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 can't fight a war with nobody to fight back
But if we get to digging to the bottom of the stack
We'll sell it to the youth and you never know, maybe
You'll get back home and you'll see your baby, oh
We'll just act like we care
All we're needing is a reason, it don't need to be clear
Singing songs to the news, it can play to their fears
Someone's got to die and you don't have to love him
But the military's still got more in its budget, oh
We always need more next year
No one cares about the waves
At the bottom of the ocean
And at the bottom of the ocean
It's always blue
No one will remember
'Cause nothing lasts forever
And everybody's looking
For somebody to use
When you don't bring them home and the war hasn't ended
There's still money there and that money needs spending
The powers that be, we got to do what we do
If they never know it then they'll never feel used, oh
Like I often do
To all the pretty girls out there looking for heartache
Crying, "All I wanted is to be your baby"
And all the pretty girls out there living with heartache
Crying 'cause they're never going to see their baby, oh
We just act like we care
No one cares about the waves
At the bottom of the ocean
And at the bottom of the ocean
It's always blue
No one will remember
'Cause nothing lasts forever
And everybody's looking
For somebody to use
No one will remember
'Cause nothing lasts forever
The world is always changing
And it's always blue
And it's always blue
But if we get to digging to the bottom of the stack
We'll sell it to the youth and you never know, maybe
You'll get back home and you'll see your baby, oh
We'll just act like we care
All we're needing is a reason, it don't need to be clear
Singing songs to the news, it can play to their fears
Someone's got to die and you don't have to love him
But the military's still got more in its budget, oh
We always need more next year
No one cares about the waves
At the bottom of the ocean
And at the bottom of the ocean
It's always blue
No one will remember
'Cause nothing lasts forever
And everybody's looking
For somebody to use
When you don't bring them home and the war hasn't ended
There's still money there and that money needs spending
The powers that be, we got to do what we do
If they never know it then they'll never feel used, oh
Like I often do
To all the pretty girls out there looking for heartache
Crying, "All I wanted is to be your baby"
And all the pretty girls out there living with heartache
Crying 'cause they're never going to see their baby, oh
We just act like we care
No one cares about the waves
At the bottom of the ocean
And at the bottom of the ocean
It's always blue
No one will remember
'Cause nothing lasts forever
And everybody's looking
For somebody to use
No one will remember
'Cause nothing lasts forever
The world is always changing
And it's always blue
And it's always blue
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All good points mpod, this song is really great in so many ways.
I think the first "We'll just act like we care" is talking about the government pretending to care and then maybe the others are about the general population and the media showing stories about the war pretending to care but no one really does unless they know/love someone that died. Our government spends absolutely ridiculous amounts of the American taxpayer money on war while its citizens fight and die in them and are basically forgotten. Meanwhile the planet/oceans can get polluted and destroyed and most people don't pay attention to what's really going on so if they never know it, then they'll never feel used. The world may change but it's always blue, always sad, always bad shit happening and will happen as long as our government spends on the wrong things and its people stay asleep and blind or think they are dying for a noble cause when they aren't.
man you are spot on...please tell me what you think about some of the other songs on this amazing record...on the first 4 tracks im the only one commenting and i want to see what others think...you are spot on with this track