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.
Last night the willows stopped weeping
Everything sat hushed and still
And while my body lay sleeping
I dreamt of Rebecca DeVille
Now I wonder if she was a real girl
Did she die when I woke
I sleep straight through to tomorrow
And look for her till I go broke
I found myself by the highway
That I ride in on in my dreams
I met her while I was hitchhiking
From England to New Orleans
She rode shotgun but staid facing me
And I laid down in the back
I fell in love somewhere near Illinois
And she said she loved me right back
Anybody
Has anybody seen my little girlie round
I last saw her in New Orleans
I can't find her now
I stepped into the nearest twilight bar
To ask if anyone knew
The whereabouts of my Rebecca DeVille
The bartender said that he knew
He said that just a few weeks ago
She hitched a ride out west
With a man that he'd show her the big time
Said he would show he the best
He stopped the car two miles down the road
He put a gun to her head
And raped her of all that she ever had
When Rebecca was found she was dead
Anybody
Has anybody seen my little girlie round
I last saw her in New Orleans
I can't find her now
Anybody
Has anybody seen my little girlie round
I last saw her in New Orleans
I can't find her now
Low doesn't even begin to describe the shape that I am in
But you can dream in both directions, bring the past back again
So maybe I can find her before heaven goes and hides her
Hope can keep her from going away
Well I saw her again
It was a Sunday evening
She had flagged a ride
It was a Lincoln Continental
And she was on the passenger side
She had hold of the handle
I said Rebecca don't go
It's not what it seems
I said Rebecca don't go
It's not what it seems
Take my word darling
And drop out of this dream
She said "He's going to the Big City
And I'm going too, you know how that is with me"
I said stop...
Don't you get in the car
Don't you get in the car
'Cause I won't be coming back
If you get in the back
Don't you get in the car
Don't you get in the car
'Cause I won't be coming back
If you get in the back
My sweetheart
My sweetheart
I will just stay away
Six years or maybe eight
'Till I loose your memory
All that you've meant to me
'Cause I can't stand to see this
I can't stand to see this
I can't stand to see this
She got inside
Waved good-bye
And I watched the tail lights
Dance like candle light
And then they went out
Good-bye, my sweetheart
Good-bye, my sweetheart
Anybody
Has anybody seen my little girlie round
I last saw her in New Orleans
I can't find her now
Everything sat hushed and still
And while my body lay sleeping
I dreamt of Rebecca DeVille
Now I wonder if she was a real girl
Did she die when I woke
I sleep straight through to tomorrow
And look for her till I go broke
I found myself by the highway
That I ride in on in my dreams
I met her while I was hitchhiking
From England to New Orleans
She rode shotgun but staid facing me
And I laid down in the back
I fell in love somewhere near Illinois
And she said she loved me right back
Anybody
Has anybody seen my little girlie round
I last saw her in New Orleans
I can't find her now
I stepped into the nearest twilight bar
To ask if anyone knew
The whereabouts of my Rebecca DeVille
The bartender said that he knew
He said that just a few weeks ago
She hitched a ride out west
With a man that he'd show her the big time
Said he would show he the best
He stopped the car two miles down the road
He put a gun to her head
And raped her of all that she ever had
When Rebecca was found she was dead
Anybody
Has anybody seen my little girlie round
I last saw her in New Orleans
I can't find her now
Anybody
Has anybody seen my little girlie round
I last saw her in New Orleans
I can't find her now
Low doesn't even begin to describe the shape that I am in
But you can dream in both directions, bring the past back again
So maybe I can find her before heaven goes and hides her
Hope can keep her from going away
Well I saw her again
It was a Sunday evening
She had flagged a ride
It was a Lincoln Continental
And she was on the passenger side
She had hold of the handle
I said Rebecca don't go
It's not what it seems
I said Rebecca don't go
It's not what it seems
Take my word darling
And drop out of this dream
She said "He's going to the Big City
And I'm going too, you know how that is with me"
I said stop...
Don't you get in the car
Don't you get in the car
'Cause I won't be coming back
If you get in the back
Don't you get in the car
Don't you get in the car
'Cause I won't be coming back
If you get in the back
My sweetheart
My sweetheart
I will just stay away
Six years or maybe eight
'Till I loose your memory
All that you've meant to me
'Cause I can't stand to see this
I can't stand to see this
I can't stand to see this
She got inside
Waved good-bye
And I watched the tail lights
Dance like candle light
And then they went out
Good-bye, my sweetheart
Good-bye, my sweetheart
Anybody
Has anybody seen my little girlie round
I last saw her in New Orleans
I can't find her now
Lyrics submitted by dragonflower44
Rebecca DeVille Lyrics as written by Mason Stewart Jennings
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is a pretty powerful song. It's about dreaming about a girl. Whether the girl is real or not, we are not sure, but she ran away. He is deeply in love with her and searching everywhere for her. Only to find out:
He stopped the car two miles down the road And he put a gun to her head And raped her of all that she ever had When Rebecca was found she was dead
Reading this again, i wonder if this is about someone Mason knows?
the song is about a dream of a girl he fell in love with (presumably just in the dream) but we're left to wonder with "Now I wonder if she was a real girl, Did she die when I awoke?" The story goes that when he went to look for her, she had left with some man who promised her fame, only to rape her (physically or not, open for interpretation), and she left him behind for this promise of fortune, only to meet her demise. by the way, there is a few discrepancies in these lyrics, more accurate can be found at masonjennings.com
i think this, like a lot of mason's work, are not about himself or people he knows (although they very well could be), but moreso just an example of mason's extraordinary ability of storytelling.
I think this song is definetly a dream that he will dream every night until he saves her
I think it is : "I will just stay away/ Six years or maybe eight" This song is just another example of Mason's amazing work. It's about a guy who meets a girl and goes to find her only to find out that she was killed while hitchhiking. He's haunted by a dream of this and continues to relive the dream, constantly trying to save his Rebecca Deville. I think that the part where he says, "Now I wonder if she was a real girl, Did she die when I awoke?" is about how he wonders if his love for her was real or not. They were separated and went their separate ways until she died, so he may be asking himself whether or not his love for her was as real as it is in his vivid dreams, or if it will just disappear when he wakes up, making her just a memory.
This song isn't really about dream; it's about dreaming about if a dream is real or if it's not...dream inside of a dream. Lucid dreaming. Maybe memories of real life or another life in a dream. But it's not "a dream". Get it?