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 put my faith
in the absence of something better
if it doesn't fit then its out of reach for me
i'm a tightly wound mess
neatly perched inside my own distress
and you talk of freedom
that means nothing to me
and then you say
how we ever gonna know if there's something better
is the only way to know ourselves to go too far
i spend my days in a fear
one day a wind will blow me away
the only thing that keeps me here
are these strings of mine that hold me down
i watch the rise and fall of a thousand days
it means nothing to me
cause i've been promised redemption
for a life time wasted in these golden fields
so far so good so many promises
swinging in the wind directions something that i can't control
creation eludes me its all just waiting time here in this field
nothing but a scarecrow waiting for the world to tear me down
how we ever gonna know
if there's something better
how are we gonna come to be the same
if we come to fair to realise
how we ever gonna become
something better then what we've become
or are we just scarecrows just waiting?
or are we just...
in the absence of something better
if it doesn't fit then its out of reach for me
i'm a tightly wound mess
neatly perched inside my own distress
and you talk of freedom
that means nothing to me
and then you say
how we ever gonna know if there's something better
is the only way to know ourselves to go too far
i spend my days in a fear
one day a wind will blow me away
the only thing that keeps me here
are these strings of mine that hold me down
i watch the rise and fall of a thousand days
it means nothing to me
cause i've been promised redemption
for a life time wasted in these golden fields
so far so good so many promises
swinging in the wind directions something that i can't control
creation eludes me its all just waiting time here in this field
nothing but a scarecrow waiting for the world to tear me down
how we ever gonna know
if there's something better
how are we gonna come to be the same
if we come to fair to realise
how we ever gonna become
something better then what we've become
or are we just scarecrows just waiting?
or are we just...
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wicked tune. one of strung outs best. To me this song is about how fragile life is. How all life on this planet is lucky to be here and the thin thread we dangle on. It is asking a question "Are we ever gonna become something better than what we've become?" Are we going to evolve to something better or continue our life of conveniance and become weaker? How powerless are we to change the world? Or are we isolated and without control over what we are... anyway im starting to ramble