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.
Carried away by the river that passes through bulrushes on to the sea
Dragged by the current to rest on the stakes of the breakwater shaded by trees
Beginnings and endings
Love intersecting a rift that will break us apart
Love learned (love learned)
In turn (in turn)
Dreams burned (dreams burned)
Love learned
In turn
Dreams burned
I am tired of struggling and the rain is beating down on me
I tried to be the way that he wanted me to be
I did not hear the pin drop down
I did not hear my heart
I have not lived and loved enough
Things are left unsaid, undone
It was not meant to be like this
Drifting off without a kiss
We built our love, we built our ark
Nothing ends before it starts
I cannot feel my arms and legs
I don't deserve this bitter end
Love learned (love learned)
In turn (in turn)
Dreams burned (dreams burned)
Love learned
In turn
Dreams burned
I am tired of struggling and the rain is beating down on me
I tried to be the way that he wanted me to be
I did not hear the pin drop down
I did not hear my heart
Dragged by the current to rest on the stakes of the breakwater shaded by trees
Beginnings and endings
Love intersecting a rift that will break us apart
Love learned (love learned)
In turn (in turn)
Dreams burned (dreams burned)
Love learned
In turn
Dreams burned
I am tired of struggling and the rain is beating down on me
I tried to be the way that he wanted me to be
I did not hear the pin drop down
I did not hear my heart
I have not lived and loved enough
Things are left unsaid, undone
It was not meant to be like this
Drifting off without a kiss
We built our love, we built our ark
Nothing ends before it starts
I cannot feel my arms and legs
I don't deserve this bitter end
Love learned (love learned)
In turn (in turn)
Dreams burned (dreams burned)
Love learned
In turn
Dreams burned
I am tired of struggling and the rain is beating down on me
I tried to be the way that he wanted me to be
I did not hear the pin drop down
I did not hear my heart
Lyrics submitted by Samuel1291
The Pin Drop Lyrics as written by Steven John Wilson
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
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
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.
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
In Steven Wilson's own words:
“In some ways, it’s one of the simplest pieces on the record, but it was also the hardest to get right. It’s all about the dynamics and sustained sense of tension and release. There’s really only one or two musical motifs in it, so it’s all about the way it’s layered and structured. We did the most takes of this song than any other.
“Lyrically, it’s one of two songs, consecutively on the record, about marriages or relationships gone wrong — The Watchmaker being the other one. They’re both songs about the idea of inertia or spaces within marriage; it's the concept that you can be with someone because it’s comfortable and convenient, not because there’s any love or empathy.
“The song is basically sung by the wife. She’s dead, she’s been thrown in the river by the husband, and she’s floating down in the river while singing this song — from beyond death, beyond the grave, as it were. It’s quite macabre.
“The idea is that sometimes in a relationship there can be so much tension, so much unspoken resentment and hatred, that the tiniest thing can set off a violent episode, and in this case, one that ends in tragedy. The sound of a pin dropping on a floor can be the thing that instigates the fury.
“With this band, I’ve been able to concentrate more on being a singer. I tried something a bit different: I opened up my throat and sang in a less contained, less controlled way. I was very inspired by a singer called Nick Harper — he's the son of Roy Harper. They both sing in a dramatic way that I love. I was thinking of Nick when I did the vocals.
“Guthrie plays another extraordinary solo towards the end. This time we fed it through a Leslie cabinet. I’m a big fan of Leslies. A lot of people associate them with the past, but I think it’s a timeless sound. I’ll put anything through a Leslie — guitars, keyboards, vocals. It’s such a wonderfully rich sound.”