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.
Whip the ice cream, make a shake
Whip the batter, make a cake
Whip the eggs and serve with steak
Whip the slaves and make them ache
Melt the butter, melt the shake
Burn the Chicken, burn the cake
Kill the people with a stake
From the dead they'll never wake
Aim to kill and kill to aim
For a better life
Will you ever feel shame?
Wipe the blood stains off your knife
Kill the people, kill them all
Kill the ones who've seen you fall
Watch their life make it's withdrawal
When you stop is not our call
See the blood and feel pain
From the people you have slain
Slowly you're going insane
Slowly killing your own brain
Aim to kill and kill to aim
For a better life
Will you ever feel shame?
Another blood stain on your knife
Your knife
When will you
When will you see the light?
And will you
Will you ever stop and see what's goin' on?
Cause I don't know what to do about it
I don't know what to think about it
I don't know what to think at all
Just tell me how to make it stop
Yeah
Tell me how to make it stop
Tell me how to make it stop
Stop, yeah
Cause I don't know what to do about it
I don't know what to think about it
I don't know what to think at all
Aim to kill and kill to aim
For a better life
Will you ever feel shame?
Another blood stain on your knife
Aim to kill and kill to aim
For a better life
Will you ever feel shame?
Please just put away your knife
Put away your knife
Put away your knife
Put away your knife
Whip the batter, make a cake
Whip the eggs and serve with steak
Whip the slaves and make them ache
Melt the butter, melt the shake
Burn the Chicken, burn the cake
Kill the people with a stake
From the dead they'll never wake
Aim to kill and kill to aim
For a better life
Will you ever feel shame?
Wipe the blood stains off your knife
Kill the people, kill them all
Kill the ones who've seen you fall
Watch their life make it's withdrawal
When you stop is not our call
See the blood and feel pain
From the people you have slain
Slowly you're going insane
Slowly killing your own brain
Aim to kill and kill to aim
For a better life
Will you ever feel shame?
Another blood stain on your knife
Your knife
When will you
When will you see the light?
And will you
Will you ever stop and see what's goin' on?
Cause I don't know what to do about it
I don't know what to think about it
I don't know what to think at all
Just tell me how to make it stop
Yeah
Tell me how to make it stop
Tell me how to make it stop
Stop, yeah
Cause I don't know what to do about it
I don't know what to think about it
I don't know what to think at all
Aim to kill and kill to aim
For a better life
Will you ever feel shame?
Another blood stain on your knife
Aim to kill and kill to aim
For a better life
Will you ever feel shame?
Please just put away your knife
Put away your knife
Put away your knife
Put away your knife
Lyrics submitted by NtoTheDrk
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"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.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
It's obviously gone now - Disregard this post and my last one