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.
I started out
On the wrong foot
Now I'm not myself
I am Jekyll, I am Hyde
Found this place to hide
Come seek me
Oh, so up and down
So back and forth
So insecure
Can't get this taste out of my mouth
Swallow it down
Pretend
Hold it, hold it all in
Let it build up
Build a bomb
Blow it, blow it away
Clear it all out
Just end it
I'm just a normal person
Without those problems
When did it change?
Admissions so embarrassing
I'm on the verge of tears again
Hold it, hold it all in
I'll let it build up
Build a bomb
And blow it, blow it away
Clear it all out
Just end it
Oh look I took the Band-Aid off
Did I take it off too soon?
Hysterical confession
My big courageous move
Don't gasp at the predictable
A comforting lie can't last
Preordained checklist of this awkward love
It's so sad
Hold it, hold it all in
Let it build up
Build a bomb
Blow it, blow it away
Clear it all out
Just end it
Sort it, sort it out
Just give it back
No thank you
Toss it, toss it away
Eliminate
Just give up
I can't decide
This tug of war
I'm feeling weak, yeah
On the wrong foot
Now I'm not myself
I am Jekyll, I am Hyde
Found this place to hide
Come seek me
Oh, so up and down
So back and forth
So insecure
Can't get this taste out of my mouth
Swallow it down
Pretend
Hold it, hold it all in
Let it build up
Build a bomb
Blow it, blow it away
Clear it all out
Just end it
I'm just a normal person
Without those problems
When did it change?
Admissions so embarrassing
I'm on the verge of tears again
Hold it, hold it all in
I'll let it build up
Build a bomb
And blow it, blow it away
Clear it all out
Just end it
Oh look I took the Band-Aid off
Did I take it off too soon?
Hysterical confession
My big courageous move
Don't gasp at the predictable
A comforting lie can't last
Preordained checklist of this awkward love
It's so sad
Hold it, hold it all in
Let it build up
Build a bomb
Blow it, blow it away
Clear it all out
Just end it
Sort it, sort it out
Just give it back
No thank you
Toss it, toss it away
Eliminate
Just give up
I can't decide
This tug of war
I'm feeling weak, yeah
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
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Standing On The Edge Of Summer
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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.
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"
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"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."
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
I think this song's about someone going through life.
She starts off being loved, hiding her feelings and personality and she's trying to see if anyone can relate to her. " I started out on the wrong foot Now I'm not myself I am Jekyll, I am Hyde Found this place to hide Come seek me "
The next verse refers to not knowing what to do, being confused about her feelings finally. "Oh, so up and down So back and forth So insecure Can't get this taste out of my mouth Swallow it down Pretend "
Next - she doesn't know what happened but finally finds out. "I'm just a normal person Without those problems When did it change? Admissions so embarrassing I'm on the verge of tears again "
The Band-Aid line means that she's shown her true self but she doesn't know if she did it too soon and discovers that she did. " Oh look I took the Band-Aid off Did I take it off too soon? Hysterical confession My big courageous move "
Next she's saying that the people around her should have known it was coming. "Don't gasp at the predictable A comforting lie can't last Preordained checklist of this awkward love It's so sad "
In the next verse other people are wondering what happened to her and she's saying how she tried to sort it out. "Sort it, sort it out Just give it back No thank you Toss it, toss it away Eliminate Just give up"
In the last verse she thought she did the right thing at first, but now she's confused and having regrets. "I can't decide This tug of war I'm feeling weak"
The chorus is just the whole song repeated in 4 small lines. " Hold it, hold it all in I'll let it build up Oh, build a bomb Blow it, blow it away Clear it all out Just end it "
bows lol but I dunno I might be wrong....