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.
The walls are built up stone by stone
The fields divided one-by-one
And the train conductor says
"Take a break, Driver 8, Driver 8, take a break
We've been on this shift too long"
And the train conductor says
"Take a break, Driver 8, Driver 8, take a break
We can reach our destination but we're still a ways away"
I saw a treehouse on the outskirts of the farm
The power lines have floaters so the airplanes won't get snagged
Bells are ringing through the town again
The children look up, all they hear is sky-blue, bells ringing
And the train conductor says
"Take a break, Driver 8, Driver 8, take a break
We can reach our destination, but we're still a ways away"
But it's still a ways away
But we're still a ways away
But it's still a ways away
Way to shield the hated heat
Way to put myself to sleep
Way to shield the hated heat
Way to put myself, my children to sleep
He piloted this song in a plane like that one
She is selling faith on the Go Tell crusade
Locomotive 8, Southern Crescent, hear the bells ring again
The fields of wheat is lookin' thin
And the train conductor says
"Take a break, Driver 8, Driver 8, take a break
We've been on this shift too long"
And the train conductor says
"Take a break, Driver 8, Driver 8, take a break
We can reach our destination, but we're still a ways away"
But it's still a ways away
But we're still a ways away
But it's still a ways away
The fields divided one-by-one
And the train conductor says
"Take a break, Driver 8, Driver 8, take a break
We've been on this shift too long"
And the train conductor says
"Take a break, Driver 8, Driver 8, take a break
We can reach our destination but we're still a ways away"
I saw a treehouse on the outskirts of the farm
The power lines have floaters so the airplanes won't get snagged
Bells are ringing through the town again
The children look up, all they hear is sky-blue, bells ringing
And the train conductor says
"Take a break, Driver 8, Driver 8, take a break
We can reach our destination, but we're still a ways away"
But it's still a ways away
But we're still a ways away
But it's still a ways away
Way to shield the hated heat
Way to put myself to sleep
Way to shield the hated heat
Way to put myself, my children to sleep
He piloted this song in a plane like that one
She is selling faith on the Go Tell crusade
Locomotive 8, Southern Crescent, hear the bells ring again
The fields of wheat is lookin' thin
And the train conductor says
"Take a break, Driver 8, Driver 8, take a break
We've been on this shift too long"
And the train conductor says
"Take a break, Driver 8, Driver 8, take a break
We can reach our destination, but we're still a ways away"
But it's still a ways away
But we're still a ways away
But it's still a ways away
Lyrics submitted by sportcarder
Driver 8 Lyrics as written by Peter Buck Bill Berry
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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:
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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.
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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I think the lyrics are "field to weed is lookin' thin" in reference to the train tracks overgrown with weeds after the line was shut down. MS might be saying we can get this train line running again.