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.
Okay alright, uh no
This one, this one, this one
Heads of state, who ride and wrangle
Who look at your face, from more than one angle
Can cut you from their bloated budgets
Like sharpened knives through chicken mcnuggets
Now heads of state, who ride and wrangle
Who look at your face, from more than one angle
Can cut you from their bloated budgets
Like sharpened knives through chicken mcnuggets
Shut the fuck up, no
Shut the fuck up (shut the fuck)
Right, right
Learn to buck up (shut the fuck)
Right, shut the fuck up
Hey ho (shut the fuck)
Now, now
Learn to buck up
(Oh)
One, two, one two three four
Alright, oh yeah
Now, nimble fingers that dance on numbers
Will eat your children and steal your thunder
While heavy torsos that heave and hurl
Will crunch like nuts in the mouth of squirrels
Now, nimble fingers that dance on numbers
Will eat your children and steal your thunder
While heavy torsos that heave and hurl
Will crunch like nuts in the mouth of squirrels
Shut the fuck up, no
Shut the fuck up (shut the fuck)
Right, now
Learn to buck up (shut the fuck)
Right, shut the fuck up
Hey ho (shut the fuck)
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Learn to buck up, hey
Now, simple feet that flicker like fire
And burn like candles in smoky spires
Do more to turn, my joy to sadness
Than somber thoughts of burning planets
Now, clever feet that flicker like fire
And burn like candles in smoky spires
Do more to turn, my joy to sadness
Than somber thoughts of burning planets
(Shut the fuck)
Alright, okay I don't
(Shut the fuck) wanna
I don't wanna hear it
That's right (shut the fuck)
Oh, okay I don't wanna (shut the fuck)
I don't wanna (shut the fuck)
Hey, ho, ya (shut the fuck)
I don't wanna
I don't wanna
Ooh
Yeah, one two one two one
This one, this one, this one
Heads of state, who ride and wrangle
Who look at your face, from more than one angle
Can cut you from their bloated budgets
Like sharpened knives through chicken mcnuggets
Now heads of state, who ride and wrangle
Who look at your face, from more than one angle
Can cut you from their bloated budgets
Like sharpened knives through chicken mcnuggets
Shut the fuck up, no
Shut the fuck up (shut the fuck)
Right, right
Learn to buck up (shut the fuck)
Right, shut the fuck up
Hey ho (shut the fuck)
Now, now
Learn to buck up
(Oh)
One, two, one two three four
Alright, oh yeah
Now, nimble fingers that dance on numbers
Will eat your children and steal your thunder
While heavy torsos that heave and hurl
Will crunch like nuts in the mouth of squirrels
Now, nimble fingers that dance on numbers
Will eat your children and steal your thunder
While heavy torsos that heave and hurl
Will crunch like nuts in the mouth of squirrels
Shut the fuck up, no
Shut the fuck up (shut the fuck)
Right, now
Learn to buck up (shut the fuck)
Right, shut the fuck up
Hey ho (shut the fuck)
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Learn to buck up, hey
Now, simple feet that flicker like fire
And burn like candles in smoky spires
Do more to turn, my joy to sadness
Than somber thoughts of burning planets
Now, clever feet that flicker like fire
And burn like candles in smoky spires
Do more to turn, my joy to sadness
Than somber thoughts of burning planets
(Shut the fuck)
Alright, okay I don't
(Shut the fuck) wanna
I don't wanna hear it
That's right (shut the fuck)
Oh, okay I don't wanna (shut the fuck)
I don't wanna (shut the fuck)
Hey, ho, ya (shut the fuck)
I don't wanna
I don't wanna
Ooh
Yeah, one two one two one
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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
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.
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Wow... this song is seemingly simple but there's a lot going on here. The overall value - conservative. Strange...
THe first verse, as others said, deals with the government. The second verse deals with corporations. Lastly, the third verse deals with religious institutions. The verses are all sung by one speaker, while the "shut the fuck up" portions are a response to the verse's complaints. The idea is that there is someone, probably more liberal, complaining about the a conservative government cutting funding for social programs. Second verse is a complaint about hard laborers working, who get crushed in a squirrel's mouth--the upper management of the corporation who do less work but make the big money. The last is a complaint about religious institutions who portray themselves as simple but are--to the complainant signing-- really conniving and cunning. They turn "joy to sadness" rather than actually help for the verse singer.
The response yelling "shut the fuck up" is telling the verse speaker to stop whining. The defense of this conservative slant about this song has to do with the double meaning of "buck." Learn to buck up... interesting...
It took me awhile to figure out that its a complainer and a response--that is two different voices--because the song in its entirety is sung by one individual.
Now that I've figured it out, I have to say I don't really like this songs message. But damn, it's well written.
@MintyDinty Given McCrea\'s known activism and the causes he supports, I get the feeling that he is singing (speaking) his real view on the issues and the chorus is the targets of his criticisms telling him to shut up. Not an uncommon response from people who abuse power - they try to paint the abused people who speak up as complainers, to try to discredit them. Maybe he\'s gotten that reaction from people/issues he\'s spoken against.