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 stories of the street are mine
The Spanish voices laugh
The Cadillacs go creeping now
Through the night and the poison gas
And I lean from my window sill
In this old hotel I chose
Yes, one hand on my suicide
One hand on the rose
I know you've heard it's over now
And war must surely come
The cities they all broke in half
And the middlemen are gone
But let me ask you one more time
O children of the dusk
All these hunters who are shrieking now
Oh, do they speak for us?
And where do all these highways go
Now that we are free?
Why are the armies marching still
That were coming home to me?
O lady with your legs so fine
O stranger at your wheel
You are locked into your suffering
And your pleasures are the seal
The age of lust is giving birth
And both the parents ask
The nurse to tell them fairy tales
On both sides of the glass
And now the infant with his cord
Is hauled in like a kite
And one eye filled with blueprints
One eye filled with night
O come with me my little one
We will find that farm
And grow us grass and apples there
And keep all the animals warm
And if by chance I wake at night
And I ask you who I am
O take me to the slaughterhouse
I will wait there with the lamb
With one hand on the hexagram
And one hand on the girl
I balance on a wishing well
That all men call the world
We are so small between the stars
So large against the sky
And lost among the subway crowds
I try to catch your eye
The Spanish voices laugh
The Cadillacs go creeping now
Through the night and the poison gas
And I lean from my window sill
In this old hotel I chose
Yes, one hand on my suicide
One hand on the rose
I know you've heard it's over now
And war must surely come
The cities they all broke in half
And the middlemen are gone
But let me ask you one more time
O children of the dusk
All these hunters who are shrieking now
Oh, do they speak for us?
And where do all these highways go
Now that we are free?
Why are the armies marching still
That were coming home to me?
O lady with your legs so fine
O stranger at your wheel
You are locked into your suffering
And your pleasures are the seal
The age of lust is giving birth
And both the parents ask
The nurse to tell them fairy tales
On both sides of the glass
And now the infant with his cord
Is hauled in like a kite
And one eye filled with blueprints
One eye filled with night
O come with me my little one
We will find that farm
And grow us grass and apples there
And keep all the animals warm
And if by chance I wake at night
And I ask you who I am
O take me to the slaughterhouse
I will wait there with the lamb
With one hand on the hexagram
And one hand on the girl
I balance on a wishing well
That all men call the world
We are so small between the stars
So large against the sky
And lost among the subway crowds
I try to catch your eye
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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"
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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/
Definitely seems to be about the Cuban revolution, and Leonad's disillusionment...(I'm not a history buff, here, so forgive me if I don't have the details of the Cuban revolution 100% accurate...). "The Cadillacs go creeping now through the night and the poison gas" -- basically the "haves" driving in nice cars through the neighborhoods of the "have-nots" that are filled with poison gas, in ruins etc. The disillusionment part is I think best expressed by "All these hunters who are shrieking now oh do they speak for us?" The revolutionary side of the war made a lot of claims about bettering the lives of the common man... whether or not they succeeded I suppose depends on your political philosophies... but Leonard seems to be questioning if the revolutionaries are truly advocates of the people, or if they are using public sentiment to gain political/military power. The next stanza to the end(starting "And where do all these highways go...") seems to be in the aftermath of the war... kind of a where do we go now? Are we really better off? Both sides want to hear fairy tales of how things are going to get better now, but are they really?