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.
Look at you how well you've done so far
Look at where you're standing, who you are
And all our moments, good and bad forever in my head
Wish we could go back just ones and laugh at things we said
It's been wonderful and crazy knowing you
And I hope that I can always see a teenage girl in you
And I know that you'll be fine, but I'll be there every time
You need someone to say hi to late at night
Remember how I told you I was scared
You'd end up with some jerk who doesn't even know you're there
And deep down I just knew that you would find someone who's real
And doesn't claim to know exactly everything you feel
It's been wonderful and crazy knowing you
And I hope that I can always see a teenage girl in you
And I know that you'll be fine, but I'll be there every time
You need someone to say hi to late at night
Sometimes when I think of us I'm sad
I miss not know anything of what could lay ahead
But mostly now, I'm grateful that you're where you want to be
Not quiet here, and not quiet there, but somewhere in between
It's been wonderful and crazy knowing you
And I hope that I can always see a teenage girl in you
And I know that you'll be fine, but I'll be there every time
You need someone to complain to late at night
Look at where you're standing, who you are
And all our moments, good and bad forever in my head
Wish we could go back just ones and laugh at things we said
It's been wonderful and crazy knowing you
And I hope that I can always see a teenage girl in you
And I know that you'll be fine, but I'll be there every time
You need someone to say hi to late at night
Remember how I told you I was scared
You'd end up with some jerk who doesn't even know you're there
And deep down I just knew that you would find someone who's real
And doesn't claim to know exactly everything you feel
It's been wonderful and crazy knowing you
And I hope that I can always see a teenage girl in you
And I know that you'll be fine, but I'll be there every time
You need someone to say hi to late at night
Sometimes when I think of us I'm sad
I miss not know anything of what could lay ahead
But mostly now, I'm grateful that you're where you want to be
Not quiet here, and not quiet there, but somewhere in between
It's been wonderful and crazy knowing you
And I hope that I can always see a teenage girl in you
And I know that you'll be fine, but I'll be there every time
You need someone to complain to late at night
Lyrics submitted by winterfairy
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“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.
This song is about two ex-lovers who are still or attempt to be friends. I think it may be about Sarah's first love ("teenage girl in you") in high school or somewhere in those years. They may have been perfect and compatible in every way from music to ideas about life; possibly soul mates. They helped each other grow into better persons along the way and discovered qualities about themselves and each other; each was a catalyst to the other's significant change.
However, I think time, circumstance and other life issues overshadowed those things. Timing seemed to have been off. And so they had gone their separate ways; each living a life in without each other.
They still know that the other has had such an impact in their life that even if they live separate lives without each other, each one's autobiography will always have a special place for the other; maybe a paragraph...or a chapter.
That's just what I think. I can be totally wrong..=)