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.
Your butt is mine
Gonna tell you right
Just show your face
In broad daylight
I'm telling you
On how I feel
Gonna hurt your mind
Don't shoot to kill
Come on
Come on
Lay it on me
All right
I'm giving you
On count of three
To show your stuff
Or let it be
I'm telling you
Just watch your mouth
I know your game
What you're about
But they say the sky's the limit
And to me that's really true
But my friend you have seen nothin'
Just wait 'til I get through
Because I'm bad, I'm bad, come on (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on, you know (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on, you know (bad, bad, really, really bad)
And the whole world has to
Answer right now
Just to tell you once again
Who's bad
The word is out
You're doin' wrong
Gonna lock you up
Before too long
Your lyin' eyes
Gonna tell you right
So listen up
Don't make a fight
Your talk is cheap
You're not a man
You're throwin' stones
To hide your hands
But they say the sky's the limit
And to me that's really true
And my friends you have seen nothin'
Just wait 'til I get through
Because I'm bad, I'm bad, come on (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on, you know (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on, you know (bad, bad, really, really bad)
And the whole world has to
Answer right now
Just to tell you once again
Who's bad
We can change the world tomorrow
This could be a better place
If you don't like what I'm sayin'
Then won't you slap my face
Because I'm bad, I'm bad, come on (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on, you know (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on, you know (bad, bad, really, really bad)
And the whole world has to
Answer right now
Just to tell you once again
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, you know it, you know it (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know, you know, you know, come on (bad, bad, really, really bad)
And the whole world has to
Answer right now
Just to tell you once again
You know I'm, woo, I'm bad, you know it (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, baby (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know, you know, you know it, come on (bad, bad, really, really bad)
And the whole world has to
Answer right now
Just to tell you once again
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, you know it (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, woo (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, you know it (bad, bad, really, really bad)
And the whole world has to
Answer right now
Just to tell you once again
Who's bad?
Gonna tell you right
Just show your face
In broad daylight
I'm telling you
On how I feel
Gonna hurt your mind
Don't shoot to kill
Come on
Come on
Lay it on me
All right
I'm giving you
On count of three
To show your stuff
Or let it be
I'm telling you
Just watch your mouth
I know your game
What you're about
But they say the sky's the limit
And to me that's really true
But my friend you have seen nothin'
Just wait 'til I get through
Because I'm bad, I'm bad, come on (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on, you know (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on, you know (bad, bad, really, really bad)
And the whole world has to
Answer right now
Just to tell you once again
Who's bad
The word is out
You're doin' wrong
Gonna lock you up
Before too long
Your lyin' eyes
Gonna tell you right
So listen up
Don't make a fight
Your talk is cheap
You're not a man
You're throwin' stones
To hide your hands
But they say the sky's the limit
And to me that's really true
And my friends you have seen nothin'
Just wait 'til I get through
Because I'm bad, I'm bad, come on (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on, you know (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on, you know (bad, bad, really, really bad)
And the whole world has to
Answer right now
Just to tell you once again
Who's bad
We can change the world tomorrow
This could be a better place
If you don't like what I'm sayin'
Then won't you slap my face
Because I'm bad, I'm bad, come on (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on, you know (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on, you know (bad, bad, really, really bad)
And the whole world has to
Answer right now
Just to tell you once again
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, come on (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, you know it, you know it (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know, you know, you know, come on (bad, bad, really, really bad)
And the whole world has to
Answer right now
Just to tell you once again
You know I'm, woo, I'm bad, you know it (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, baby (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know, you know, you know it, come on (bad, bad, really, really bad)
And the whole world has to
Answer right now
Just to tell you once again
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, you know it (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, woo (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad, you know it (bad, bad, really, really bad)
And the whole world has to
Answer right now
Just to tell you once again
Who's bad?
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More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
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"
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
The video to this song cracks me up. Youve got Wesley Snipes, a bunch of tough street punks and then... Michael Jackson, just seemed kind of odd to me...