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.
We sail through endless skies
stars shine like eyes
the black night sighs
The moon in silver trees
falls down in tears
light of the night
The earth, a purple blaze
of sapphire haze
in orbit always
While down below the trees
bathed in cool breeze
silver starlight breaks down the night
And so we pass on by the crimson eye
of great god Mars
as we travel the universe
stars shine like eyes
the black night sighs
The moon in silver trees
falls down in tears
light of the night
The earth, a purple blaze
of sapphire haze
in orbit always
While down below the trees
bathed in cool breeze
silver starlight breaks down the night
And so we pass on by the crimson eye
of great god Mars
as we travel the universe
Lyrics submitted by spolojack
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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.
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"
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
First off, I want to say to those who find the lyrics hard to make out: that is intentional. The nature of the vocals is meant to invoke the speech of aliens. The song is about a fleet of alien ships that travel through the universe, looking for others who are ready to do the same. The song explains that they have just discovered Earth, but they bypass it. Why? There a couple of hints as to why: first, the moonlight is describes as falling down like tears, invoking sorrow. The second and most important clue comes from the lines, "And so we pass on by the crimson eye - Of great god mars". Mars is described not as a planet but as a god, and if you know your Roman mythology, you will know that Mars was the god of war. Hence, humanity, which is still embroiled in war, is not yet ready to receive the amazing gift of advanced technology which would allow them to join the fleet of universal explorers, the planet caravan. The aliens are saddened by this, because of the distance they've traveled, only to find a species not yet evolved enough to join them. It is a sad, chilling and beautiful anti-war song.
AGH, I was trying to vote up. -___- I LIKE THIS.
Reading your commentary while listening to the music is simply awesome. It's touching because it's a cold, unfortunate true. But oh, well, let's enjoy the nice, traveling part of this.
@Starwatcher23 Hopefully some day the we can get our planet re-classified and finally be apart of the universe and all the unimaginable great things that it holds. hopefully soon before our time runs out.. I think you very much nailed the meaning of the lyrics to this song. Thank you
@Starwatcher23 Just heard this song for the first time...read your explanation...Well written Starwatcher23...Very deep understanding of the song, and great way of explaining it. That's some deep shit they are singing about, and makes complete sense to why other beings wouldn't even bother with us. I appreciate the time and explanation you put into this. Thank you for sharing!
I love songs like this that put an awesome image in your head. Makes you want to go paint a giant mural or something.
Since I view Paranoid as a concept album, this is a bit different from other views. War Pigs sets the scene of war and corruption, Paranoid is a descent into madness of a soldier, and I think this is a sort of cosmic journey after death.
hands down best song to get stoned to
@whiterabbit420 Only song that I have ever thought, "If I make it to 60, when I have nothing left to do in my life, I will take one hit of LSD and listen to this song. It will be amazing."
space travel
theres more to black sabbath than being stoned
@ULlilLady But not this song XD. Hand of Doom is a song about something else - it is a warning to those doing drugs, or who are considering doing drugs. War Pigs is about the terror of war, and how the war pigs who cause it will NOT be rewarded for their actions. But this is definitely a drug-fueled, drug-inspired masterpiece.
I love these lyrics. They are so beautiful.
@Songmeaningsuser The picture of psychedelia.
This song is the reason I love Black Sabbath! The first three albums have a perfect combination of rock and blues that I can't stop listening to them.
@nxtz12 They WERE a blues band at first... Which is responsible for their bluesy, scruffy musical style.
PRECIOUSDEATH'S OPINION IS WORTH ABOUT AS MUCH AS CASTRATED DONKEY BALLS
COLA might be right War Pigs is about the generals/presidents who are responsible of wars, Paranoid is about a guy whos lost his feelings(it could be about a soldier who expirienced war and ends up killing himself or got killed in war), in Planet Caravan the guy/soldier was expiriencing life after death, Iron Man(if Paranoid was about a soldier) is about a warrior/soldier who ends up bieng a statue as honor for hes duties and for years the statue was bieng ignored so the staue/soldier came to life and kill the people he once saved. its just a maybe conclusion i made up after reading COLA's post