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.
"What a spoiled boy I've been
My mouth full, mess, my arms outstretched
I've got palm sweat, I'm smiling like I'm
Competition
Well, maybe I'm yours"
She said, "I know you, you're a salesman's son
And you're pimping pretty junk"
And I said,
"What am I supposed to do
They've built the scenes around you
And I need more than this"
And she said, "what am I supposed to do
Look at what's been come of you
And I need more than this"
"Go on then, hitch me up, baby,
If what I am is not enough
Because I do love the glow you get
When you're told word for word
How to think for yourself
"I'm tired
Of baring my teeth when I smile
My mouth full, mess, my arms outstretched
I've got palm sweat, I'm smiling like I'm
Competition
Well, maybe I'm yours"
She said, "I know you, you're a salesman's son
And you're pimping pretty junk"
And I said,
"What am I supposed to do
They've built the scenes around you
And I need more than this"
And she said, "what am I supposed to do
Look at what's been come of you
And I need more than this"
"Go on then, hitch me up, baby,
If what I am is not enough
Because I do love the glow you get
When you're told word for word
How to think for yourself
"I'm tired
Of baring my teeth when I smile
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More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
A break-up. And more precisely one specific fight that ends up being the break up. She is telling him that he isn't good enough for her(obviously). I think the line about being a "I know you, youre a sales man's son and you're pimping pretty junk" is very deep actually. She saying he's simple, not a rich man. But that he is a natural at making it appear that simple, normal things(junk) are beautiful even though they aren't. And that he even probably does it with problems and concerns in the relationship. He's a master at covering them up, making it seem like they will be fine or go away. But she won't fall for it anymore. His little quirks (my mouth full, mess. Smiling like I'm competition. Maybe I'm yours) are no longer cute to her.
And he is asking what he is supposed to do without her. She's all he wants. He has planned a future around her. He needs more than her just bailing on him for no reason other than her friends say she could do better. In fact, he gets a little righteous about it and pokes at her saying basically, "Fine. Dump me. I always found it pathetic that you were a sheep to your friends." (Go on then hitch me up... Cause I do love the glow you get when you're told word-for-word how to think for yourself.)