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.
If I could make it rain today
And wash away this sunny day down to the gutter
I would just to get a change of pace
Things are getting worse, but I feel a lot better
And that's all that really matters to me
Well, Amy hit the atmosphere
Caught herself a rocket ride out of this gutter
And she's never coming back I fear
Anytime it rains she just feels a lot better
And that's all that really matters to me
We've waited so long
For someone to take us back home
It just takes so long
Meanwhile all the days go drifting away
And some of us sink like a stone
Waiting for mothers to come
There has to be a change I'm sure
Today was just a day fading into another
And that can't be what a life is for
And anything she said well she feels a lot better
And that's all that really matters to me
We've waited so long
For someone to take us back home
It just takes so long
Meanwhile all the days go drifting away
And some of us sink like a stone
Waiting for mothers to come
I want to know, I want to know,
I want to know, I want to know
I want to know, I want to know,
I want to know, I want to know
And all I really know is I want to know
And all I really know is I don't want to know
And all I really know is I want to know
And all I really know is I don't want to know [last two lines repeat]
And wash away this sunny day down to the gutter
I would just to get a change of pace
Things are getting worse, but I feel a lot better
And that's all that really matters to me
Well, Amy hit the atmosphere
Caught herself a rocket ride out of this gutter
And she's never coming back I fear
Anytime it rains she just feels a lot better
And that's all that really matters to me
We've waited so long
For someone to take us back home
It just takes so long
Meanwhile all the days go drifting away
And some of us sink like a stone
Waiting for mothers to come
There has to be a change I'm sure
Today was just a day fading into another
And that can't be what a life is for
And anything she said well she feels a lot better
And that's all that really matters to me
We've waited so long
For someone to take us back home
It just takes so long
Meanwhile all the days go drifting away
And some of us sink like a stone
Waiting for mothers to come
I want to know, I want to know,
I want to know, I want to know
I want to know, I want to know,
I want to know, I want to know
And all I really know is I want to know
And all I really know is I don't want to know
And all I really know is I want to know
And all I really know is I don't want to know [last two lines repeat]
Lyrics submitted by ShiverForMe
Amy Hit the Atmosphere Lyrics as written by Ben G Mize Adam Fredric Duritz
Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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You're right. Amy was a heroin addict, who got tired of being what she was, so she killed herself taking an overdose of heroin. The writer (Adam Duritz) knew her and her group of heroin addicts, and it appeared they all had a common view: "they'd waited so long for someone to take them back home". The line "and some of us sink like a stone waiting for mothers to come" refers to amy who killed herself when she found out there was no way out of the hell she was in the middle of.
My friend says this song is about a girl with a drug problem that takes an overdose. I think i
Heh, Geir! I guess the friend you were referring to was me? Heheh, I didn't notice the nickname at all :D
Uhm. Guess I was wrong there. I checked it on annabegins.com where Adam says that the song is about a girl who manages to get out of the hell, and is a clean girl today. Hooray. :)
"Amy Hit The Atmosphere, caught herself a rocket ride out of this gutter, and she's never coming back I fear." Mandalor, that could be right but it's a website, it's not a 100% positive. We don't even know if Adam even said that. Anyways, I think that she killed herself, she caught herself a rocket ride is saying she left the planet up to heaven. You need a "rocket" to get to heaven, you also need to hit the atmosphere. He's saying she got herself out of the gutter by killing herself and metaphorically speaking of course, on a rocket ride. Maybe she didn't kill herself but she died and left the life she didn't want to live. It's hard to explain but i think i did alright.
ok, so the band just played a concert at my college, and i went. and Adam was telling a story between songs about a girl that he dated, and someone yelled "what's her name?" and Adam said it wasn't any of our business, but then he said, "yeah, her name was Amy." and they broke up and you know, the typical break-up kind of stuff. and so maybe this song is about the Amy that he dated? I don't know what kind of connection it might have, but just a little bit of info that he once dated someone named Amy.
getting a rocket ride could be a good thing too. you know, ascending and stuff. sorta like escaping this dirtball of a planet (if that's how you view it), not necesarily heaven through suicide.
yah it's hard to say- i can see the whole "rocket ride" from either sides- it could be either : she went to heaven through suicide or she got out of the gutterlife she was living in and got clean. i think the heroin shit is right though- and everytime it rains she just feels alot better and thats all that really matters to me.
I think rocket ride refers to the hit she got from the heroin.
I went out with a girl called Amy and she left me in a rubbish flat on my own and went away to live with some drummer in a nice house in the burbs. So thats what it means to me. I don't know where the rocket ship comes into that, we can't aford rocket ships not in like in the USA; we've got easyJet. I don't think they goto the atmosphere, just mainly Benidorm.