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.
Who dare stare down honesty, from such a grand peak as my soapbox
Pointless pride a commodity, twiching grins, nervous laugh
Dragnet clumsy romantic thought, dissolves underneath a boring tounge
Pupils wide, with little inside, a friendship born of a dying keg
So what hangs on your walls, when they start to breathe?
Or is your idea of shit and puke some retro-dance that's the thing to do yeah
Libation loosens thought, small talk undressing strangers
Coitus next, nothing to say, an empty kiss, a breach of trust
Erotica lost, a beer soaked thrust, forgetting names then losing count
Apathetic consent, a flaccid mount, is all you know of passion and lust
Is this your excuse for watered down come, try to fuck your friends when you have none
A media-molded tact and reason, a different disease for every season, right
Do you know how to laugh, do you know how to scream?
I've got a lethal suggestion, aimed at a dead-beat generation
We're gonna need a drink of elixer considerably stronger than beer
And if we dance without direction, let us dance until we die!
Bop and ska and jive and jump, go-go jissom twist, an orgasmic bump
Jump and jive and ska and bop, try a junky swing, a heroin hop
Jive and jump and bop and ska, it's a Burrough's town, loose the prudish frown
Ska and bop and jump and jive, it's amazing that we're still alive!
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Pointless pride a commodity, twiching grins, nervous laugh
Dragnet clumsy romantic thought, dissolves underneath a boring tounge
Pupils wide, with little inside, a friendship born of a dying keg
So what hangs on your walls, when they start to breathe?
Or is your idea of shit and puke some retro-dance that's the thing to do yeah
Libation loosens thought, small talk undressing strangers
Coitus next, nothing to say, an empty kiss, a breach of trust
Erotica lost, a beer soaked thrust, forgetting names then losing count
Apathetic consent, a flaccid mount, is all you know of passion and lust
Is this your excuse for watered down come, try to fuck your friends when you have none
A media-molded tact and reason, a different disease for every season, right
Do you know how to laugh, do you know how to scream?
I've got a lethal suggestion, aimed at a dead-beat generation
We're gonna need a drink of elixer considerably stronger than beer
And if we dance without direction, let us dance until we die!
Bop and ska and jive and jump, go-go jissom twist, an orgasmic bump
Jump and jive and ska and bop, try a junky swing, a heroin hop
Jive and jump and bop and ska, it's a Burrough's town, loose the prudish frown
Ska and bop and jump and jive, it's amazing that we're still alive!
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Bop and ska and jump and jive
Lyrics submitted by jadis96
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
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.
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"
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/