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.
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh)
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh)
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh)
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh oooh)
i wake up every morning....
alarm clocks IN MY HEAD
my heart's....BEATING AGAIN
you wouldn't really KNOW it
i WISH i WOZ dead
back in my bed !!
SUPERMARKET trolley
IT AIN'T GOT MUCH in it
THE HABIT WAS FORMED from A VERY EARLY AGE
VERY LATE PARTIES
Very, very late PARTIES!
HAVE A LITTLE DRINK... HAVE A LITTLE GO...
THEN YOU'LL SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO BOY give us A SHOW
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh)
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh oooh)
SUN RISES UP IN THE SKY
night-time is on us MY...MY...MY...
Manic depressive
I GET IT EVERY DAY
MANIC DEPRESSION
TABLETS won't MAKE IT GO AWAY !!!!
MANIC DEPRESSION
I GET IT EVERY DAY
MANIC DEPRESSION
TABLETS won't MAKE IT GO AWAY !!!!
THE LOCK IS ON MY DOOR 24 HOURS A DAY
and people really get to ME, people really get to ME, people really get to ME
THEY'RE DRIVING ME INSANE (INSANE)
YOU MUST BE ALRIGHT
you must BE ALRIGHT
YOU MUST be alright
ALRIGHT... ALRIGHT... ALRIGHT ...???
NO YOU DON'T KNOW
NO YOU DON'T KNOW
NO YOU DON'T KNOW
NO u don't know how IT FEELS (HOW does IT feel???)
LIVING ON THE EDGE OF TIME
IT'S ALRIGHT, IT'S ALRIGHT, IT'S ALRIGHT
THE MOON RISES IN THE SKY
FEEL IT PULLING ON MY HEAD. FEEL IT PULLING ON MY HEAD
FEEL IT PULLING ON MY HEAD. FEEL IT PULLING ON MY MIND
PULLING ON MY MIND. ALL THE TIME...
PULLING ON MY HEAD. PULLING ON MY MIND.
I CAN FEEL YOU DROWNING IN A WATERY GRAVE
i can feel you DROWNING in a WATERY GRAVE.
MANIC DEPRESSION. I GET IT EVERY DAY
MANIC depression. TABLETS WON'T MAKE IT GO AWAY...
I PAINT A LITTLE PICTURE. I DRINK a little whine.
I PULL ON ONE... I PUT ON the OTHER....
RUNNING FOR THE STATION...
AND THEN YOU'RE WAITING FOR A TRAIN...
U GOTTA GET TO WORK. IT'S GETTING U INSANE...
YOU don't do it... SOMEONE else WILL
It's MAKIN' ME ILL...
... I DON'T NEED IT - I DON'T WANT IT... I DON'T NEED IT - I DON'T WANT IT...
... I DON'T NEED IT - I DON'T WANT IT... I DON'T NEED IT - I DON'T WANT IT...
... I DON'T NEED IT - I DON'T WANT IT... I DON'T WANT IT - I DON'T WANT IT...
... I DON'T WANT IT - I DON'T WANT IT...
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA .... HIGH.
HA HA HA HA HIGH.
HA HA HAHAHAHAHA HIGH!
NOW I FIND MYSELF LOOKIN' AT ALL THE STARS and EVERYTHING is just FINE.
WORK! WORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORK
WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK
IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP
ALRIGHT.... ALRIGHT.... A L R I G H T .... ALRIGHT.... ALRIGHT
ALRIGHT.... A L R I G H T.... ALRIGHT
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh)
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh oooh)
MANIC DEPRESSION... I GET IT EVERY DAY. ManiK DePrEsSion...
TaBletS WON'T MAKE IT GOOOOOOOOOOOO A W A Y.
THINK I'LL TAKE A WALK IN PARADISE PARK...
IT.. GETS REAL WEIRD after DARK
(manic depression... I get IT EVERY DAY....)
(manic depression.... tablets won't make it go away)
SHE LUVS ME SHE LOVES ME NOT.....SHE LUVS ME SHE LOVES ME NOT.....
LOVE ME... LOVE ME... LOVE ME... LOVE ME... SHE LOVE ME... SHE LOVES ME NOT...
SHE LOVES ME... SHE LOVES ME NOT...
WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP
WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP
(HA HA HA MANIC)
(HA HA HA MANIC)
HA HA HA HA HIGH HAHAHA HIGH OOOOO
oooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOooo SLEEP!
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW, YOU REALLY WOULDN'T KNOW....
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW, YOU REALLY WOULDN'T KNOW....
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW, YOU REALLY WOULDN'T KNOW....
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW, KNOW, NO, YOU REALLY WOULDN'T KNOW, KNOW, NO....
NO WAY
NO WAY
WHACK IT ON UP!
