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 want to tell you 'bout my good thing
I ain't disclosing no names but
He sure is a good friend and
I ain't gonna tell you where he comes from, no
If I tell you you won't come again, hey
I ain't gonna tell you nothin' but I do will, but I know, yeah
Now let me tell you 'bout my girl
Open up a newspaper and what do I see? Ahh, ah
See my girl, ah, looking at me
Ooh, and when she walks, she walks
Lemme tell ya, when she talks, she talks
And when she looks me in my eye
She's my baby, Lord, I want to make her mine, yeah
Tell me baby what you want me to do?
And you want me to love you, love some other man too?
Ain't gonna call me Mr. Pitiful, no
Oh, I don't need no respect from nobody, no, no
Ahh, no no, ahh
I ain't gonna tell you nothing I ain't gonna tell you no more, no
She's my baby, let me tell you that I love her so and, and
She's the woman I really want to love and let me tell you more, ooh
She's my baby, lemme tell you, she lives next door
She's the one a-woman, the one a-woman that I know
I ain't going, I ain't going, I ain't going tell you
I ain't going tell you one thing that you really ought to know, ooh
She's my lover, baby, and I love her so and
She's the one that really makes me whirl and twirl!
And she's the kind of lover that makes me me fill the whole world and
She's the one who really makes me jump and shout, ooh
She's the kind of girl, I know what it's all about
Take it on, take it, take it, take it
Ah, excuse me
Oh, will ya excuse me
I'm just trying to find the bridge
Has anybody seen the bridge?
Please
Have you seen the bridge?
I ain't seen the bridge!
Where's that confounded bridge?
I ain't disclosing no names but
He sure is a good friend and
I ain't gonna tell you where he comes from, no
If I tell you you won't come again, hey
I ain't gonna tell you nothin' but I do will, but I know, yeah
Now let me tell you 'bout my girl
Open up a newspaper and what do I see? Ahh, ah
See my girl, ah, looking at me
Ooh, and when she walks, she walks
Lemme tell ya, when she talks, she talks
And when she looks me in my eye
She's my baby, Lord, I want to make her mine, yeah
Tell me baby what you want me to do?
And you want me to love you, love some other man too?
Ain't gonna call me Mr. Pitiful, no
Oh, I don't need no respect from nobody, no, no
Ahh, no no, ahh
I ain't gonna tell you nothing I ain't gonna tell you no more, no
She's my baby, let me tell you that I love her so and, and
She's the woman I really want to love and let me tell you more, ooh
She's my baby, lemme tell you, she lives next door
She's the one a-woman, the one a-woman that I know
I ain't going, I ain't going, I ain't going tell you
I ain't going tell you one thing that you really ought to know, ooh
She's my lover, baby, and I love her so and
She's the one that really makes me whirl and twirl!
And she's the kind of lover that makes me me fill the whole world and
She's the one who really makes me jump and shout, ooh
She's the kind of girl, I know what it's all about
Take it on, take it, take it, take it
Ah, excuse me
Oh, will ya excuse me
I'm just trying to find the bridge
Has anybody seen the bridge?
Please
Have you seen the bridge?
I ain't seen the bridge!
Where's that confounded bridge?
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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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How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Head > Heels
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“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I think Plant was way ahead of his time on this song. 1973 and he is pushing the envelope onto some kind of melodic rap.
I see people mention the lyric paying homage to James Brown's "take me to the bridge", but I wonder if you guys are getting the actual joke. It's not simply a reference to JB. If you recall the song and the "groove" are locked into the same rhythm with no signs of letting up. "Have you seen the bridge" refers to the next "musical bridge" for the song to follow and transition into the next song structure, which it never does.
And in frustration the songs comes to a halt, with the comment,,, "Where's that confounded bridge" ?