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.
Color pictures of re-entry
Voices calling down the hall
I wanted you to know
You're the only one that bent me
This far out of shape
Don't make no mistake
I'm a liar, I'm a cheat
A leech, a thief
The outside looks no good and there ain't nothing underneath
Darling can't you see
My heart melted in the heat
My heart melted in the heat like yours
First impressions of the century
Two way mirror, one way street
Good cop, bad cop routine
Black light animal print boogie
Left in a heap
A kiss on either cheek
I'm a phoney, I'm a fake
A fraud, a snake
Gimme all your love so I can fill you up with hate
Girl, I'm in a state
My heart melted yesterday
My heart melted yesterday like yours
The odyssey
It came down kind of hard on me
The here and now so suddenly
Became a different world
Finally I slipped out of reality
It must all be imaginary
She used to be my girl
Used to be my girl
Used to be my girl
Used to be my girl
Used to be my girl
Voices calling down the hall
I wanted you to know
You're the only one that bent me
This far out of shape
Don't make no mistake
I'm a liar, I'm a cheat
A leech, a thief
The outside looks no good and there ain't nothing underneath
Darling can't you see
My heart melted in the heat
My heart melted in the heat like yours
First impressions of the century
Two way mirror, one way street
Good cop, bad cop routine
Black light animal print boogie
Left in a heap
A kiss on either cheek
I'm a phoney, I'm a fake
A fraud, a snake
Gimme all your love so I can fill you up with hate
Girl, I'm in a state
My heart melted yesterday
My heart melted yesterday like yours
The odyssey
It came down kind of hard on me
The here and now so suddenly
Became a different world
Finally I slipped out of reality
It must all be imaginary
She used to be my girl
Used to be my girl
Used to be my girl
Used to be my girl
Used to be my girl
Lyrics submitted by darkhaireddame
Used to Be My Girl Lyrics as written by Miles Kane Alex Turner
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Though it may be cliche (as fuck) this definitely has hints towards LSD within it.
The odyssey, came down kind of hard on me The here and now so suddenly Became a different world Finally, I slipped out of reality It must all be imaginary She used to be my girl
An odyssey being a sort of spiritual journey or trip, he then talks essentially about how it fucked him up and not only he, but the whole world, appeared different afterwards. Saying he slipped out of reality and that everything must be imaginary also the ramblings of someone who's a bit tripped out.
Besides that fuck knows what the rest of the lyrics mean. Alex's lyrics have a kind of weird hint at opposites e.g. good cop bad cop but idk
I like to see this song in its obvious way: it is a breaking up song. I understand the verses as several problems couples face during the relationship. The first strophe is quite clear regarding this:
Colour pictures of re-entry Voices calling down the hall I wanted you to know You're the only one that bent me This far out of shape Don't make no mistake
The 3rd strophe, in my interpretation, is literal regarding the problems the routine brings to a couple - different, excludent viewpoints, important things that are left behind, and the lack of intimacy:
First impressions of the century Two way mirror one way street Good cop bad cop routine Black-light animal print boogie Left in a heap A kiss on either cheek
And the bad adjectives in the beginning of the 2nd and 4th strophes could be some adjectives we use to qualify our partners in some angry moments. The way those adjectives are stated, though, shows the irony and the guilty of an argue.
I'm a liar, I'm a cheat A leech, a thief [...] I'm a phoney, I'm a fake A fraud, a snake
It seems that the breaking up is nobody fault, because both hearts couldn't handle the relationship.