MANIC DEPRESSION
MANIC DEPRESSION
DEPRESSION
DEPRESSION
DEPRESSION
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh)
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh)
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh oooh)
i wake up every morning....
alarm clocks IN MY HEAD
my heart's....BEATING AGAIN
you wouldn't really KNOW it
i WISH i WOZ dead
back in my bed !!
SUPERMARKET trolley
IT AIN'T GOT MUCH in it
THE HABIT WAS FORMED from A VERY EARLY AGE
VERY LATE PARTIES
Very, very late PARTIES!
HAVE A LITTLE DRINK... HAVE A LITTLE GO...
THEN YOU'LL SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO BOY give us A SHOW
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh)
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh oooh)
SUN RISES UP IN THE SKY
night-time is on us MY...MY...MY...
Manic depressive
I GET IT EVERY DAY
MANIC DEPRESSION
TABLETS won't MAKE IT GO AWAY !!!!
MANIC DEPRESSION
I GET IT EVERY DAY
MANIC DEPRESSION
TABLETS won't MAKE IT GO AWAY !!!!
THE LOCK IS ON MY DOOR 24 HOURS A DAY
and people really get to ME, people really get to ME, people really get to ME
THEY'RE DRIVING ME INSANE (INSANE)
YOU MUST BE ALRIGHT
you must BE ALRIGHT
YOU MUST be alright
ALRIGHT... ALRIGHT... ALRIGHT ...???
NO YOU DON'T KNOW
NO YOU DON'T KNOW
NO YOU DON'T KNOW
NO u don't know how IT FEELS (HOW does IT feel???)
LIVING ON THE EDGE OF TIME
IT'S ALRIGHT, IT'S ALRIGHT, IT'S ALRIGHT
THE MOON RISES IN THE SKY
FEEL IT PULLING ON MY HEAD. FEEL IT PULLING ON MY HEAD
FEEL IT PULLING ON MY HEAD. FEEL IT PULLING ON MY MIND
PULLING ON MY MIND. ALL THE TIME...
PULLING ON MY HEAD. PULLING ON MY MIND.
I CAN FEEL YOU DROWNING IN A WATERY GRAVE
i can feel you DROWNING in a WATERY GRAVE.
MANIC DEPRESSION. I GET IT EVERY DAY
MANIC depression. TABLETS WON'T MAKE IT GO AWAY...
I PAINT A LITTLE PICTURE. I DRINK a little whine.
I PULL ON ONE... I PUT ON the OTHER....
RUNNING FOR THE STATION...
AND THEN YOU'RE WAITING FOR A TRAIN...
U GOTTA GET TO WORK. IT'S GETTING U INSANE...
YOU don't do it... SOMEONE else WILL
It's MAKIN' ME ILL...
... I DON'T NEED IT - I DON'T WANT IT... I DON'T NEED IT - I DON'T WANT IT...
... I DON'T NEED IT - I DON'T WANT IT... I DON'T NEED IT - I DON'T WANT IT...
... I DON'T NEED IT - I DON'T WANT IT... I DON'T WANT IT - I DON'T WANT IT...
... I DON'T WANT IT - I DON'T WANT IT...
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA .... HIGH.
HA HA HA HA HIGH.
HA HA HAHAHAHAHA HIGH!
NOW I FIND MYSELF LOOKIN' AT ALL THE STARS and EVERYTHING is just FINE.
WORK! WORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORKWORK
WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK
IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP
ALRIGHT.... ALRIGHT.... A L R I G H T .... ALRIGHT.... ALRIGHT
ALRIGHT.... A L R I G H T.... ALRIGHT
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh)
(ooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh oooh)
MANIC DEPRESSION... I GET IT EVERY DAY. ManiK DePrEsSion...
TaBletS WON'T MAKE IT GOOOOOOOOOOOO A W A Y.
THINK I'LL TAKE A WALK IN PARADISE PARK...
IT.. GETS REAL WEIRD after DARK
(manic depression... I get IT EVERY DAY....)
(manic depression.... tablets won't make it go away)
SHE LUVS ME SHE LOVES ME NOT.....SHE LUVS ME SHE LOVES ME NOT.....
LOVE ME... LOVE ME... LOVE ME... LOVE ME... SHE LOVE ME... SHE LOVES ME NOT...
SHE LOVES ME... SHE LOVES ME NOT...
WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP
WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP WORK IT ON UP
(HA HA HA MANIC)
(HA HA HA MANIC)
HA HA HA HA HIGH HAHAHA HIGH OOOOO
oooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOooo SLEEP!
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW, YOU REALLY WOULDN'T KNOW....
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW, YOU REALLY WOULDN'T KNOW....
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW, YOU REALLY WOULDN'T KNOW....
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW, KNOW, NO, YOU REALLY WOULDN'T KNOW, KNOW, NO....
NO WAY
NO WAY
WHACK IT ON UP!
MANIC DEPRESSION
MANIC DEPRESSION
DEPRESSION
DEPRESSION
DEPRESSION
Lyrics submitted by IronHalo
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"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.
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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:
"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"
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/