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.
Well we've been here once before
And we've stuck it out for more
When we come around we'll settle down
The cracks below the floor
Has it been eleven years
Since I've stood here with my peers
And we started out to conquer doubt and frisbee
I should've been a whole lot farther
I'm never going back to college
For just one good day job
You're not missing much for sure
Only everything that's yours
And at times it fails and we're full sail in the gutter
Is this home 'cause I forgot
If it is then thanks a lot
'Cause I can't pretend to know one end from the other
I should've been a whole lot farther
I'm never going back to college
For just one good day job
You're not missing much for sure
Only everything that's yours
At times it fails and we're full sail in the gutter
Is this home 'cause I forgot
If it is then thanks a lot
'Cause I can't pretend to know one end from the other
I should've been a whole lot farther
I'm never going back to college
For just one good day job.
And we've stuck it out for more
When we come around we'll settle down
The cracks below the floor
Has it been eleven years
Since I've stood here with my peers
And we started out to conquer doubt and frisbee
I should've been a whole lot farther
I'm never going back to college
For just one good day job
You're not missing much for sure
Only everything that's yours
And at times it fails and we're full sail in the gutter
Is this home 'cause I forgot
If it is then thanks a lot
'Cause I can't pretend to know one end from the other
I should've been a whole lot farther
I'm never going back to college
For just one good day job
You're not missing much for sure
Only everything that's yours
At times it fails and we're full sail in the gutter
Is this home 'cause I forgot
If it is then thanks a lot
'Cause I can't pretend to know one end from the other
I should've been a whole lot farther
I'm never going back to college
For just one good day job.
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
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"
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
A song about questioning how important hard work and education really is.
The further he gets in age, the more and less at the same time, he regrets doing and not doing some things.
It's about the confusion of maturity in mid 20's.
Why are we where we are, and could we be somewhere else?
"You're not missing much for sure, only everything that's yours."
A perfect lyric that essentially says there's not much out there, but if you really look and try, you can have it all.
this song is a direct questioning of the value of hard work. day job states that no matter how much time and effort you put into attempting to achieve success, you will usually never find it. however, the song also implies that sometimes success will find you, but seeminly only because of luck. yes, this song does sum up the thoughts of many new college grads.
day job is a great song for young adults who feel they're not making it in the world of work. here, GB is questioning whether or not working hard will actually cause you to get somewhere in life. the whole 'been 11 years since i've stood here with me peers' part tells about a group of people who all went to college together and worked hard, but only a portion of people were actually successful
Sorry folks, english's not my first language, what does "doubt and frisbee" mean? Is that some sort of idiom that means "everything"?
I don't know what he means by that actually. "Conquer doubt" just means that he set out to be sure of himself and confident in what he did, but Frisbee...not sure what that has to do with anything.
Maybe "conquer doubt and frisbee" means something like "believe in myself and have fun" (as in playing frisbee)
In college, it's a stereotypical scene to play frisbee. "Doubt and frisbee" isn't meant to be clumped in that sense, but more like "Conquer every doubt" and "Conquer every frisbee." They conquered their doubts and they played a lot of frisbee.
I realize I am really late to this party, but I think the verse "You're not missing much for sure, only everything that's yours...at times it fails and we're full sail in the gutter" may be a reference to one of the founding members of the band, Doug Hopkins, who committed suicide after he was fired from the band but before the first album was released. He was a major contributor with the song writing and his long battle with alcohol may have been documented in the song "Hold Me Down" from the first album "New Miserable Experience." Just another opinion from a fan of the band and also a native from Phoenix as the band is.