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.
I'm floating in a black balloon
OD on Easter afternoon
My mama told me
"Baby stay clean, there's no in between"
All you ladies and you gentlemen
Between's all you've ever seen or been
Fit poorly and and arrange the sight
Doll it up in virgin white
You disappoint me
You people raking in on the world
The devil's script sells
You the heart of a blackbird
Shine on me, baby
'Cause it's raining in my heart
Sun rising on a chopping glare
Rain dropping acid blotter in the air
Distorted reality's now a necessity
To be free
So disappointing
First I put it all down to luck
God knows why my
Country don't give a fuck (fuck)
Shine on me, baby
'Cause it's raining in my heart
Shine on me, baby
'Cause it's raining in my heart
OD on Easter afternoon
My mama told me
"Baby stay clean, there's no in between"
All you ladies and you gentlemen
Between's all you've ever seen or been
Fit poorly and and arrange the sight
Doll it up in virgin white
You disappoint me
You people raking in on the world
The devil's script sells
You the heart of a blackbird
Shine on me, baby
'Cause it's raining in my heart
Sun rising on a chopping glare
Rain dropping acid blotter in the air
Distorted reality's now a necessity
To be free
So disappointing
First I put it all down to luck
God knows why my
Country don't give a fuck (fuck)
Shine on me, baby
'Cause it's raining in my heart
Shine on me, baby
'Cause it's raining in my heart
Lyrics submitted by ghost06, edited by Mellow_Harsher, ian1774721, anonymous__, Bobbi53
A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free Lyrics as written by Steven Paul Smith
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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I think this song addresses a couple of things, the first being the inherent hypocrisy of human beings in general, and then the more flagrant hypocrisy of those in positions of authority. Really, the first few verses may be seen as an autobiography of sorts; Elliott's struggle with substance abuse -- and his friends' various interventions -- probably inspired him to write something to the effect of, "Look, we're all a little screwed up, we all do things that are bad for us, so don't point the finger at me until you've cleaned up your act." There's a lot of truth in saying we all "doll up" our public faces in "virgin white," but, ultimately, I think Smith was using some classic junkie reasoning. Drugs had taken over his life at this point, people tried to help him, so he lashed out. More interesting is Smith's take on the people "rakin' in on the world." In this day and age, I think this probably means the bureaucratic hypocrites that lead us into unnecessary wars. Take the line "But God knows why my/country don't give a fuck" for example; I can only take this as a fairly direct allusion to what was going on in the U.S. at the time of Smith's death, the so-called aftermath of a supposedly "just" war in Iraq. If my assumption is true, it probably means that this is the most overtly political stance Smith ever took in his music. All in all, the "distorted reality" of this song refers to the justifications we make for the way we act on a personal and global scale.