his name is Devo Spice
(chorus 1)
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: I’m suddenly recording Dukes of Hazzard on my Tivo, so Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: And Shoebox are you Devo? Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: When she was just a toddler my daughter called you To-Box, so Shoebox are you Devo?.
SHOEBOX: And Devo are you Shoebox?
(verse 2)
DEVO:
I fear Shoebox and I appear to lead the same lives
Although thankfully we don’t appear to need the same wives
Because we each have a wife where our porno should belong
Although they both will be pissed for this mention in the song
We each had a mullet, but now they’re both gone
I chopped my hair short, Shoebox grew his hair long
We’ve been on Dr. Demento’s Show a pile of times
And we both can write code that both compiles and rhymes
He can sing Free Bird, and I can barely hum it
And he drinks coffee like he thinks his blood is made from it
I’ve eaten lots of Cheez-Its that were covered in ants
I’m pretty sure he’d never do that even if he had the chance
Shoebox is the world’s biggest Pac-Man fan
I mean, I like it too, but holy crap man
His Mommy is broken, mine is doing just fine
And there’s never been a guy named Frank in any band of mine
(chorus 2)
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: I don't think you are, I guess you might be though, Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo? Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: There's few words that rhyme with Devo, and fewer that rhyme with Shoebox, so this is chorus is gonna suck.
SHOEBOX: Yeah...it really is.
(verse 3)
DEVO: Hello, I’m a Mac, SHOEBOX: and I’m a PC
DEVO: But we both emulate Atari gloriously
SHOEBOX: We both reproduced within about five months
DEVO: Except I did it three times, SHOEBOX: I only had to do it once
Then I had a vasectomy, DEVO: well I had two
Twice the price, twice as nice, I’m twice as neutered as you
SHOEBOX: Yeouch, dude I’m glad that didn’t happen to me
Can you imagine how much longer Dr. Stopp would be?
DEVO: I went to RIT, SHOEBOX: Dude I live right next door
DEVO: I co-hosted Friggin’ SHOEBOX: Here, I did that in ‘04
I wrote most of this verse, DEVO: I helped out with an edit
SHOEBOX: I wrote most of Inner Voice, DEVO: and I took most of the credit
SHOEBOX: Wait, what’s going on? DEVO: Why do I feel wrong?
SHOEBOX: Why’s my baby face so manly? DEVO: Why’s my hair so freakin’ long?
Did we just switch places like that Scooter Picnic thing?
SHOEBOX: Holy crap, I can rap! DEVO: And I can almost sort of sing (SHOEBOX: hey!)
DEVO: I’m sitting in a cubicle, SHOEBOX: yeeeah, so am I
DEVO: I’ve got way too much to do, SHOEBOX: yeah same here guy
DEVO: My desk is friggin’ filthy, SHOEBOX: I feel your pain
DEVO: Hey that’s a picture of my wife! SHOEBOX: Dude, I can explain!
DEVO: Wait! Look out the window! SHOEBOX: Sweet Shatner’s toupee!
I’m living in New Jersey, DEVO: I’m in Rochester, Yay!
SHOEBOX: Dude I’ve never heard anybody say those words together
DEVO: I can pump my own gas, I hope this dream lasts forever
(chorus 3)
DEVO: Devo are you Shoebox?
SHOEBOX: Shoebox are you Devo?
DEVO: Devo are you Shoebox?
SHOEBOX: Shoebox are you Devo?
DEVO: It looks like everybody in the FuMP has gone wonky, so Devo are you Shoebox?
SHOEBOX: And Steve, are you Seamonkey? Robert, are you Spaff?
DEVO: Carla, are you Carrie?
SHOEBOX: Jeff, are you Raymond?
DEVO: Dude this is getty scary? SHOEBOX: I think Chris is Superhorse and Luke is shouting “Tile!”, So Shoebox are you Devo?
DEVO: And Ian are you Kyle?
SHOEBOX:
Folks often know me only as Shoebox
My one man band can rock off your crew socks
It’s called Worm Quartet and I do synth punk comedy
I toss out sweat like I toss out harmonies
Lyrically I’m equally nonsensical and brilli-ant
Sometimes it’s nigh-political, sometimes a wookie willie rant
I’ve topped the comedy charts for whatever that’s worth
And I won’t rest until I’ve mentioned every nipple on earth
I’ve got a giant grin that some people find alarmin’
And hair so damned long that I don’t need Charmin (ew.)
