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.
You ever felt somethin' you couldn't explain?
No definition, no name.
Just a feeling.
No definition, no name.
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different, I said,
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different, than I, than I...
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different than I pictured...hold up.
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different than I pictured it.
And then there was me:
Analyzing life more than I was living.
Anything possible good,
I destroyed before the chance was ever given.
See, if I never have anything,
I'll never have to lose anything;
but then again if I never had anything worth losing
I guess I lost everything.
Either way, you could say,
Pain will become a result from both,
So actually I'm giving in to the very thing that I fear the most:
Losing it all,
Everything,
Completely unaware,
That a fear of failure was the one thing that was taking me there.
Fear of life,
Fear of love,
Fear of man,
Failure to relate
How I and God, and His voice to me
Would even begin to translate.
So I wait
To escape
This condition of rationalizing my own destruction.
But I keep on listening to the voices that don't deserve my discussion.
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different than I pictured it.
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different than I pictured it.
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different than I pictured it.
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different than I pictured it.
I looked at
No definition, no name.
Just a feeling.
No definition, no name.
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different, I said,
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different, than I, than I...
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different than I pictured...hold up.
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different than I pictured it.
And then there was me:
Analyzing life more than I was living.
Anything possible good,
I destroyed before the chance was ever given.
See, if I never have anything,
I'll never have to lose anything;
but then again if I never had anything worth losing
I guess I lost everything.
Either way, you could say,
Pain will become a result from both,
So actually I'm giving in to the very thing that I fear the most:
Losing it all,
Everything,
Completely unaware,
That a fear of failure was the one thing that was taking me there.
Fear of life,
Fear of love,
Fear of man,
Failure to relate
How I and God, and His voice to me
Would even begin to translate.
So I wait
To escape
This condition of rationalizing my own destruction.
But I keep on listening to the voices that don't deserve my discussion.
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different than I pictured it.
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different than I pictured it.
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different than I pictured it.
I looked at her, she looked back at me.
Her face looked different than I pictured it.
I looked at
Lyrics submitted by oneradchika, edited by PouYong
I Pictured It Lyrics as written by John Reuben Zappin Grant Ellis Harrison
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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people this is a really good track, its really deep. cant believe there have been no comments, well i guess thats how many people listen to john reuben. It seems to me that the guy was manipulated by some girl in the second verse who was really crafty and he ended up developing a feeling he couldnt explain. I think its somewhere after this that he realises she had just been manipulating him.
I absolutely love this song. Personally I can relate to it, and it took me weeks to figure out why and what this song really means, at least to me.
I believe the song is broke up into parts. The first verse is a guy who's cautious in his way, very conservative. I think he's referring to love as something that he can't explain. He can't quite define it and it's not something he's not use to. Now I believe the second verse (not here) he's looking back and realizing how the girl he thought he loved isn't who he thought she was. That she was manipulative and had tainted his view of the world. By the third verse he realizes how easy he was manipulated. His actions speak louder than how he says he should be or is and he's sad how he didn't see it happening.
Overall I think the song has a very sad undertone and I think it's based on one of John's past loves. Again, this is just from my own personal experience which I can say this song captures. That is my two cents on that, take what you will.