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.
Where in the hell can you go
Far from the things that you know
Far from the sprawl of concrete that keeps Crawling its way about 1,000 miles a day?
Take one last look behind,
Commit this to memory and mind.
Don't miss this wasteland,
This terrible place
When you leave
Keep your heart off your sleeve
Motherland cradle me, close my eyes,
Lullaby me to sleep
Keep me safe, lie with me,
Stay beside me don't go
Don't you go
Oh, my five and dime queen
Tell me what have you seen?
The lust and the avarice,
The bottomless, Cavernous greed,
Is that what you see?
[Chorus]
Motherland cradle me, close my eyes,
Lullaby me to sleep.
Keep me safe, lie with me,
Stay beside me don't go
It's your happiness I want most of all
And for that I'd do anything at all,
Oh mercy me!
If you want the best of it
Or the most of all, if there's anything
I can do at all
Now come on shot gun bride
What makes me envy your life?
Faceless, nameless, innocent,
Blameless and free,
What's that like to be?
[Chorus]
Don't go
Far from the things that you know
Far from the sprawl of concrete that keeps Crawling its way about 1,000 miles a day?
Take one last look behind,
Commit this to memory and mind.
Don't miss this wasteland,
This terrible place
When you leave
Keep your heart off your sleeve
Motherland cradle me, close my eyes,
Lullaby me to sleep
Keep me safe, lie with me,
Stay beside me don't go
Don't you go
Oh, my five and dime queen
Tell me what have you seen?
The lust and the avarice,
The bottomless, Cavernous greed,
Is that what you see?
[Chorus]
Motherland cradle me, close my eyes,
Lullaby me to sleep.
Keep me safe, lie with me,
Stay beside me don't go
It's your happiness I want most of all
And for that I'd do anything at all,
Oh mercy me!
If you want the best of it
Or the most of all, if there's anything
I can do at all
Now come on shot gun bride
What makes me envy your life?
Faceless, nameless, innocent,
Blameless and free,
What's that like to be?
[Chorus]
Don't go
Lyrics submitted by merchantpierce
Motherland Lyrics as written by Natalie A Merchant
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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"The title song, MOTHERLAND has much deeper resonance since the events of September 11th and its aftermath. I was far more cynical when I wrote, 'Motherland cradle me, close my eyes, lullaby me to sleep, keep me safe, lie with me, stay beside me, don't go.' Now the song is a desperate plea for innocence, to be 'faceless, nameless, innocent, blameless and free,' expresses a craving we all share now for the world we took for granted and lost. Suddenly there seems to be no hiding from our past as a nation or our present, or our future. For me it's the death of nostalgia and dreams." -N. Merchant
I like Nat's stuff.. Motherland is also the title of a great older single by group Single Gun Theory. Nice track too.
This is one of my favourite of Natalie Merchant's songs. It can mean so much to someone who's away from home. Like me. I want to sing this to my children if/when i have any!!!!
Take one last look behind Commit this to memory and mind Don't miss this wasteland, this terrible place When you leave Keep your heart off your sleeve.
Such a sad verse. Leaving one's beloved home and having to tells ones self that itsa 'wasteland ', and 'Terrible place' in order to enable yourself to leave without a backward glance. So many refugees of different kinds have had to do this.
''Now come on shot gun bride What makes me envy your life? Faceless, nameless, innocent, blameless and free What's that like to be?''
So middle America! The one who is pilloried in the community is the truely nieve one.