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.
Momma loves her baby
And daddy loves you too.
And the sea may look warm to you babe
And the sky may look blue
But Ooooh babe
Ooooh baby blue
Oooooh babe
If you should go skating
On the thin ice of modern life
Dragging behind you the silent reproach
Of a million tear-stained eyes
Don't be surprised when a crack in the ice
Appears under your feet.
You slip out of your depth and out of your mind
With your fear flowing out behind you
As you claw the thin ice.
And daddy loves you too.
And the sea may look warm to you babe
And the sky may look blue
But Ooooh babe
Ooooh baby blue
Oooooh babe
If you should go skating
On the thin ice of modern life
Dragging behind you the silent reproach
Of a million tear-stained eyes
Don't be surprised when a crack in the ice
Appears under your feet.
You slip out of your depth and out of your mind
With your fear flowing out behind you
As you claw the thin ice.
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by nasses321
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My theory (entirely my own from listening to the song so it might not make any sense when you read it because my thoughts aren't very organized.):
Going skating on this ice is being compared with being naive about life and just skating along without a care in the world. Going through life hardly aware about the fact that you're on thin ice or maybe even thinking that your thin ice is perfectly supportive and there's no way it would cave in. In the song when it says "Dragging be hind you the silent reproach of a million tear stained eyes" the million tear stained eyes are all the people that are aware of all the evil. They also could have already been ignorant before and and suddenly fallen through the ice. They also could be the people effected by all the evils like people living in poverty, or even more pertinent with the theme of this whole album, victims of war. By dragging behind the naive skater it means that they are trying to warn him, or stop him. Or they are simply just present and he is not aware and that's why they would be silent. So then the crack in the ice is when the false protection finally gives way and the naive person is bombarded with reality and all the evils of modern society. When it says "You slip out of your depth and out of your mind" it means he will slip out of his understanding, or realize the things that aren't in his depth of understanding. He had formerly only been looking at the surface of his life and the people close to him and now he sees all these other people out there and all these problems he wasn't aware of and he can't comprehend any of it so it drives him insane. "With fear flowing out behind you as you claw the thin ice" He suddenly becomes afraid and tries to cling to the thin ice that had been supporting him for so long. He tried to stay innocent and away from all the scary things he fell into.
I might have left some things out, but i'm interested in hearing what other people think. So say something.