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.
Creating a life only to destroy
Saved from a life of the unemployed
Where crime is the only way to survive
Which is the best to be dead or alive?
Maybe a chance but maybe not
Born to be thrown in the trash to rot
To exist in this world may be a mistake
The one who is with child, it's their choice to make
Death and life taken so easily
Right or wrong, whose choice will it be?
Abortion, when it is needed
Execution, for those who deserve it
The giving and taking of life will always be
Altering the future
[Solos: Shuldiner, Murphy]
Look into the future to prepare us for our fate
Controlling our existence with every life we take
Life for a life should remain the rule
The innocent victim that is what's cruel
Look to the past is what we should do
When justice was done and justice was true
Using our laws to help their escape
An easy way out is what they create
Claiming insane is the way to freedom
People are stupid enough to believe them
Death and life taken so easily
Right or wrong, whose choice will it be?
Abortion, when it is needed
Execution, for those who deserve it
The giving and taking of life will always be
Saved from a life of the unemployed
Where crime is the only way to survive
Which is the best to be dead or alive?
Maybe a chance but maybe not
Born to be thrown in the trash to rot
To exist in this world may be a mistake
The one who is with child, it's their choice to make
Death and life taken so easily
Right or wrong, whose choice will it be?
Abortion, when it is needed
Execution, for those who deserve it
The giving and taking of life will always be
Altering the future
[Solos: Shuldiner, Murphy]
Look into the future to prepare us for our fate
Controlling our existence with every life we take
Life for a life should remain the rule
The innocent victim that is what's cruel
Look to the past is what we should do
When justice was done and justice was true
Using our laws to help their escape
An easy way out is what they create
Claiming insane is the way to freedom
People are stupid enough to believe them
Death and life taken so easily
Right or wrong, whose choice will it be?
Abortion, when it is needed
Execution, for those who deserve it
The giving and taking of life will always be
Lyrics submitted by BLOODGASM
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
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"
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
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.
This is an amazing song from an amazing band, the song is about abortion
Someone who cannot decide what to do with a baby because they live in an unemployed world.
This song is about a creme egg which rolls out of a shop and into someones mouth. He is unfortunately digested which is a tragic loss. Fortunately the culprit is accused of stealing the creme egg and is given the death penalty.
Wow, I just realised that this song is my thoughts exactly on the death penalty and abortion.
I find this song to be better than the first track on the album, but i still find it to be somewhat lacking in depth
i can accept his stance on the death penalty, but i dont really agree with his reasoning on abortion
i agree with the part that it should be allowed, but i don't think it should be used as a tool to try to filter out undesirable people in society, although i do agree that there are many people who have incredibly miserable lives who probably wish they had not been born into the shit they were..especially in some of the more poverty stricken areas in the world
I think that in a way hes right, but im not sure if i like where things might head if we try to get rid of those who would cause us difficulty through abortion
to add to my other post, i also think that the idea that certain people arent insane is completely ridiculous, chuck should have gotten an education in pyschology..im sure he would have changed his mind about at least some people not being insane
I dont think hes saying that insanity isnt real, but that often criminals claim to be insane because they know they will get a lower sentence and let off easy from their crimes. I agree with his views on the death penalty but not so much abortion. Either way its a great song!
Chuck is right all the way on this one imo why be born into a world of hate poverty and misery that will lead you into a life of committing crime to survive it would simply be less painful to have not lived at all. its quite simple the answer to life is Death
@Death828 and bazookatoothz:
I don't think Chuck took such a stance so explicitely. If I read more of his lyrics and of his biographic material, I find that I he is a much more life-loving and mindful man than you say he puts on display here. Especially when he sings:
Death and life taken so easily Right or wrong, whose choice will it be?
Abortion, when it is needed Execution, for those who deserve it The giving and taking of life will always be Altering the future
It sounds more like criticism than a clear opinion.
Don't get me wrong, I love Death, and this song is one of my favorites just because of the music, but these lyrics make no sense. "Look to to the past is what we should do, when justice was done and justice was true". Yeah, in the past when they cut off your hand for stealing, that's what we should do. Plus, I get the picture of how abortion is "altering the future" by taking away a destiny of a life that could have been...but honestly, I'm sure almost everyone has "altered the future" onto the floor some time or another. Maybe I'm just over analyzing a death metal song, Death's the only death metal band I know that's every gotten preachy in a death metal song.
Wallamanage, Holy shit im cracking up, your interpretations are hilarious. Death is one of my favorite (if not my favorite) metal band but chuck's lyrics take themselves way too seriously, most of it is Holier than Thou neo conservative bullshit too.
dont know if anyone still uses this site... but this definitely a rough transition into more philosophical lyrics. lacks depth imo.