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.
I used to think
If I could realise I'd die
Then I would be a lot nicer
Used to believe
In a lot more
Now I just see straight ahead
That's not to say
I don't have good times
But as for my days
I spend them waiting
Crash sites keep me up at night
Impact, division
It splits in two
Directly underneath you
As for those things
That act as markers in your life
But in between you can't remember
And so it seems
That you've grown up and over me
And these silly things I like to dwell on
Test sites keep me up at night
Chainlink and metres
I talk to you
It's cold out there, but I'm telling you
I'm lonely too
Facts versus romance
You go and call yourself the boss
But we're not robots inside a grid
Text versus romance
You go and add it all you want
Still we're not robots inside a grid
Zeroes and ones
If I could realise I'd die
Then I would be a lot nicer
Used to believe
In a lot more
Now I just see straight ahead
That's not to say
I don't have good times
But as for my days
I spend them waiting
Crash sites keep me up at night
Impact, division
It splits in two
Directly underneath you
As for those things
That act as markers in your life
But in between you can't remember
And so it seems
That you've grown up and over me
And these silly things I like to dwell on
Test sites keep me up at night
Chainlink and metres
I talk to you
It's cold out there, but I'm telling you
I'm lonely too
Facts versus romance
You go and call yourself the boss
But we're not robots inside a grid
Text versus romance
You go and add it all you want
Still we're not robots inside a grid
Zeroes and ones
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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this song keeps me up at night. I can listen to this over and over all night.