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 drifting night
Begets my footsteps
I press this pavement
Until my feet scrape
In the back of my head i
Saw you in the back of
My head i found a knife
Dangling from your face
Looked like a seed
To many gauges
Our thoughts controlled
My head is much bigger
My claws, my fingers dipped in blood
They’ve been cut to many times be warned
You’ll find, you’ll find, you’ll find, you’ll find
I took my head off, i saw you in the back of
What’s in the back of? A knife dangling?
Rub my face, looks like a seed to many gauges
My thoughts controlled, my head my fingers digging around
My fingers drenched in coke’n blood to many times
To many handling, to many handling , to many handling, to many handling
Why for what? for what? for what? what for?
You’ll find, find, you’ll find, you’ll find, you’ll find, you’ll find
Do you remember …
"The fear was so powerful that it seemed to make my personality completely evaporate. I do not think that my ordinary humanity survived the transition to this little room. I died, and a wild animal appeared in my place. Not everything was gone, though. What remained, although small, nevertheless was occupied with an essential task of verification. I was looking around as best I could, recording what I saw.
The small, circular chamber had a domed, grayish-tan ceiling with ribs appearing at intervals of about a foot. Across the room to my right some clothing was thrown on the floor. As a matter of fact, the thought even crossed my mind that the place was actually dirty. It was close and confining for me. The whole scale of it was small, tight, and enclosed.
Tiny people were now moving around me at great speed. Their quickness was disturbing, and in a curious way ugly. It was a truly awful sensation, accompanied as it was by the sense that I was absolutely helpless in the hands of these strange creatures.
I know that I was seated on a bench, leaning against a wall. The predominant colors were tan and gray. The bench was the same color as the walls, and was rimmed by a lip of dark brown.
There was something quite beautiful, I think, having to do with a lens in the ceiling, but I can remember little about it. Perhaps there was a lens at the point of the ceiling, through which some colorful scene could be observed.
There is no way to be certain of how long I remained in this room. It seemed to be a stay of no more than a few minutes or even seconds. It may have been longer, though, because I had time to look around me and note numerous details. While I had before been totally paralyzed, I was now able to move at least my eyes and possibly my head.
The next thing I knew, I was being shown a tiny gray box with a sliding lid. There was a curved lip at one end of this box, to make it easy to push it open. It was being held by a thin, graceful person whose appearance was not distinct.
My memory of the one that came before me next is of a tiny, squat person, crouching as if huddled over something. He had been given the box and now slid it open, revealing an extremely shiny, hair-thin needle mounted on a black surface. This needle glittered when I saw it out of the corner of my eye, but was practically invisible straight on.
I became aware–I think I was told–that they proposed to insert this into my brain."
Begets my footsteps
I press this pavement
Until my feet scrape
In the back of my head i
Saw you in the back of
My head i found a knife
Dangling from your face
Looked like a seed
To many gauges
Our thoughts controlled
My head is much bigger
My claws, my fingers dipped in blood
They’ve been cut to many times be warned
You’ll find, you’ll find, you’ll find, you’ll find
I took my head off, i saw you in the back of
What’s in the back of? A knife dangling?
Rub my face, looks like a seed to many gauges
My thoughts controlled, my head my fingers digging around
My fingers drenched in coke’n blood to many times
To many handling, to many handling , to many handling, to many handling
Why for what? for what? for what? what for?
You’ll find, find, you’ll find, you’ll find, you’ll find, you’ll find
Do you remember …
"The fear was so powerful that it seemed to make my personality completely evaporate. I do not think that my ordinary humanity survived the transition to this little room. I died, and a wild animal appeared in my place. Not everything was gone, though. What remained, although small, nevertheless was occupied with an essential task of verification. I was looking around as best I could, recording what I saw.
The small, circular chamber had a domed, grayish-tan ceiling with ribs appearing at intervals of about a foot. Across the room to my right some clothing was thrown on the floor. As a matter of fact, the thought even crossed my mind that the place was actually dirty. It was close and confining for me. The whole scale of it was small, tight, and enclosed.
Tiny people were now moving around me at great speed. Their quickness was disturbing, and in a curious way ugly. It was a truly awful sensation, accompanied as it was by the sense that I was absolutely helpless in the hands of these strange creatures.
I know that I was seated on a bench, leaning against a wall. The predominant colors were tan and gray. The bench was the same color as the walls, and was rimmed by a lip of dark brown.
There was something quite beautiful, I think, having to do with a lens in the ceiling, but I can remember little about it. Perhaps there was a lens at the point of the ceiling, through which some colorful scene could be observed.
There is no way to be certain of how long I remained in this room. It seemed to be a stay of no more than a few minutes or even seconds. It may have been longer, though, because I had time to look around me and note numerous details. While I had before been totally paralyzed, I was now able to move at least my eyes and possibly my head.
The next thing I knew, I was being shown a tiny gray box with a sliding lid. There was a curved lip at one end of this box, to make it easy to push it open. It was being held by a thin, graceful person whose appearance was not distinct.
My memory of the one that came before me next is of a tiny, squat person, crouching as if huddled over something. He had been given the box and now slid it open, revealing an extremely shiny, hair-thin needle mounted on a black surface. This needle glittered when I saw it out of the corner of my eye, but was practically invisible straight on.
I became aware–I think I was told–that they proposed to insert this into my brain."
Lyrics submitted by cheerleader_corpses, edited by azkm
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let's try and figure out some more of the lyrics. for kicks. you know? pg 99 doesn't exist anymore.. those guys won't get mad if i misinterpret some stuff.
the drifting night begets my footsteps against this pavement something something
... the drifting night begets my footsteps i press this pavement until my feet scrape in the back of my head i saw you in the back of my head i found a knife dangling from your face something something
... 'til the end of life 'til the end of life 'til the end of life 'til the end of life something something
... and you'll remember a part of me something something
etc.. that's all the better i can do for the actual song. and now i'll attempt the crazy ending.
the fear was so powerful, that it seemed to make my personality completely evaporate. i do not think that my ordinary humanity survived the transition into this little room. i died. and a wild animal appeared in my place. not everything was gone though; what remained, although small, nevertheless was occupied with an essential task of [?] ... i was looking around and as i recall ... the small circular room had a dulled, grayish tan ceiling with the walls appearing at intervals of about a foot. across the room to my right, some clothing was thrown on the floor. as a matter of habit the thought really crossed my mind they smelled actually dirty. ... tight, enclosed. time ... speed that cripples ... disturbing. in a mysterious way, ugly. ... being in a trap ... it was a truly awful sensation, accompanied as i was by the sense that i was absolutely helpless at the hands of these strange creatures. i was seated on a bench leaning against a wall. the predominate colors were tan and gray. the bench was the same colors as the walls, and was ... dark brown. it was something quite beautiful i think. having to do with the [?] in the ceiling.
..it just gets more hard to interpret as it goes. finishes with this line:
i became aware, or i think i was told, that they proposed to insert this, into my brain.
i had always assumed that whole two minute sequence at the end was about being abducted.. and now that i've finally sat here, losing my mind trying to interpret it, i've looked a bit of it up and discovered that it's a passage taken directly from the book 'communion' by whitley strieber, which is a true account of alien abduction. awesome. what that has to do with the song, we may never know. it sure is scary though.
seeing them finish up their last two shows in baltimore and dc with this song was absolutely face exploding. i'll never forget it.