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.
Refuted seed as if someone was watching over it
Before it was as if response was based on fact
Providing, deciding it wasn't there
Swept to it, based to it, it was not there
Providing, deciding it was-n't there
Square (swept) to it, based to it, it was not there
Re-muted fault
As if it had a cause to live for
We might have learned
As if it should have been destroyed
It was not there
It was not there
Re-fall as if someone were watching over it,
Before it sooner then denied
Re-seemed as if it had a cause to live for
Destroyed, was later based on fine
Providing, deciding, it was not there
Square to it, based to it, it was not there
It was not there [Repeat: x4]
Before it was as if response was based on fact
Providing, deciding it wasn't there
Swept to it, based to it, it was not there
Providing, deciding it was-n't there
Square (swept) to it, based to it, it was not there
Re-muted fault
As if it had a cause to live for
We might have learned
As if it should have been destroyed
It was not there
It was not there
Re-fall as if someone were watching over it,
Before it sooner then denied
Re-seemed as if it had a cause to live for
Destroyed, was later based on fine
Providing, deciding, it was not there
Square to it, based to it, it was not there
It was not there [Repeat: x4]
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"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.
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Sounds like worrying about an abortion to me.
Maybe I am not looking beyond the words enough.
It is about the 'ego', ha ha ha. so simple...
niice song. :D
This song was originally by the band Wire and so I take it in that context to probably about punk music as a scene and cultural phenomenon.
Here's the correct lyrics, copied from the Wire entry with the parenthesesed (spelling?) parts being my commentary:
Reviewed, it seemed As if someone were watching over it Before it was As if response were based on fact
(It seemed like punk had to happen because it filled a space that had to be filled, it seemed planned but it really happened because of the revolutionary spark in mankind, etc.)
Providing, deciding, it was soon there Squared to it, faced to it, it was not there
(Getting together, making the rules, that shit was easy. Getting shit done, making it count, not so much.)
Renewed, it fought As if it had a cause to live for Denied, it learned As if it had sooner been destroyed
(Punk came again after the first wave of bands. It was like the concept of punk, an abstract ideology, was anthropomorphic and was fighting to preserve itself. But then, it died and came back again as a commercial thing, just like everything else was and was no longer special, as if it had sooner been destroyed.)
Providing, deciding, it was soon there Squared to it, faced to it, it was not there
Reviewed, it fought As if someone were watching over it Before it had sooner been denied Renewed, it seemed As if it had a cause to live for Destroyed, it was later based on fact
(The winners write history and punk is now whatever we make of it, and just as some people can look at the emergence of punk scenes and get the strength to change the world from it, people can also look at punk and use it to sell t-shirts.)
i think its says about states of paranoia/ things that arent real(can be the effect of dugs)
Reviewed, it seemed As if someone were watching over it
people think about things that bothers them , they ,make up things they tend to transfer those paranoid feelings to other people .
Before it was As if response were based on fact
here they are stating that whatever they think about its not true (as if response were based of fact - for me its an irony 0
Providing, deciding, it was soon there we are not certain of anything , we just assume things which can be wrong
Squared to it, faced to it, it was not there look deep inside , face the truth = realize that we are making things up
Renewed, it fought As if it had a cause to live for Denied, it learned As if it had sooner been destroyed
we have a choice if we renew those ideas we think about them all the time , they are messing with our heads if we deny or reject them we realize that we were just silly (they were nmaking us paranoid)
Reviewed, it fought As if someone were watching over it Before it had sooner been denied
these states of mind can break our relationships with friend and family , people can be fed up
Renewed, it seemed As if it had a cause to live for Destroyed, it was later based on /fact/
some people stay delusional , they become more sick believing in their ''facts''
there is no reference to takling drugs in this song but i think thats what the song is about there are consequences
its just my guess feel free to leave notes
Lukasz
interesting comment Lukasz
It can be anything i would say it's about douts or abortion as stated above the 15th (child number)