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.
My body sinks to the bottom
You were the last one to know
Never needed a home but had nowhere else to go
Now I'm drifting to pieces
Time is slipping away
Always thought you would end up finding a reason to stay
In this house I built for you
All our plans would follow suit
You'd forget who you had been and finally give in
Is it too late to go back down that road?
Or take the backroads, we're not the same no
Tell me I'm not dreaming again
Our love is not a ghost, our love is not a ghost
Ooooh
Could build a brand new home
Ooooh
Our love is not a Ghost
You gave me reason to follow a plan to build myself up
Did it all just to show you, had nowhere else to go
Now the winter is coming and time is slipping away
You're getting hard to convince that you have a reason to stay
In this house I built for you
All our plans have fallen through
Should I forget who we have been and finally give in
Is it too late to go back down that road?
Or take the backroads, we're not the same no
Tell me I'm not dreaming again
Our love is not a ghost, our love is not a ghost
Oooooh, ooh
Could build a brand new home
Oooh, oooohhhhh
Our love is not a ghost
I made a fool of myself
How I've been backwards
Still you're the only one I ever want to call my own
We can drive out of this hell
we'll take the backroads
Our love is not a ghost, our love is not a ghost
Is it too late to go back down that road?
Or take the backroads, we're not the same no
Tell me I'm not dreaming again
Our love is not a ghost, our love is not a ghost
Could build a brand new home
You were the last one to know
Never needed a home but had nowhere else to go
Now I'm drifting to pieces
Time is slipping away
Always thought you would end up finding a reason to stay
In this house I built for you
All our plans would follow suit
You'd forget who you had been and finally give in
Is it too late to go back down that road?
Or take the backroads, we're not the same no
Tell me I'm not dreaming again
Our love is not a ghost, our love is not a ghost
Ooooh
Could build a brand new home
Ooooh
Our love is not a Ghost
You gave me reason to follow a plan to build myself up
Did it all just to show you, had nowhere else to go
Now the winter is coming and time is slipping away
You're getting hard to convince that you have a reason to stay
In this house I built for you
All our plans have fallen through
Should I forget who we have been and finally give in
Is it too late to go back down that road?
Or take the backroads, we're not the same no
Tell me I'm not dreaming again
Our love is not a ghost, our love is not a ghost
Oooooh, ooh
Could build a brand new home
Oooh, oooohhhhh
Our love is not a ghost
I made a fool of myself
How I've been backwards
Still you're the only one I ever want to call my own
We can drive out of this hell
we'll take the backroads
Our love is not a ghost, our love is not a ghost
Is it too late to go back down that road?
Or take the backroads, we're not the same no
Tell me I'm not dreaming again
Our love is not a ghost, our love is not a ghost
Could build a brand new home
Lyrics submitted by PatrikDavidson, edited by allycatt99, ShmooDani, strwburrry_syd
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There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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I feel like what he's trying to day is that he used to be in a relationship. They're not together anymore and they distanced a bit, things were said and heartbreak came along. They're kind of acting like what they had was non-existant, but their love isn't non-existant. Time is passing by quite quickly and he really misses her. He thought that she'd stay with him, with all the care he had for her. He's wondering if it's too late to get back together and start over again. She was the reason he had hung on when times were tough in his life. He showed that he was worth staying with, and that he needed her. He tries to move on but he can't. He still wants her back, and believes the problems can be fixed.