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.
You and I were meant to be
Ain't no doubt about it
No way to hide that sort of thing
Now I'm waiting for something better
Ain't nothing better worth imagining
I, I keep on running
I'm building bridges that I know you never wanted
Look for my heart
You stole it away
Now I'll never sing the road that I could take
Listen, I
Want you to burn my bridges down (down)
I said I
Want you to burn my bridges down (down, down)
Set me on fire
You set me
Set me on fire
You can burn my bridges down
Send this out to sea
You send it where you wanted
You can take it note for note or not at all
There's no filling up your spaces with fictionary places
Imaginary faces they don't work at all
I, I keep on running
I'm building bridges that I know you never wanted
Look for my heart
You stole it away
Now I'll never sing the road that I could take
Listen,
I want you to burn my bridges down
Said I
Want you to burn my bridges down (down, down)
Set me on fire
You set me
Set me on fire
Girl you burnt my bridges down
I
Want you to burn my bridges down,
Down
I
Want you to burn my bridges down yeah
Set me on fire
You set me
Set me on fire
Set me on fire
I
Want you to burn my bridges down
I said, I
Want you to burn my bridges down (down, down)
Set me on fire
Set me on fire
Ain't no doubt about it
No way to hide that sort of thing
Now I'm waiting for something better
Ain't nothing better worth imagining
I, I keep on running
I'm building bridges that I know you never wanted
Look for my heart
You stole it away
Now I'll never sing the road that I could take
Listen, I
Want you to burn my bridges down (down)
I said I
Want you to burn my bridges down (down, down)
Set me on fire
You set me
Set me on fire
You can burn my bridges down
Send this out to sea
You send it where you wanted
You can take it note for note or not at all
There's no filling up your spaces with fictionary places
Imaginary faces they don't work at all
I, I keep on running
I'm building bridges that I know you never wanted
Look for my heart
You stole it away
Now I'll never sing the road that I could take
Listen,
I want you to burn my bridges down
Said I
Want you to burn my bridges down (down, down)
Set me on fire
You set me
Set me on fire
Girl you burnt my bridges down
I
Want you to burn my bridges down,
Down
I
Want you to burn my bridges down yeah
Set me on fire
You set me
Set me on fire
Set me on fire
I
Want you to burn my bridges down
I said, I
Want you to burn my bridges down (down, down)
Set me on fire
Set me on fire
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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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“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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I think One Republic have always been vague in their direct meanings because they are amazing artists and art speaks to people in different places about different things by way of interpretation. So I don't think there's a solid, this is what they meant out there for this song. But I've also noticed that One Republic always has some spiritual implications in their songs...and to me this song is about a relationship with God! The only thing that can truly fill and complete you. We build bridges to other things that we were never intended to build...we run from the love that we were created for, and it's tiring and it never completes us. We can't really let go of that stuff on our own so we need to ask God to burn our bridges down...to set us on fire!! (Fire is a symbol of The Holy Spirit) There are several lyrics here that are not exactly right...one is "now I'll never sing the road that I could take"...instead it's supposed to be "now on every single road that I could take" which I think speaks of the relentless love and pursuit of God which shows up no matter how hard you try to avoid it! The other thing is, I don't think it says "girl you burn my bridges down" I think it says "well you burn my bridges down" But I think it's purposefully open to interpretation because lots of people relate more on the relational level, so they may see this as a soul mate deal...which I also believe in. I think God did create soul mates for some...but still, they can't complete you!
I totally agree with you. I felt the same when I heard this song - remarkably lyrics. It reminds of the book, "The Religious Sense", by Fr. Giussani. He talks about God and faith is precisely these terms.
@edoubledielong I am in complete agreeance with you! I feel this song is about a relationship with God. <I'm building bridges that I know you never wanted> to me says worshiping worldly things instead of God. <Look for my heart, You stole it away, Now own every single road that I could take> God seeks what is in our hearts. King David often asked God to search his heart in Psalms. "He" loves God so much his heart is completely His, and he wants God to own and guide him on all the paths he takes. <Set me on fire> "He" wants to be on fire for God and devoted. <There's no filling up your spaces with fictionary places, Imaginary faces they don't work at all> There is nothing that can fill the place of God. There is nowhere that you can go or no one you can love that can compare to God. I do agree, the line is not "girl" you burn my bridges down. It is actually "will" you burn my bridges down, which makes sense because the entire song is ASKING for his bridges to be burned down. To me, this is "him" asking for all his worldly connections he shouldn't be doing/having/conforming to, to be broken so that "he" can have the relationship with God "he" wants. I completely agree that many of their songs have spiritual connotations. Ryan is Christian, it just isn't the focus of their music.
@edoubledielong ALSO <Now I'm waiting for something better<br /> Ain't nothing better worth imagining> He's been looking for something to fill the void, but he has realized that there is nothing better, not even in his imagination.
@edoubledielong unfortunately we are both wrong about the presumption of incorrect lyrics. I just watched the official lyric video released by OneRepublic themselves and all lyrics are correct.<br /> <br /> So maybe it is about a girl after all. However, I'm going to continue to think of this song in my original interpretation. That's the great thing about music. You can take from it what you want.