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.
Take this for what its worth, this song... my smile, I write to you from hell my song leaving the foot against the gas and the wall that must have said your name, Weaken you from nothing you can say can stop this now, would a noose replace his lips? Can a song replace a broken heart? Can a song replace a broken love? On the beach I remind myself how holding hands is so powerless, tonight I don't even have the stars to hold on to... Paint this red... Her picture will remain unbroken she cries tonight "I fall in love"... whipe each tear away with sand paper tonight I'm not alone... I just wanna get your fucking voice out of my head...
Lyrics submitted by rjbucs28
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
"Take this for what its worth, "this song my smile," -possibly explaining to her that this is exactly how he feels. 'take this for what its worth' telling to to take this literally.
"i write to you from hell my song" "leaving my foot against the gas" "and the wall that must have said your name" (I'll write to you from hell tonight) -stating that he's writing this song feeling broken and lost, almost as if he's actually writing from hell
"weaken me, for nothing you can say could" "stop this now, would a noose replace his lips?" "can a song replace a broken heart? can a song" "replace a broken love?" -apparently (maybe not so apparently) SHE has moved on and found somebody else, (possibly a friend of his?) leaving him with a broken heart “on the beach i remind myself” “that holding hands is so powerless” “tonight i dont even have the stars to hold onto” -like i stated in my first post, im not 100% sure what hes reffering to here, but possibly that by holding her hand he gave total control of his heart to her, and she abused that power by hurting him. looking at the stars would help him get over this feeling, but tonight the stars aren't there
“Paint this red” -he's possibly 'painting the town red', looking for someone to take this girl's place, hoping that someone new might help him forget her. maybe not 'forget' her, but ease his mind of the situation.
“her picture will remain unbroken she crys tonight” ”i fall in love” -he has now moved on, and falls in love with someone else
“wipe each tear away with sand paper tonight im not alone” ”i just wanna get your fucking voice out of my head” -he's not alone tonight, and she's crying. possibly she 'broke his heart' to make him jealous. she might even still want to be with him, but either she fucked up and decided that she didnt need him anymore and realized later that she did, in fact, need him, OR maybe she's just jealous that he's not dwelling on her any longer.
“will i fall within the break? ill watch you fall.” -he's asking if he'll be the one to take this break badly, or if it'll be her. and the second part 'ill watch you fall' proves that it's, in fact, HER that takes it worse, as SHE'S the one to fall.
just my take on it, i could be off, but thats how i see it.