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.
There is a game I play
Try to make myself okay
Try so hard to make the pieces all fit
Smash it apart
Just for the fuck of it
Bye bye, ooh
Got to get back to the bottom (bye bye, ooh)
The big come down isn't that what you wanted? (Bye, bye, ooh)
Find a place with the failed and forgotten (bye bye, ooh)
Isn't that really what you wanted now?
There is no place I can go
There is no way I can hide
It feels like it keeps coming from the inside
There is a hate that burns within
The most desperate place I have ever been
Try to get back to where I'm from
The closer I get, the worse it becomes
The closer I get, the worse it becomes
There is no place I can go
There is no way I can hide
It feels like it keeps coming from the inside
Try to make myself okay
Try so hard to make the pieces all fit
Smash it apart
Just for the fuck of it
Bye bye, ooh
Got to get back to the bottom (bye bye, ooh)
The big come down isn't that what you wanted? (Bye, bye, ooh)
Find a place with the failed and forgotten (bye bye, ooh)
Isn't that really what you wanted now?
There is no place I can go
There is no way I can hide
It feels like it keeps coming from the inside
There is a hate that burns within
The most desperate place I have ever been
Try to get back to where I'm from
The closer I get, the worse it becomes
The closer I get, the worse it becomes
There is no place I can go
There is no way I can hide
It feels like it keeps coming from the inside
Lyrics submitted by thewhitepony33
The Big Come Down Lyrics as written by Trent Reznor
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Actually this song reminds me of all the shit I went through in High School. Go figure....
i'm still going through that shit. I try to remind myself that its all just bullshit drama, and it wont really matter later on in life, but that doesnt seem to help much. i keep on getting lost in the moment, im trying to keep focus on the bigger picture.