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.
Hail! Hail!
Kill the girls
To get paid
And put the whole damn room on the edge of a blade
You'll get far
Stay clean
And the world starts believing
I'll keep believing
That the world
Can make a change
But the suicide dolls are the last ones to mate
So come hard
Stay clean
And sing songs for the damned now
Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is gone
And if you don't stop believing
We'll keep believing
And put the record on
And live the life that you're making
Shots that your taking
So grab the cash and run
And let the suits watch each other
Kill one another
It doesn't matter if the words don't mean a thing
You're gonna kiss that ring
Well alright
Move back the walls
And keep the faith
Don't leave a dry eye left in the back of place
Is it hard
To stay clean?
And if you all keep believing
I'll keep believing
That the world
Drives the saints
And put your shotgun shells
In the hills it makes
So come hard
Stay clean
Because we don't give a damn now
Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is gone
And if you don't stop believing
We'll keep believing
You got your letter on
And live the life that you're making
Shots that you're taking!
It doesn't matter if the words don't mean a thing
You're gonna kiss that ring
You're gonna kiss that ring!
Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is gone
Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is gone
Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is gone
Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is
The king is gone
Hail! Hail! Hail! Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is gone!
And of you don't stop believing
We'll keep believing
You got your letter on
And live the life that you're making
Shots that you're taking!
So grab the cash and run
And let the suits watch each other
Kill one another
It doesn't matter if the words don't mean a thing
Fist up
Head down
Hail! Hail!
To the king
Kill the girls
To get paid
And put the whole damn room on the edge of a blade
You'll get far
Stay clean
And the world starts believing
I'll keep believing
That the world
Can make a change
But the suicide dolls are the last ones to mate
So come hard
Stay clean
And sing songs for the damned now
Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is gone
And if you don't stop believing
We'll keep believing
And put the record on
And live the life that you're making
Shots that your taking
So grab the cash and run
And let the suits watch each other
Kill one another
It doesn't matter if the words don't mean a thing
You're gonna kiss that ring
Well alright
Move back the walls
And keep the faith
Don't leave a dry eye left in the back of place
Is it hard
To stay clean?
And if you all keep believing
I'll keep believing
That the world
Drives the saints
And put your shotgun shells
In the hills it makes
So come hard
Stay clean
Because we don't give a damn now
Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is gone
And if you don't stop believing
We'll keep believing
You got your letter on
And live the life that you're making
Shots that you're taking!
It doesn't matter if the words don't mean a thing
You're gonna kiss that ring
You're gonna kiss that ring!
Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is gone
Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is gone
Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is gone
Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is
The king is gone
Hail! Hail! Hail! Hail! Hail!
'Cause the king is gone!
And of you don't stop believing
We'll keep believing
You got your letter on
And live the life that you're making
Shots that you're taking!
So grab the cash and run
And let the suits watch each other
Kill one another
It doesn't matter if the words don't mean a thing
Fist up
Head down
Hail! Hail!
To the king
Lyrics submitted by Fayiirah, edited by KobraKid, RhymesWithWitch, SmashingDestiny
Kiss the Ring Lyrics as written by Gerard Way Michael Way
Lyrics © Blow The Doors Off Chicago
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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
Yo La Tengo
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,
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.
'We kill the girls to get paid' - 'kill' is used as a metaphor, it basically means stop girls from being 'bitchy' etc to win something (peace, freedom etc) 'And put the whole damn room on the edge of the blade'- Everyone has a 'secret' so when you 'they' walk in, everyone feels uneasy (tension) 'You'll get far, stay clean' - Everyone will do well, capable of everything, stay clean (drugs, alcohol, violence, cutting etc) 'And if the world stops believing, I'll keep believing' - If everyone stops believing in you, you gotta believe in yourself 'That the world could make a change' - If you want something to change, believe it you can do it 'And put the suicide dolls as the last ones to mate' - 'dolls' are, again, a metaphor for fake people, so put they fake ones last one to get anywhere with there life 'Come hard, stay clean' - Go in hard, don't look back, stay clean (Drugs, alcohol, violence, cutting etc) 'Singing songs for the damned now' - Help people who havent got much
'Hail, hail 'Cause the king is gone' - No-one can control your life (or a controlling partner has left) 'And if you don't stop believing, we'll keep believing' - Keep on believing that things will get better, and other people will believe as well 'You put the record on' - You choose the song fro your life' 'And live the life that you're making' - Your're making a new start 'Shots that you're taking'- Risks that your taking 'So grab the cash and run'- Take what you have a run away from everyone else 'And let the suits watch each other kill one another'- Let the others 'kill' one another (kill means ruin each other, destroy there mental health) 'It doesn't matter if the words don't mean a thing' - Don't let their words bring you down 'You're gonna kiss that ring'- You're gonna be the one who wins in the end
' Move like the wolves, keep the faith'- Move quickly, but still be confident in yourself 'There ain't a dry eye left in the back of the place' - Everyone's upset about you being free, they've dreamed of it 'Is it hard to stay clean?' - It's hard with soceity keeping on about (Drugs etc) 'And if you all keep believing, I'll keep believing'- If everyone keeps beleiving, more people will believe 'That the world drives the saints' -The world decides whose good or bad, so be good 'Put the shotgun shells in the hills it makes' - Leave violence alone ('stay clean') 'So come hard, stay clean'- Go in hard, don't look back, stay clean (Drugs, alcohol, violence, cutting etc) 'Because they don't give a damn now' - No-one really cares, they're just pretending
'Hail, hail 'Cause the king is gone' - No-one can control your life (or a controlling partner has left) 'And if you don't stop believing, we'll keep believing' - Keep on believing that things will get better, and other people will believe as well 'You've got your leather on' - Your chaning style, showing true clours, being yourself 'And live the life that you're making' - Your're making a new start 'Shots that you're taking'- Risks that your taking 'It doesn't matter if the words don't mean a thing' - Don't let their words bring you down 'You're gonna kiss that ring'- You're gonna be the one who wins in the end
'Hail, Hail, Cause the king has gone' - People who controlled you (loved ones etc) have gone/ stopped controlling you
'Hail, hail 'Cause the king is gone' - No-one can control your life (or a controlling partner has left) 'And if you don't stop believing, we'll keep believing' - Keep on believing that things will get better, and other people will believe as well 'You've got your leather on' - Your chaning style, showing true clours, being yourself 'And live the life that you're making' - Your're making a new start 'Shots that you're taking'- Risks that your taking 'It doesn't matter if the words don't mean a thing' - Don't let their words bring you down 'You're gonna kiss that ring'- You're gonna be the one who wins in the end
'Fist up, head down' - Knock out who ever gets in your way, but keep working hard at what you do 'Hail, hail to the king'- Hail, hail to you, the new king