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 took some time away
For understanding of what brought us here today
Oh, you'll be the end of me
I'm never happy like we were happy
I'm never sad like we were sad
Oh, you'll be the end of me
You know me all too well
And I can't suppress the memories
You're gone and I can tell
That I've lost more than you'll ever see
Don't say that it's not fair
That you're not the person you wanna be
'Cause oh, you'll be the end of me
I know I wasn't perfect, but I kept trying
Till I forgot why I stayed
Oh, you'll be the end of me
Yeah we lost all meaning
We lost the magic
So good luck to you on your way
Oh, you'll be the end of me
You know me all too well
And I can't suppress the memories
You're gone and I can tell
That I've lost more than you'll ever see
Don't say that it's not fair
That you're not the person you wanna be
'Cause oh, you'll be the end of me
(You'll be the end of me)
I get it, no, I get it
Gave more than I took back, oh well (took back, oh well)
I get it, no, I get it
Can't help those who don't wanna be helped
You know me all too well
And I can't suppress the memories
You're gone and I can tell
That I've lost more than you'll ever see
Don't say that it's not fair
That you're not the person you wanna be
'Cause Oh, you'll be the end of me
You'll be the end of me
For understanding of what brought us here today
Oh, you'll be the end of me
I'm never happy like we were happy
I'm never sad like we were sad
Oh, you'll be the end of me
You know me all too well
And I can't suppress the memories
You're gone and I can tell
That I've lost more than you'll ever see
Don't say that it's not fair
That you're not the person you wanna be
'Cause oh, you'll be the end of me
I know I wasn't perfect, but I kept trying
Till I forgot why I stayed
Oh, you'll be the end of me
Yeah we lost all meaning
We lost the magic
So good luck to you on your way
Oh, you'll be the end of me
You know me all too well
And I can't suppress the memories
You're gone and I can tell
That I've lost more than you'll ever see
Don't say that it's not fair
That you're not the person you wanna be
'Cause oh, you'll be the end of me
(You'll be the end of me)
I get it, no, I get it
Gave more than I took back, oh well (took back, oh well)
I get it, no, I get it
Can't help those who don't wanna be helped
You know me all too well
And I can't suppress the memories
You're gone and I can tell
That I've lost more than you'll ever see
Don't say that it's not fair
That you're not the person you wanna be
'Cause Oh, you'll be the end of me
You'll be the end of me
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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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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
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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 agree with Mafumofu that this song can be interpreted several ways and I think that the listeners life experiences has the biggest impact on how they read into deeper or different meanings behind the lyrics. When I first heard this song I had the same impression that mostly everyone else here has been saying. After listening some more and mirroring the lyrics with my history I saw another possible meaning.
I see this song as someones inner struggle with good and evil. It's almost like a previous version of his conscience's final words before his bad decisions and habits have completely taken over and ruined or killed anything good he had left. The "understanding of what brought us here today" was realising how even the smallest bad decisions could have been the beginning of his downfall. He's saying that he's become desensitized to his own emotions, almost like he's doesn't know what it's like to feel "happy" or "sad" anymore. He's totally given in to his addictions and can't even hear the better side of his conscience anymore. "You're gone and I can tell, that I've lost more than you'll ever see". He had big dreams and such a bright future before but now he'll never see any of it. "Don't say that it's not fair, that your not the person you want to be." It's his own fault for making the decisions that he made even though he knew they would lead him down the path he's currently on. His better side wasn't perfect but it really tried to keep him from hurting himself til it didnt know why it was even trying cause his life doesn't have the meaning it used to have. His good side realizes that it let him give in to his evil desires more than it stopped him and it couldn't change him because he didn't want any help. I'm not sure, nor do I think it necessarily matters, what self destructive bad decisions this implies and that again relies on the listeners own personal experiences.
I'm sure this isn't what Jeremy had in mind when writing the lyrics but that's what I love about music! It's all open to interpretation! I could even listen to this song 2 years from now and possibly see something else.