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.
Bring me birds with broken wings, men with all the answers
People who have killed, give me incurable cancers
Bring me creatures baked in oil, give me disregard for doubt
Street lights shine on broken roads where no one is about
I want that hopeless dream depression, punishments without a cause
Give me impotent obsession and disregard for laws
I want the trees in single file, bring the corpse of something rare
Show me children who are sinners, show me mounds of human hair
I climbed up the mountain just to kill my son
An angel tried to stop me with a ram
Well he said "Your mind's infected", but I said "You lack perspective"
You gotta walk the bottom if you wanna see the top
La da da da, la da da da, la da da da da da da da da da
La da da da, la da da da, la da da da da da da da da da
Give me poison I can swim in, water I can't drink
Wheels that won't stop spinning, teach my children not to think
I want the fruit that tastes like nothing and two thumbs for every crook
Give me lessons without questions, a mild disdain for books
Give me metaphors unraveled, poetry defined
Bring me the head of Dionysius but please don't spill out the wine
Trade the future for the present, trade me ashes for my history
I don't need to look inside, I know the answer to the mystery
I climbed up the mountain just to kill my son
An angel tried to stop me with a ram
Well he said "Your mind's infected", but I said "You lack perspective"
You gotta walk the bottom if you wanna see the top
La da da da, la da da da, la da da da da da da da da da
La da da da, la da da da, la da da da da da da da da da
Oh I know they call me crazy
But there will be no turning back
I don't care if things get ugly
Once the word of god is spoken
There's no way to take it back
I climbed up the mountain just to kill my son
An angel tried to stop me with a ram
Well he said "Your mind's infected", but I said "You lack perspective"
You gotta walk the bottom if you wanna see the top
People who have killed, give me incurable cancers
Bring me creatures baked in oil, give me disregard for doubt
Street lights shine on broken roads where no one is about
I want that hopeless dream depression, punishments without a cause
Give me impotent obsession and disregard for laws
I want the trees in single file, bring the corpse of something rare
Show me children who are sinners, show me mounds of human hair
I climbed up the mountain just to kill my son
An angel tried to stop me with a ram
Well he said "Your mind's infected", but I said "You lack perspective"
You gotta walk the bottom if you wanna see the top
La da da da, la da da da, la da da da da da da da da da
La da da da, la da da da, la da da da da da da da da da
Give me poison I can swim in, water I can't drink
Wheels that won't stop spinning, teach my children not to think
I want the fruit that tastes like nothing and two thumbs for every crook
Give me lessons without questions, a mild disdain for books
Give me metaphors unraveled, poetry defined
Bring me the head of Dionysius but please don't spill out the wine
Trade the future for the present, trade me ashes for my history
I don't need to look inside, I know the answer to the mystery
I climbed up the mountain just to kill my son
An angel tried to stop me with a ram
Well he said "Your mind's infected", but I said "You lack perspective"
You gotta walk the bottom if you wanna see the top
La da da da, la da da da, la da da da da da da da da da
La da da da, la da da da, la da da da da da da da da da
Oh I know they call me crazy
But there will be no turning back
I don't care if things get ugly
Once the word of god is spoken
There's no way to take it back
I climbed up the mountain just to kill my son
An angel tried to stop me with a ram
Well he said "Your mind's infected", but I said "You lack perspective"
You gotta walk the bottom if you wanna see the top
Lyrics submitted by Darnaryel
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