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.
My telescope looks out
Into the stars tonight
A little speck of light
Seems twice the size tonight
The calculations are so fine
Can it be growing all the time?
Now I can't believe it's true
And I don't know what to do
For the hundredth time
I check the declination
Now the fear starts to grow
Even my computer shows
There are no errors in the calculations
Now it's happened, take no other view
Collision course, you must believe it's true
Now there's nothing left that we can do
When two worlds collide
The anger and the pain
Of all those who remain
Two worlds collide
Who will be left alive?
No place to hide
When two worlds collide
The anger, the pain
Of those who remain
When two worlds collide
When two worlds collide
So who will survive?
There's no place to hide
When two worlds collide
Now it's happened, take no other view
Collision course, you must believe it's true
Now there's nothing left that we can do
When two worlds collide
The anger and the pain
Of all those who remain
Two worlds collide
Who will be left alive?
No place to hide
When two worlds collide
The anger, the pain
Of those who remain
When two worlds collide
When two worlds collide
So who will survive?
There's no place to hide
When two worlds collide
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
When two worlds collide
The anger, the pain
Of those who remain
When two worlds collide
When two worlds collide
So who will survive?
There's no place to hide
When two worlds collide
When two worlds collide
The anger, the pain
When two worlds collide
When two worlds collide
Into the stars tonight
A little speck of light
Seems twice the size tonight
The calculations are so fine
Can it be growing all the time?
Now I can't believe it's true
And I don't know what to do
For the hundredth time
I check the declination
Now the fear starts to grow
Even my computer shows
There are no errors in the calculations
Now it's happened, take no other view
Collision course, you must believe it's true
Now there's nothing left that we can do
When two worlds collide
The anger and the pain
Of all those who remain
Two worlds collide
Who will be left alive?
No place to hide
When two worlds collide
The anger, the pain
Of those who remain
When two worlds collide
When two worlds collide
So who will survive?
There's no place to hide
When two worlds collide
Now it's happened, take no other view
Collision course, you must believe it's true
Now there's nothing left that we can do
When two worlds collide
The anger and the pain
Of all those who remain
Two worlds collide
Who will be left alive?
No place to hide
When two worlds collide
The anger, the pain
Of those who remain
When two worlds collide
When two worlds collide
So who will survive?
There's no place to hide
When two worlds collide
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
When two worlds collide
The anger, the pain
Of those who remain
When two worlds collide
When two worlds collide
So who will survive?
There's no place to hide
When two worlds collide
When two worlds collide
The anger, the pain
When two worlds collide
When two worlds collide
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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'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."
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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,
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
@Heavymetalharp That totally makes sense. It would have been a huge adjustment for Blaze... It was also a pretty intense/ dark time in the band's career with all sorts of personal things going on too... To be thrown into the situation would have been crazy!