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.
Action
This street honey is a mean street
Living in this street honey needs a mean streak
We've got criminals living in this street
But there's a heart beat pulse
That keeps on pumping
Like a juke box playing the same dead record
Or a radio in the corner keeps blaring
I got a feeling this world is using me
This town honey is a dead town
Living in this town honey is a let down
Coming to this town honey is a show down
But there's a heart beat pulse
That keeps on pumping some sunshine ray
Through a crack in the shutter
Or a sight of a light at the end of a tunnel
Still there's a feeling this world is using me
Action this day action this night
Oh we've gotta learn to love to live
You can't say it ain't right
Action this day action this night
Oh you've got the power you've got the power
You've got the power to love to live
You can't say it ain't right
Your mind honey is a bleak place
Living in your minds living in a blank space
Your mind is coming from a rat race
But there's a heart beat pulse
That keeps on pumping
Like a jukebox playing the same dead record
Or a radio in the corner keeps blaring
I got a feeling that just won't quit
This world is using me
Action this day action this night
Oh we've gotta learn to love to live
We can't say it ain't right
Action this day action this night
Oh you've got the power you've got the power
You've got the power to love to live
You can't say it ain't right
Action action this day
Action this day
Action action this day
Action this day
Living in the street
Action
This street honey is a mean street
Living in this street honey needs a mean streak
We've got criminals living in this street
But there's a heart beat pulse
That keeps on pumping
Like a juke box playing the same dead record
Or a radio in the corner keeps blaring
I got a feeling this world is using me
This town honey is a dead town
Living in this town honey is a let down
Coming to this town honey is a show down
But there's a heart beat pulse
That keeps on pumping some sunshine ray
Through a crack in the shutter
Or a sight of a light at the end of a tunnel
Still there's a feeling this world is using me
Action this day action this night
Oh we've gotta learn to love to live
You can't say it ain't right
Action this day action this night
Oh you've got the power you've got the power
You've got the power to love to live
You can't say it ain't right
Your mind honey is a bleak place
Living in your minds living in a blank space
Your mind is coming from a rat race
But there's a heart beat pulse
That keeps on pumping
Like a jukebox playing the same dead record
Or a radio in the corner keeps blaring
I got a feeling that just won't quit
This world is using me
Action this day action this night
Oh we've gotta learn to love to live
We can't say it ain't right
Action this day action this night
Oh you've got the power you've got the power
You've got the power to love to live
You can't say it ain't right
Action action this day
Action this day
Action action this day
Action this day
Living in the street
Action
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Light Up The Sky
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Taking action over the problems we face in our lives is what its basically about. Obviously placed behind a kick ass rythm.