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.
Beastie Beastie Beastie Beastie Boys gettin' live on the spot
Puttin' all kinds of shame in the game you got
We keep the party movin' to the broad day light
G-E-T-L-I-V-E alright
Trans-hypnotic robotic can't stop it
No limits to this style you know you can't lock it
First you mock it, rock it and then you stock it
But I've got the styles that are always in the pocket
Like a bird floating down on a New York breeze
Every thought in the mind is a planted seed
So watch the mind or the thoughts will stack
Before you know it they're boomeranging on back
Well I'm the king of Boogle there is none higher
I get eleven points off the word 'quagmire'
Fools can't see me and that's how it is
And that's how I like it and that's my biz
Beastie Beastie Boys gettin' live on the spot
Puttin' all kinds of shame in the game you got
We keep the party movin' to the broad day light
G-E-T-L-I-V-E alright
Time's an illusion as the moments race by
Too fast to really grasp though we may try
Deny, till we die, ooh my my
These thoughts that mislead and then multiply
Second by second and minute by minute
"It's like lotto you gotta be" "in it to win it"
Shakin' mind breakin' on their own demise
Lies tax to the max and they'll be feelin' those vibes
So tell me what you need that you have got
Fiending on power will make your blood clot
It starts with the greed and then goes all wrong
That's why we can't all just get along
We're all connected like a Lego set
One equaling one together like a croquette
Whether we have or have not yet met
Well, it ain't no thing and it ain't no sweat
Beastie Beastie Boys gettin' live on the spot
Puttin' all kinds of shame in the game you got
We keep the party movin' to the broad day light
G-E-T-L-I-V-E alright
You're caught in a panic and it's rattled your brain
The selfish ways just can't maintain
But these are the breaks when you try and come fake
Don't come with the rhymes that you just half baked
Well I'm the Benihana chef on the SP12
I chop the fuck out the beats left on the shelf
You be like 'Hello Nasty, where you been?'
It's time you brought the grimy beats out the dungeon
I jumped outside the house with my Walkman on
I get so hyped when I hear this song
It's gonna keep me happy like all day long
So go and talk shit cause it just makes me strong
Don't grease my palms with your filthy cash
Multinationals spreading like a rash
I might stick around or I might be a fad
But I won't sell my songs for no TV ad
Beastie Beastie Boys gettin' live on the spot
Puttin' all kinds of shame in the game you got
We keep the party movin' to the broad day light
G-E-T-L-I-V-E alright
Puttin' all kinds of shame in the game you got
We keep the party movin' to the broad day light
G-E-T-L-I-V-E alright
Trans-hypnotic robotic can't stop it
No limits to this style you know you can't lock it
First you mock it, rock it and then you stock it
But I've got the styles that are always in the pocket
Like a bird floating down on a New York breeze
Every thought in the mind is a planted seed
So watch the mind or the thoughts will stack
Before you know it they're boomeranging on back
Well I'm the king of Boogle there is none higher
I get eleven points off the word 'quagmire'
Fools can't see me and that's how it is
And that's how I like it and that's my biz
Beastie Beastie Boys gettin' live on the spot
Puttin' all kinds of shame in the game you got
We keep the party movin' to the broad day light
G-E-T-L-I-V-E alright
Time's an illusion as the moments race by
Too fast to really grasp though we may try
Deny, till we die, ooh my my
These thoughts that mislead and then multiply
Second by second and minute by minute
"It's like lotto you gotta be" "in it to win it"
Shakin' mind breakin' on their own demise
Lies tax to the max and they'll be feelin' those vibes
So tell me what you need that you have got
Fiending on power will make your blood clot
It starts with the greed and then goes all wrong
That's why we can't all just get along
We're all connected like a Lego set
One equaling one together like a croquette
Whether we have or have not yet met
Well, it ain't no thing and it ain't no sweat
Beastie Beastie Boys gettin' live on the spot
Puttin' all kinds of shame in the game you got
We keep the party movin' to the broad day light
G-E-T-L-I-V-E alright
You're caught in a panic and it's rattled your brain
The selfish ways just can't maintain
But these are the breaks when you try and come fake
Don't come with the rhymes that you just half baked
Well I'm the Benihana chef on the SP12
I chop the fuck out the beats left on the shelf
You be like 'Hello Nasty, where you been?'
It's time you brought the grimy beats out the dungeon
I jumped outside the house with my Walkman on
I get so hyped when I hear this song
It's gonna keep me happy like all day long
So go and talk shit cause it just makes me strong
Don't grease my palms with your filthy cash
Multinationals spreading like a rash
I might stick around or I might be a fad
But I won't sell my songs for no TV ad
Beastie Beastie Boys gettin' live on the spot
Puttin' all kinds of shame in the game you got
We keep the party movin' to the broad day light
G-E-T-L-I-V-E alright
Lyrics submitted by The Marine
Putting Shame in Your Game Lyrics as written by Adam Nathaniel Yauch Adam Horovitz
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Excellent track, though.
I couldn't disagree more. Yes the Beasties sold out hard core on their first album Licensed To Ill. But they were teenagers & just trying to be like RUN-DMC. After that, they made "do it yourself" music that was no longer popular in the mainstream. It wasn't until Sabotage that they began to have commercial success again. And Sabotage was just an accident! The fact that they continued doing their own thing without caring about what other artists were doing, but having some commercial success anyway, proved their longevity. This is the point when a band can REALLY make some money by selling one of their classics to run in a TV ad. I think the point in this line is: sure the Beasties made a lot of money but they never had to rely on commercialism to do it. The reason it meant more in 1998 as opposed to 1986 is because in 1998, they had proven it. It is still true today.