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 didn't close the door
Left a crack open
I couldn't ignore the faint possibility
Of having hope in this insanity
That we still could be
But we're stuck floating in between
Put me on the shelf, discipline myself
To let the sparks die out
Shattering anything
That has reflections of you
You
Our eyes were closed
With hearts open wide
Dismissed every rule to abide by
Our bodies undressed the layers of shy
Revealing the truth that was buried inside
Filled up feelings
That now are bursting at the seams
Put me on the shelf, discipline myself
To let the sparks die out
Shattering anything
That has reflections of you
You
Unsure of what are my dreams it seems
You have stolen my slumber
And awakened another
Life within me that is better than any other
Reaching endless heights in never ending nights
That can't be seen, put to bed this dream
Oh-oh-oh-oh-ohh
Put me on the shelf, discipline myself
To let the sparks die out
Shattering anything
That has reflections of you
You
Left a crack open
I couldn't ignore the faint possibility
Of having hope in this insanity
That we still could be
But we're stuck floating in between
Put me on the shelf, discipline myself
To let the sparks die out
Shattering anything
That has reflections of you
You
Our eyes were closed
With hearts open wide
Dismissed every rule to abide by
Our bodies undressed the layers of shy
Revealing the truth that was buried inside
Filled up feelings
That now are bursting at the seams
Put me on the shelf, discipline myself
To let the sparks die out
Shattering anything
That has reflections of you
You
Unsure of what are my dreams it seems
You have stolen my slumber
And awakened another
Life within me that is better than any other
Reaching endless heights in never ending nights
That can't be seen, put to bed this dream
Oh-oh-oh-oh-ohh
Put me on the shelf, discipline myself
To let the sparks die out
Shattering anything
That has reflections of you
You
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Light Up The Sky
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Fast Car
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
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.
Cajun Girl
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Little Feat
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”
No Surprises
Radiohead
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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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
So i interpreted this whole thing in my words:
When you broke up with me, you didn't stop being my best friend. Even though it was over, I still had hope that we'd get back together, but that it would be hard, considering we were just friends by then.
I'm gonna isolate myself, and get angry at myself for missing you so much and I'm gonna throw anything and everything away that reminds me of you or us. We loved and we loved hard, not paying attention to the future We didn't have a normal relationship and we told secrets we couldnt even tell our closest relatives. The secrets that were left unshared are now trying to escape my head. I'm gonna isolate myself and get angry at myself for missing you so much and I'm gonna trow away anything and everything that reminds me of you or us. I can't even dream anymore- you even took my sleep away from me. And now, you're with someone else, and gonna end up hurting them, too. I'm an amazing person, and I'm gonna do great things, but because of you, I'm never going to realize this any time soon. I'm gonna isolate myself and get angry at myself for missing you so much and I'm gonna throw away anything and everything that reminds me of you or us.\
I hope you guys liked my interpretation and I guess it was easy for me to do so because I'm going through a breakup and it fucking hurts really bad. I thought we loved eachother but he wasn't very glad with me. It was my first relationship and we were together for four months. And I found this song, thinking, "wow.... This is gonna pass, because someone went through exACTLY what I'm going through. And they'e fine now. Not the same person as before, but they're fine enough to the point where they can say they have moved on."
Anywho, hope you enjoyed and it's okay- they didn't deserve you, anyways.
@MyMeaning <br /> <br /> I think you nailed it. this song has intrigued me for some time, but I've only just now looked up the lyrics. I appreciate your thoughts and the way you wrote them down.
@MyMeaning I think it's more subtle than that; it seems to be about two people who are interested in each other but are each holding back, never coming out to admit their feelings but giving 'mixed signals.' So now the singer is trying to erase the possibility of a relationship, stuck between falling into fantasies of the bliss that could be but facing the reality that it might never happen. So she tries to exercise self discipline and wipe this guy from her mind.