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.
Too big to fly,
Dodo ugly so dodo must die.
Dog go, with fear on its side;
Can't change, can't change the tide.
Dog baiter, agitator,
Asking questions, says he wants to know why.
Ain't no reason that money can't buy.
Mink, he pretty, so mink he must die,
Must die, must die.
Sun, he giving life in his light,
Part of the system.
Friend to man and friend to the trees,
No friend to the snowman.
Where does he go? What does he do?
Does he meet with the mole, the stream, the cloud,
And end up at the bottom of the sea?
Fish, he got a hook in his throat,
Fish, he got problems.
Where does he go? What does he do?
Does he hope he's too small, to poor a haul,
Who'll end up bein' thrown back in the sea?
I'm back in the sea.
Caretaker, horror movie,
Only one eye, only needs one boot.
Sweet lady, she know she looks good.
Vacuum coming for the bright and the brute.
Big noise, black smoke,
So pig-headed, couldn't see the joke.
But it ain't funny, ask the fly on the wall.
It's only living, it don't matter at all,
At all, at all.
Pimp, he make you drool and grunt,
He got an answer.
One, he got a dream of love
Deep as the ocean.
Where does he go? What does he do?
Will the siren team with Davy Jones
And trap him at the bottom of the sea?
I'm back in the sea.
I'm back in the sea.
I'm back in the sea.
Dodo ugly so dodo must die.
Dog go, with fear on its side;
Can't change, can't change the tide.
Dog baiter, agitator,
Asking questions, says he wants to know why.
Ain't no reason that money can't buy.
Mink, he pretty, so mink he must die,
Must die, must die.
Sun, he giving life in his light,
Part of the system.
Friend to man and friend to the trees,
No friend to the snowman.
Where does he go? What does he do?
Does he meet with the mole, the stream, the cloud,
And end up at the bottom of the sea?
Fish, he got a hook in his throat,
Fish, he got problems.
Where does he go? What does he do?
Does he hope he's too small, to poor a haul,
Who'll end up bein' thrown back in the sea?
I'm back in the sea.
Caretaker, horror movie,
Only one eye, only needs one boot.
Sweet lady, she know she looks good.
Vacuum coming for the bright and the brute.
Big noise, black smoke,
So pig-headed, couldn't see the joke.
But it ain't funny, ask the fly on the wall.
It's only living, it don't matter at all,
At all, at all.
Pimp, he make you drool and grunt,
He got an answer.
One, he got a dream of love
Deep as the ocean.
Where does he go? What does he do?
Will the siren team with Davy Jones
And trap him at the bottom of the sea?
I'm back in the sea.
I'm back in the sea.
I'm back in the sea.
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
Dodo/Lurker Lyrics as written by Mike Rutherford Anthony George Banks
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think that this song, like the title track "Abacab", is about nonsense. It's imagery that conjures many ideas. It talks about the nature of certain things and tries to make sense through random connections that end up being more of a stream of consciousness. If there's a recurring theme, it's that of cycles within a system. Relations between forces within the system. Dodo is ugly so it must die. Mink is pretty so it too must die. Cynicism preys on beauty and pacifism? Fish has problems because he has a hook in his throat so he hopes he will be thrown back in the sea because he is too small.... The less important are more fortunate because there is less interest in them from the agitators and aggressors? And so on... Philosophical meanderings jumping from tangent to tangent and illustrating many interwoven concepts that are part of a system.
@justfellin ABACAB is the verse layout on the song, that's what it means, now for Dodo/Lurker, it's about how flippantly humans treat the world around us.."Minkie pretty minkie must die", the Dodo was real up until explorer's wiped them out, "it's only living, it don't matter at all"...all about how man takes the natural world for granted. PETA should use the song as their anthem. But what an awesome song, musically and lyrically...if you've ever seen them do it live...just breath taking.