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'm at a wake
And drawing a geometric shape
You slept on the train
But I've been up for days
You look the same
But half dead and acting your age
I was embraced, asphyxiated
And taking on my shape
I feel like a sketch of a perfect circle
"Light still leaks in,"
A victim of hands gone idle
"Black rings in the water,"
An ever burning candle
"I wrote your name in the dust
Where the spirit was!"
A perfect ring of fire
All the ones you know you love
Go right back where they started from
All my gardens back to dust
Staring back up at the sun
"Please, please, please, please
Let me look away."
You look the same
But half dead and acting your age
I was embraced, asphyxiated
And taking on my shape
I feel like a sketch of a perfect circle
"Light still leaks in,"
A victim of hands gone idle
"Black rings in the water,"
An ever burning candle
"I wrote your name in the dust
Where the spirit was!"
A perfect ring of fire
And drawing a geometric shape
You slept on the train
But I've been up for days
You look the same
But half dead and acting your age
I was embraced, asphyxiated
And taking on my shape
I feel like a sketch of a perfect circle
"Light still leaks in,"
A victim of hands gone idle
"Black rings in the water,"
An ever burning candle
"I wrote your name in the dust
Where the spirit was!"
A perfect ring of fire
All the ones you know you love
Go right back where they started from
All my gardens back to dust
Staring back up at the sun
"Please, please, please, please
Let me look away."
You look the same
But half dead and acting your age
I was embraced, asphyxiated
And taking on my shape
I feel like a sketch of a perfect circle
"Light still leaks in,"
A victim of hands gone idle
"Black rings in the water,"
An ever burning candle
"I wrote your name in the dust
Where the spirit was!"
A perfect ring of fire
Lyrics submitted by nickjones724
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Man I always thought the first line was "I'm wide awake". Knowing that it's actually "I'm at a wake" makes all the lyrics make so much sense.
"You look the same, but half dead, and acting your age." is reference to the fact that the morticians did a really good job of dressing the body up and make them look like they're sleeping peacefully in the open casket. Also that the person who's wake he is obviously older.
"I was embraced, asphyxiated, taking on my shape" I think is probably referring to the tight, grieving embraces he received from other people mourning at the wake and how that may have made the gravity and reality of the situation really sink in, or "take shape".
I may be off base but that's what I like about song lyrics sometimes the lyrics of a song you've been listening to you for years suddenly start to have meaning they didn't have before