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.
Going down slow, how long can you get
Before you break yourself and wake up in a sweat
On the killing floor with the damage done
You can pity yourself but your race is run
You can climb the walls without reaching the top
And the higher you feel the further you drop
But you just want to get high
Going one step further, slipping down the line
You're living your life on borrowed time
How much abuse can you take from yourself
Is your addiction worth more than life itself
When you make the bet you have to pay the debt
And if you're lucky you can live with your own regret
Or you can get high
Get high push your luck to the limit
You're gonna die high
Get high if you think you can win it
You're gonna die high
Don't lie 'cause you're stuck right in it
You're gonna die high
Get high why the fuck are you in it
You're gonna die
There's a lost of good reasons but no excuse
You can never justify your drug abuse
You can legalize the hit but the problem remain
You still like feel shit the effect's the same
You're wasting your time with that fucking crap
The choice is yours and I can give you that
And you still want to get high
Get high push your luck to the limit
You're gonna die high
Get high if you think you can win it
You're gonna die high
Don't lie 'cause you're stuck right in it
You're gonna die high
Get high why the fuck are you in it
You're gonna die
You can never rely on the drugs you buy
You can never dent all the tricks you try
You can do anything just to get your fix
You can try anything just to get kicks
You don't hesitate to cheat or lie
Any bad excuse is a good alibi
You say you hate yourself and you want to die
But it's all the same you still want to get high
Get high push your luck to the limit
You're gonna die high
Get high if you think you can win it
You're gonna die high
Don't lie 'cause you're stuck right in it
You're gonna die high
Get high why the fuck are you in it
You're gonna die
Get high push your luck to the limit
You're gonna die high
Get high if you think you can win it
You're gonna die high
Don't lie 'cause you're stuck right in it
You're gonna die high
Get high why the fuck are you in it
You're gonna die
Before you break yourself and wake up in a sweat
On the killing floor with the damage done
You can pity yourself but your race is run
You can climb the walls without reaching the top
And the higher you feel the further you drop
But you just want to get high
Going one step further, slipping down the line
You're living your life on borrowed time
How much abuse can you take from yourself
Is your addiction worth more than life itself
When you make the bet you have to pay the debt
And if you're lucky you can live with your own regret
Or you can get high
Get high push your luck to the limit
You're gonna die high
Get high if you think you can win it
You're gonna die high
Don't lie 'cause you're stuck right in it
You're gonna die high
Get high why the fuck are you in it
You're gonna die
There's a lost of good reasons but no excuse
You can never justify your drug abuse
You can legalize the hit but the problem remain
You still like feel shit the effect's the same
You're wasting your time with that fucking crap
The choice is yours and I can give you that
And you still want to get high
Get high push your luck to the limit
You're gonna die high
Get high if you think you can win it
You're gonna die high
Don't lie 'cause you're stuck right in it
You're gonna die high
Get high why the fuck are you in it
You're gonna die
You can never rely on the drugs you buy
You can never dent all the tricks you try
You can do anything just to get your fix
You can try anything just to get kicks
You don't hesitate to cheat or lie
Any bad excuse is a good alibi
You say you hate yourself and you want to die
But it's all the same you still want to get high
Get high push your luck to the limit
You're gonna die high
Get high if you think you can win it
You're gonna die high
Don't lie 'cause you're stuck right in it
You're gonna die high
Get high why the fuck are you in it
You're gonna die
Get high push your luck to the limit
You're gonna die high
Get high if you think you can win it
You're gonna die high
Don't lie 'cause you're stuck right in it
You're gonna die high
Get high why the fuck are you in it
You're gonna die
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