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 took a ride to meet an enemy
October light show bright through the windshield
Right into my eyes where I was silent riding shotgun
Chewing on some sugar free gum
Parallel park and pay the meter
'If I die before I leave tell her
I'll never leave her
I am just fine
I am just a little broken up
OK my nerves have never been so short
Can't get this shit off my mind
I just want to be alright
So tell her nothing's wrong
Then get undressed and spend the night
The autumn sun is burning logic in my brain
I'm asking why there is pleasure when there's pain
I'm here to pay for my mistakes in a humiliating manner
If there is a next time I'll cover up
I feel alone, I feel shaky and uncertian
A kind man shakes my hand and draws the curtain
In a word he saves my life and then
I exit out the enter door and smile
Can't get this shit off my mind
I just want to be alright
So just tell me nothing's wrong
Then get undressed and spend the night
I took a ride to meet an enemy
I faced a fear of mine and shivered but didn't blink
I took a ride to meet an enemy to end all the madness
And now I know that I'll be fine
I am fine
Can't get this shit off my mind
And I just want to be alright
So just tell me nothing's wrong
Then get undressed and spend the night
Just want to be fine
October light show bright through the windshield
Right into my eyes where I was silent riding shotgun
Chewing on some sugar free gum
Parallel park and pay the meter
'If I die before I leave tell her
I'll never leave her
I am just fine
I am just a little broken up
OK my nerves have never been so short
Can't get this shit off my mind
I just want to be alright
So tell her nothing's wrong
Then get undressed and spend the night
The autumn sun is burning logic in my brain
I'm asking why there is pleasure when there's pain
I'm here to pay for my mistakes in a humiliating manner
If there is a next time I'll cover up
I feel alone, I feel shaky and uncertian
A kind man shakes my hand and draws the curtain
In a word he saves my life and then
I exit out the enter door and smile
Can't get this shit off my mind
I just want to be alright
So just tell me nothing's wrong
Then get undressed and spend the night
I took a ride to meet an enemy
I faced a fear of mine and shivered but didn't blink
I took a ride to meet an enemy to end all the madness
And now I know that I'll be fine
I am fine
Can't get this shit off my mind
And I just want to be alright
So just tell me nothing's wrong
Then get undressed and spend the night
Just want to be fine
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“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.
he wrote this song after he was tested for AIDS - obviously everything worked out fine
"I took a ride to meet an enemy to end all the madness And now I know that I'll be fine I am fine "