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.
To the center of the earth
Or anywhere God decides
Full of fever pulling forth
We hear our call as all
To the center of the earth
As if written in
DNA is reaching out
To your frequency
I want to live
Don't want to die
I want to live
I want to try
All in prayer
Prayer in all
All are scared
Scared of all
Black rooms are calling
To men in leather coats
White labs are cooking
Up the silver ghost
The glass migrates under
Her translucent skin
And all are spiders
Wonder what we've got us in
All is you
You are all
All with you
You in all
I want to live
I don't want to die
I want to live
I want to try
"So it's all very obtuse, because it's all, like, I don't know. So, like, I started thinking that everything I operate on is based on what I believe God was telling me to do. God could be my intuition or whatever, but I always assume, I always assume that the voice I hear is the voice of God. Then I started thinking, what if I'm insane? So I'm operating on the premise that I'm hearing the voice of God or what I perceive to be God speaking to me or through me, but maybe I'm completely in...so all my...demagoguery in my life about me thinking that my life has importance, my, my...thinking that my life has importance. My--my--my thought of it and the fact that I believe I'm following my intuition which in and of itself may be completely false. So then I started freaking out, thinking--of itself may be completely false. And again this creature that believes he's acting upon heavenly intuition but meanwhile he's totally rampant. And I started thinking maybe this is the cause of all the negativity against--and I started thinking maybe this is the cause of all the negativity against--and I started thinking maybe this is the cause of all the negativity against..."
So meets the final coda of a vinyl storm
One more cherry cola to lift up her dead arms
A dream of soft focus, sunsets filters through the din
We are losing contact as she dials it in
She can hear glass calling, or is it someone that looks like him?
She eyes TV reflection, and nods a knowing look
She says it doesn't matter, she never liked her looks
I have seen a thousand fractures, I have seen everything
'Cause knowing is its own answer, love something in a book
There's not much left to ponder, not much left to cook
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
Or anywhere God decides
Full of fever pulling forth
We hear our call as all
To the center of the earth
As if written in
DNA is reaching out
To your frequency
I want to live
Don't want to die
I want to live
I want to try
All in prayer
Prayer in all
All are scared
Scared of all
Black rooms are calling
To men in leather coats
White labs are cooking
Up the silver ghost
The glass migrates under
Her translucent skin
And all are spiders
Wonder what we've got us in
All is you
You are all
All with you
You in all
I want to live
I don't want to die
I want to live
I want to try
"So it's all very obtuse, because it's all, like, I don't know. So, like, I started thinking that everything I operate on is based on what I believe God was telling me to do. God could be my intuition or whatever, but I always assume, I always assume that the voice I hear is the voice of God. Then I started thinking, what if I'm insane? So I'm operating on the premise that I'm hearing the voice of God or what I perceive to be God speaking to me or through me, but maybe I'm completely in...so all my...demagoguery in my life about me thinking that my life has importance, my, my...thinking that my life has importance. My--my--my thought of it and the fact that I believe I'm following my intuition which in and of itself may be completely false. So then I started freaking out, thinking--of itself may be completely false. And again this creature that believes he's acting upon heavenly intuition but meanwhile he's totally rampant. And I started thinking maybe this is the cause of all the negativity against--and I started thinking maybe this is the cause of all the negativity against--and I started thinking maybe this is the cause of all the negativity against..."
So meets the final coda of a vinyl storm
One more cherry cola to lift up her dead arms
A dream of soft focus, sunsets filters through the din
We are losing contact as she dials it in
She can hear glass calling, or is it someone that looks like him?
She eyes TV reflection, and nods a knowing look
She says it doesn't matter, she never liked her looks
I have seen a thousand fractures, I have seen everything
'Cause knowing is its own answer, love something in a book
There's not much left to ponder, not much left to cook
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
As she counted the spiders, as they crawled up inside her
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I absolutely love this song. it's so... eerie. i don't really know what it means, (like most of the smashing pumpkins songs!) but i always thought it was about how we all do what we are called to do, and that there is no escape, and then we start to doubt... and that our thoughts and faith and impulse could all just be a crazy lie that your mind has made up.