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.
The antique people are down in the dungeons
Run by machines and afraid of the tax
Their heads in the grave and their hands on their eyes
Hauling their hearts around circular tracks
Pretending forever their masquerade towers
Are not really riddled with widening cracks
And I wave goodbye to iron
And smile hello to the air
O the new children dance -- I am young
All around the balloons -- I will live
Swaying by chance -- I am strong
To the breeze from the moon -- I can give
Painting the sky -- You the strange
With the colors of sun -- Seed of day
Freely they fly -- Feel the change
As all become one -- Know the Way
The velocity addicts explode on the highways
Ignoring the journey and moving so fast
Their nerves fall apart and they gasp but can't breathe
They run from the cops of the skeleton past
Petrified by tradition in a nightmare they stagger
Into nowhere at all and they look up aghast
And I wave goodbye to speed
And smile hello to a rose
O the new children play -- I am young
Under the juniper trees -- I will live
Sky blue or gray -- I am strong
They continue at ease -- I can give
Moving so slow -- You the strange
That serenely they can -- Seed of day
Gracefully grow -- Feel the change
And yes still understand -- Know the Way
The king and the queen in their castle of billboards
Sleepwalk down the hallways dragging behind
All their possessions and transient treasures
As they go to worship the electronic shrine
On which is playing the late late commercial
In that hollowest house of the opulent blind
And I wave goodbye to Mammon
And smile hello to a stream
O the new children buy -- I am young
All the world for a song -- I will live
Without a dime -- I am strong
To which they belong -- I can give
Nobody owns -- You the strange
Anything anywhere -- Seed of day
Everyone's grown -- Feel the change
Up so big they can share -- Know the Way
The vaudeville generals cavort on the stage
And shatter their audience with submachine guns
And Freedom and Violence the acrobat clowns
Do a balancing act on the graves of our sons
While the tapdancing Emperor sings "War is peace"
And Love the Magician disappears in the fun
And I wave goodbye to murder
And smile hello to the rain
O the new children can't -- I am young
Tell a foe from a friend -- I will live
Quick to enchant -- I am strong
And so glad to extend -- I can give
Handfuls of dawn -- You the strange
To kaleidoscope men -- Seed of day
Come from beyond -- Feel the change
The Great Wall of Skin -- Know the Way
The bloodless husbands are jesters who listen
Like sheep to the shrieks and commands of their wives
And the men who aren't men leave the women alone
See them all faking love on a bed made of knives
Afraid to discover or trust in their bodies
And in secret divorce they will never survive
And I wave goodbye to ashes
And smile hello to a girl
O the new children kiss -- I am young
They are so proud to learn -- I will live
Womanwood bliss -- I am strong
And the manfire that burns -- I can give
Knowing no fear -- You the strange
They take off their clothes -- Seed of day
Honest and clear - Feel the change
As a river that flows - Know the Way
The antique people are fading out slowly
Like newspapers flaming in mind suicide
Godless and sexless directionless loons
Their sham sandcastles dissolve in the tide
They put on their deathmasks and compromise daily
The new children will live for the elders have died
And I wave goodbye to America
And smile hello to the world
Run by machines and afraid of the tax
Their heads in the grave and their hands on their eyes
Hauling their hearts around circular tracks
Pretending forever their masquerade towers
Are not really riddled with widening cracks
And I wave goodbye to iron
And smile hello to the air
O the new children dance -- I am young
All around the balloons -- I will live
Swaying by chance -- I am strong
To the breeze from the moon -- I can give
Painting the sky -- You the strange
With the colors of sun -- Seed of day
Freely they fly -- Feel the change
As all become one -- Know the Way
The velocity addicts explode on the highways
Ignoring the journey and moving so fast
Their nerves fall apart and they gasp but can't breathe
They run from the cops of the skeleton past
Petrified by tradition in a nightmare they stagger
Into nowhere at all and they look up aghast
And I wave goodbye to speed
And smile hello to a rose
O the new children play -- I am young
Under the juniper trees -- I will live
Sky blue or gray -- I am strong
They continue at ease -- I can give
Moving so slow -- You the strange
That serenely they can -- Seed of day
Gracefully grow -- Feel the change
And yes still understand -- Know the Way
The king and the queen in their castle of billboards
Sleepwalk down the hallways dragging behind
All their possessions and transient treasures
As they go to worship the electronic shrine
On which is playing the late late commercial
In that hollowest house of the opulent blind
And I wave goodbye to Mammon
And smile hello to a stream
O the new children buy -- I am young
All the world for a song -- I will live
Without a dime -- I am strong
To which they belong -- I can give
Nobody owns -- You the strange
Anything anywhere -- Seed of day
Everyone's grown -- Feel the change
Up so big they can share -- Know the Way
The vaudeville generals cavort on the stage
And shatter their audience with submachine guns
And Freedom and Violence the acrobat clowns
Do a balancing act on the graves of our sons
While the tapdancing Emperor sings "War is peace"
And Love the Magician disappears in the fun
And I wave goodbye to murder
And smile hello to the rain
O the new children can't -- I am young
Tell a foe from a friend -- I will live
Quick to enchant -- I am strong
And so glad to extend -- I can give
Handfuls of dawn -- You the strange
To kaleidoscope men -- Seed of day
Come from beyond -- Feel the change
The Great Wall of Skin -- Know the Way
The bloodless husbands are jesters who listen
Like sheep to the shrieks and commands of their wives
And the men who aren't men leave the women alone
See them all faking love on a bed made of knives
Afraid to discover or trust in their bodies
And in secret divorce they will never survive
And I wave goodbye to ashes
And smile hello to a girl
O the new children kiss -- I am young
They are so proud to learn -- I will live
Womanwood bliss -- I am strong
And the manfire that burns -- I can give
Knowing no fear -- You the strange
They take off their clothes -- Seed of day
Honest and clear - Feel the change
As a river that flows - Know the Way
The antique people are fading out slowly
Like newspapers flaming in mind suicide
Godless and sexless directionless loons
Their sham sandcastles dissolve in the tide
They put on their deathmasks and compromise daily
The new children will live for the elders have died
And I wave goodbye to America
And smile hello to the world
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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"
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
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/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
This is some really amazing songwriting. I'd never really paid attention to the lyrics before...Tim Buckley is an incredible songwriter.
It's about the youth replacing the older generation and giving hope for the future back during vietnam. All the comparisons between Middle Ages and now is pretty atypical for the typical pop song...that's why tim buckley is so damn cool though.
I love Tim Buckley (and Jeff), he does have great songwriting, I love the way the chorus is like two alternating chorus's intertwined. If you like Tim Buckley check out his son Jeff Buckley, I would say he has one of the most beautiful voices ever. He also covered some of his fathers songs.
I believe this song criticizes society from Tim's personal interpretation. Not changing ourselves inside, while the winds of change are heavily blowing. Adding an eerie song about kings and jesters, faraway lands, days of now and then. Anyway, how brave and childish must we be; to change a fraction of these times we live, while not losing our inner endless curiosity?
The song by Tim Buckley is a powerful poetic statement about the way he saw the US society he was living in at that time in the late 60s. The mechanical machine electronic age suffocating young lives. Money and greed and consumerist society with it's possessions killing our relative freedoms. He places nature over progessive change. This is a song about how the old ways must end for the young to hopefully live in an authentic world.