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.
I got my first real six-string
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Played it till my fingers bled
Was the summer of '69
Me and some guys from school
Had a band and we tried real hard
Jimmy quit, Jody got married
Shoulda known, we'd never get far
Oh when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Yeah, I'd always want to be there
Those were the best days of my life
Ain't no use in complainin'
When you got a job to do
Spent my evenings down at the drive-in
And that's when I met you
Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me that you'd wait forever
Oh and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life
Oh yeah
Back in the summer of '69
Ohhh
Man we were killin' time
We were young and restless
We needed to unwind
I guess nothin' can last forever, forever, no
And now the times are changin'
Look at everything that's come and gone
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
Think about you wonder what went wrong
Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me it would last forever
Oh and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life
Oh yeah
Back in the summer of '69
Un-huh
It was the summer of '69, oh yeah
Me and my baby in '69, oh
It was the summer, the summer, summer of '69, yeaaa
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Played it till my fingers bled
Was the summer of '69
Me and some guys from school
Had a band and we tried real hard
Jimmy quit, Jody got married
Shoulda known, we'd never get far
Oh when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Yeah, I'd always want to be there
Those were the best days of my life
Ain't no use in complainin'
When you got a job to do
Spent my evenings down at the drive-in
And that's when I met you
Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me that you'd wait forever
Oh and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life
Oh yeah
Back in the summer of '69
Ohhh
Man we were killin' time
We were young and restless
We needed to unwind
I guess nothin' can last forever, forever, no
And now the times are changin'
Look at everything that's come and gone
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
Think about you wonder what went wrong
Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me it would last forever
Oh and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life
Oh yeah
Back in the summer of '69
Un-huh
It was the summer of '69, oh yeah
Me and my baby in '69, oh
It was the summer, the summer, summer of '69, yeaaa
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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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.
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“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
This song is good, but I like the original better. The one by Bryan Adams. Everybody looks back to those crazy days.
i love this song...it sounds soooo good when Mike is singing it. dont you just heart this band?? i do.its about someone looking back on his life and wanting to be there still. love it!!
whoever posted these lyrics is a shmutz. this is not an MXPX song. i got no beef with MXPX, and many times i like punk covers (me first and the gimme gimme's rock) but the original is 100 times better. sorry dawg. anyways, bryan adams is awesome, and this song is a true classic, laced with nostalgia. biya.
i think this song is the best! i love mxpx and when i go on the computer and crap .. this is the first song i put on! even if it is a cover, this is song should be under mxpx because they did a rad job!
Bryan Adams version is definitely better...no one could ever beat Bryan Adams...but this is a great cover
this is an awesome cover:)
one of my peeves on this site is when people put lyrics to covers in a band's section. anyway. bryan adams was only ten in 1969. wtf?!
yeah the original version is better
the original song is incredible and the cover is just as great. bryan adams was incredible and mxpx has done a rad job with this song.
PUNX NOT DEAD
I like the original versioni better, and then BFS's cover better than this one. Somehow it sounds like these guys (guy? I dont' know much about MxPx) are trying to force the lyrics out of them to the beat. Not a great singing style... BFS and of course BA actually seem like they mean what they're singing.