Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
I wrote the news today
In the tent outside the midway rides
And as my money flew
Singing to their pockets, you
Could only know your shame
Knowing what the good ones do
And when you see the bruises on my legs from kicking pills, yeah
Then you see how recklessly the pages are filled
Make headlines, believe them, come back
Make headlines, believe them, come back
Want to be upside down
Maybe thrown from side to side?
Want to fall from the clouds
Sailing like a ship at sea?
Want to think out so loud
That the fashion police break me?
And when you see the bruises on my legs from kicking pills, yeah
Then you see how recklessly the pages are filled
Make headlines, believe them, come back
Make headlines, believe them, come back
Make headlines, believe them, come back
You'll cry
You'll cry, you'll cry, believe me, come back
I wrote the news today
In the tent outside the midway rides
And when my money flew
Singing to their pockets, I
I filled the whole front page
With the catchiest words I could find
Believe me, come back
Fake headlines, believe them, come back
Fake headlines, believe them, come back
Fake headlines, believe them, come back
In the tent outside the midway rides
And as my money flew
Singing to their pockets, you
Could only know your shame
Knowing what the good ones do
And when you see the bruises on my legs from kicking pills, yeah
Then you see how recklessly the pages are filled
Make headlines, believe them, come back
Make headlines, believe them, come back
Want to be upside down
Maybe thrown from side to side?
Want to fall from the clouds
Sailing like a ship at sea?
Want to think out so loud
That the fashion police break me?
And when you see the bruises on my legs from kicking pills, yeah
Then you see how recklessly the pages are filled
Make headlines, believe them, come back
Make headlines, believe them, come back
Make headlines, believe them, come back
You'll cry
You'll cry, you'll cry, believe me, come back
I wrote the news today
In the tent outside the midway rides
And when my money flew
Singing to their pockets, I
I filled the whole front page
With the catchiest words I could find
Believe me, come back
Fake headlines, believe them, come back
Fake headlines, believe them, come back
Fake headlines, believe them, come back
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
Spirit Within
Bertoldi Brothers
Bertoldi Brothers
when rules change
Life in Your Way
Life in Your Way
High life
Battle Royale
Word Alive, The
Word Alive, The
This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
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.
@dougievile The part about his legs seems to be about going through paths in life. Other ways to say that would be "ways" and "roads." (Like "don't go down that road, it leads to trouble.")
The line could also be about "kicking the habit" of drugs (pills,) and the bruises he gets (pain he goes through) while trying to kick the habit. Either that, or it's about selling the "drugs" (stories,) and the sacrifices he's making to sell such stories. He gets flack for it for walking/going through such a place, so his "legs" are bruised.
And what are the "pills" in this context? They are the fake stories that are written specifically just for reactions, as explained here:
"Want to be upside down Maybe thrown from side to side? Want to fall from the clouds Sailing like a ship at sea? Want to think out so loud That the fashion police break me?"