I tend to be remembered by the people that I meet
And by the ones who run screaming when they see me on the street
So that’s why I tend to think that it’s a little weird
When I’m mistaken for a ginger-headed rapper with a beard
The demon stepson of Alan Sherman and Vanilla Ice
He lives in Jersey for some reason and his name is Devo Spice
(chorus 1)
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: I’m suddenly recording Dukes of Hazzard on my Tivo, so Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: And Shoebox are you Devo? Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: When she was just a toddler my daughter called you To-Box, so Shoebox are you Devo?.
SHOEBOX: And Devo are you Shoebox?
(verse 2)
DEVO:
I fear Shoebox and I appear to lead the same lives
Although thankfully we don’t appear to need the same wives
Because we each have a wife where our porno should belong
Although they both will be pissed for this mention in the song
We each had a mullet, but now they’re both gone
I chopped my hair short, Shoebox grew his hair long
We’ve been on Dr. Demento’s Show a pile of times
And we both can write code that both compiles and rhymes
He can sing Free Bird, and I can barely hum it
And he drinks coffee like he thinks his blood is made from it
I’ve eaten lots of Cheez-Its that were covered in ants
I’m pretty sure he’d never do that even if he had the chance
Shoebox is the world’s biggest Pac-Man fan
I mean, I like it too, but holy crap man
His Mommy is broken, mine is doing just fine
And there’s never been a guy named Frank in any band of mine
(chorus 2)
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: I don't think you are, I guess you might be though, Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo? Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: Shoebox are you Devo?
SHOEBOX: Devo are you Shoebox?
DEVO: There's few words that rhyme with Devo, and fewer that rhyme with Shoebox, so this is chorus is gonna suck.
SHOEBOX: Yeah...it really is.
(verse 3)
DEVO: Hello, I’m a Mac, SHOEBOX: and I’m a PC
DEVO: But we both emulate Atari gloriously
SHOEBOX: We both reproduced within about five months
DEVO: Except I did it three times, SHOEBOX: I only had to do it once
Then I had a vasectomy, DEVO: well I had two
Twice the price, twice as nice, I’m twice as neutered as you
SHOEBOX: Yeouch, dude I’m glad that didn’t happen to me
Can you imagine how much longer Dr. Stopp would be?
DEVO: I went to RIT, SHOEBOX: Dude I live right next door
DEVO: I co-hosted Friggin’ SHOEBOX: Here, I did that in ‘04
I wrote most of this verse, DEVO: I helped out with an edit
SHOEBOX: I wrote most of Inner Voice, DEVO: and I took most of the credit
SHOEBOX: Wait, what’s going on? DEVO: Why do I feel wrong?
SHOEBOX: Why’s my baby face so manly? DEVO: Why’s my hair so freakin’ long?
Did we just switch places like that Scooter Picnic thing?
SHOEBOX: Holy crap, I can rap! DEVO: And I can almost sort of sing (SHOEBOX: hey!)
DEVO: I’m sitting in a cubicle, SHOEBOX: yeeeah, so am I
DEVO: I’ve got way too much to do, SHOEBOX: yeah same here guy
DEVO: My desk is friggin’ filthy, SHOEBOX: I feel your pain
DEVO: Hey that’s a picture of my wife! SHOEBOX: Dude, I can explain!
DEVO: Wait! Look out the window! SHOEBOX: Sweet Shatner’s toupee!
I’m living in New Jersey, DEVO: I’m in Rochester, Yay!
SHOEBOX: Dude I’ve never heard anybody say those words together
DEVO: I can pump my own gas, I hope this dream lasts forever
(chorus 3)
DEVO: Devo are you Shoebox?
SHOEBOX: Shoebox are you Devo?
DEVO: Devo are you Shoebox?
SHOEBOX: Shoebox are you Devo?
DEVO: It looks like everybody in the FuMP has gone wonky, so Devo are you Shoebox?
SHOEBOX: And Steve, are you Seamonkey? Robert, are you Spaff?
DEVO: Carla, are you Carrie?
SHOEBOX: Jeff, are you Raymond?
DEVO: Dude this is getty scary? SHOEBOX: I think Chris is Superhorse and Luke is shouting “Tile!”, So Shoebox are you Devo?
DEVO: And Ian are you Kyle?
Lyrics submitted by JohnnyLurg
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