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.
A fist is fast
And Jimmy's cast
Hang me
A white moon's hot
The other side's not
Hang me
It's not time for me to go
It's not time for me to go
My eyes have turned just the color of
Diamond
Just the color
The frayed color of ice
Diamond
Just the color
The frayed color of ice
And Jimmy's cast
Hang me
A white moon's hot
The other side's not
Hang me
It's not time for me to go
It's not time for me to go
My eyes have turned just the color of
Diamond
Just the color
The frayed color of ice
Diamond
Just the color
The frayed color of ice
Lyrics submitted by riffic, edited by BlackSantiago, nissin, stormville
Brick Is Red Lyrics as written by Charles Thompson
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Light Up The Sky
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Fast Car
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
No Surprises
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
"A fish is fast And Jimmy's cast Hang me"
Black Francis is the fish. He think's he is fast, but Jimmy's, or a generic name for a fisherman, "cast", or him throwing his line out, "hangs" or catches the narratorfish.
"A white moon's hot The other side's not Hang me"
Night fishing. The fish, in the final seconds of life, would see the moon for the first time. Maybe there is a deeper metaphor here. But, alas, he is still being "hung".
It's not time for me for me to go It's not time for me for me to go
The fish is panicking- it does not want to die. Obviously.
My eyes have turned Just the color of diamond Just the color The frayed color of ice
His eyes go white, or back in his head, and he dies.
Yeah, I think almost the same.<br /> It's like a poem. <br /> Just that, people.
Good interpretation.<br /> <br /> A brick is red<br /> This fish is dead<br /> Hang me
the 'grey' color of ice would make more sense, no?
"A white moon's hot The other side's not"...
Black used the lines
"When one side is hot The other side of the moon is not"
in All Over The World on Bossanova, perhaps he was borrowing it from this song? Could just be a coincidence though.
A white moon's hot, the other side's not. (He says this again in All Over the World....any connection?)
There's got to be some sort of connection with this song and "All Over the World"....from what's already been said. And don't forget the line from All Over the World, "You can't even speak, fish, all of them speak."
These lyrics are all messed up. It's a "Fish is fast."
@feinstein This comment is older than me. You probably won’t see this comment but If you do: do you still listen to the Pixies? Either way, you are a legend for nerding their music 21 years ago. <3 Pixies -Asken
And "The Pretty color of ice".
@SAWraith I think it's 'The GREY color of ice'
if those are the right lyrics then i prefer the wrong ones.
no, i prefer fast fish to fast fists. Woo go fish!
Haaaaaaaaaaang me
it sounds like fish to me, but i always get lyrics wrong. and i don't know how so many sites can have it wrong.
isn't it contradictory: "it's not time for me to go" and "hang me"
the use of colors in the title and song evoke imagery.
it could just be the best last track on a cd Ever =]
@fistisfast Maybe he is saying 'it's NOW time for me to go'? Also, i agree, it's one of their best.