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.
From father to son
The blood runs thin
See faces frozen still
Against the wind
The seam is split
The coal face cracked
The lines are long
There's no going back
Through hands of steel
And heart of stone
Our labor day
Has come and gone
Yeah you leave me holding on
In Red Hill town
See lights go down, I'm
Hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
I'm still waiting
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
The glass is cut
The bottle run dry
Our love runs cold
In the caverns of the night
We're wounded by fear
Injured in doubt
I can lose myself
You I can't live without
Yeah you keep me holding on
In Red Hill town
See the lights go down on
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
I'm still waiting
Hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to, on to
We'll scorch the earth
Set fire to the sky
We stoop so low, to reach so high
A link is lost
The chain undone
We wait all day
For night to come
And it comes
Like a hunter child
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
I'm still waiting
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
Love, slowly stripped away
Love, has seen its better day
Hanging on
The lights go out on Red Hill
The lights go down on Red Hill
Lights go down on Red Hill town
The lights go down on Red Hill
The blood runs thin
See faces frozen still
Against the wind
The seam is split
The coal face cracked
The lines are long
There's no going back
Through hands of steel
And heart of stone
Our labor day
Has come and gone
Yeah you leave me holding on
In Red Hill town
See lights go down, I'm
Hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
I'm still waiting
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
The glass is cut
The bottle run dry
Our love runs cold
In the caverns of the night
We're wounded by fear
Injured in doubt
I can lose myself
You I can't live without
Yeah you keep me holding on
In Red Hill town
See the lights go down on
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
I'm still waiting
Hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to, on to
We'll scorch the earth
Set fire to the sky
We stoop so low, to reach so high
A link is lost
The chain undone
We wait all day
For night to come
And it comes
Like a hunter child
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
I'm still waiting
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
Love, slowly stripped away
Love, has seen its better day
Hanging on
The lights go out on Red Hill
The lights go down on Red Hill
Lights go down on Red Hill town
The lights go down on Red Hill
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira
Red Hill Mining Town Lyrics as written by Dave Evans Adam Clayton
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I have never heard what this song's about, but if Rozzer is right, which seems pretty probable to me: Watch Billy Eliot if you're still not sure what this song's about. That movie explains the troubles during the strikes perfectly clear.