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.
Oh, the streets of Rome are filled with rubble
Ancient footprints are everywhere
You can almost think that you're seein' double
On a cold, dark night by the Spanish Stairs
Got to hurry on back to my hotel room
Gonna wash my clothes, scrape off all the grease
Gonna lock the doors and turn my back on the world for a while
I'll stay right there 'til I paint my masterpiece
Well, the hours I've spent inside the Coliseum
Dodging lions with that mean and hungry look
Those mighty kings of the jungle, I could hardly stand to see 'em
I could see 'em comin', I could read their faces like a book
Train wheels runnin' through the back of my memory
When I ran on the hilltop following a pack of wild geese
Someday, everything is gonna be different
When I paint, when I paint my masterpiece
Sailin' 'round the world full of crimson and clover
Sometimes I feel just like my cup isn't runnin' over
I left Rome and I pulled into Brussels
On a plane ride so bumpy that it made me ill
Clergymen in uniform and young girls pullin' muscles
Everyone was there to meet me, comin' down the hill
Newspapermen eating candy
Had to be held back by big police
Someday, everything is going to be beautiful
When I paint my masterpiece
Ancient footprints are everywhere
You can almost think that you're seein' double
On a cold, dark night by the Spanish Stairs
Got to hurry on back to my hotel room
Gonna wash my clothes, scrape off all the grease
Gonna lock the doors and turn my back on the world for a while
I'll stay right there 'til I paint my masterpiece
Well, the hours I've spent inside the Coliseum
Dodging lions with that mean and hungry look
Those mighty kings of the jungle, I could hardly stand to see 'em
I could see 'em comin', I could read their faces like a book
Train wheels runnin' through the back of my memory
When I ran on the hilltop following a pack of wild geese
Someday, everything is gonna be different
When I paint, when I paint my masterpiece
Sailin' 'round the world full of crimson and clover
Sometimes I feel just like my cup isn't runnin' over
I left Rome and I pulled into Brussels
On a plane ride so bumpy that it made me ill
Clergymen in uniform and young girls pullin' muscles
Everyone was there to meet me, comin' down the hill
Newspapermen eating candy
Had to be held back by big police
Someday, everything is going to be beautiful
When I paint my masterpiece
Lyrics submitted by gracelyn, edited by AGAGAGAGAGAGAG
When I Paint My Masterpiece [Shadow Kingdom Version] Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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 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 song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
i would say that bob dylab has already painted his musical masterpiece.