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.
Let's sober up
It's time to find that galaxy
That was created and named after me
But these rocket ships blew apart the entire ship
So if you find some pieces just name them after me
It's on fire
It's my empire
Went up so fast I couldn't grab it
All of the medicine and magic, that keeps me breathing
Right on key, broken straps trapped in captain
That's playing just for me.
And this is so typical and raised by the arm of me
So dance to some broken cords
With broken means through open doors,
Send me with a microphone
[Repeat: x2]
Teach me something so I can go
Don't you have a lesson for me?
I raced concrete to the front row seats
Through her clothes and whiskey kisses
And left her on the street
With her hand down and her hair down
She's nothing more than a movie
That never panned out
Hey Mr. destiny,
You forgot about me,
You forgot to leave a number
You forgot to name the street,
This is American living
With my American dream,
It thunders like a river but its cold just
Like a stream.
And this is so typical, it makes body (off of me?)
So dance to some broken cords
With broken means through open doors,
Send me with a microphone,
[Repeat: x2]
Teach me something so I can go
Don't you have a lesson for me?
I know now things don't get much better than this,
And I know now, life don't get much bigger than this
So dance to some broken cords
With broken means through open doors,
Send me with a microphone,
[Repeat: x2]
Teach me something so I can go
Don't you have a lesson for me?
It's time to find that galaxy
That was created and named after me
But these rocket ships blew apart the entire ship
So if you find some pieces just name them after me
It's on fire
It's my empire
Went up so fast I couldn't grab it
All of the medicine and magic, that keeps me breathing
Right on key, broken straps trapped in captain
That's playing just for me.
And this is so typical and raised by the arm of me
So dance to some broken cords
With broken means through open doors,
Send me with a microphone
[Repeat: x2]
Teach me something so I can go
Don't you have a lesson for me?
I raced concrete to the front row seats
Through her clothes and whiskey kisses
And left her on the street
With her hand down and her hair down
She's nothing more than a movie
That never panned out
Hey Mr. destiny,
You forgot about me,
You forgot to leave a number
You forgot to name the street,
This is American living
With my American dream,
It thunders like a river but its cold just
Like a stream.
And this is so typical, it makes body (off of me?)
So dance to some broken cords
With broken means through open doors,
Send me with a microphone,
[Repeat: x2]
Teach me something so I can go
Don't you have a lesson for me?
I know now things don't get much better than this,
And I know now, life don't get much bigger than this
So dance to some broken cords
With broken means through open doors,
Send me with a microphone,
[Repeat: x2]
Teach me something so I can go
Don't you have a lesson for me?
Lyrics submitted by Girlsdontgocrazy
American Living Lyrics as written by Gary Levox Jay Demarcus
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
this song is probably one of the best on the new album! they're all so fantastic though that its just a tough choice. I have the real lyric to the song here
Lets sober up…its time to find that galaxy that was created And named after me But these rocket hips blew apart the entire ship so if you find some pieces Just name them after me Its on fire, it’s my empire It went up so fast I couldn’t grab it Along with medicine and magic That keeps me breathing right on key Broken straps strap in the captain that’s praying just for me And this is so typical… Erased by the author of me….
So dance to some broken chords With broken knees Through open doors And save me with a microphone Give me something so I can go home
Don’t you have a lesson for me?
I raced concrete to the front row seats Threw her bows and whiskey kisses and left her on the street With her hands out And her head down She’s nothing more than a movie that never panned out Hey Mr. Destiny…you forgot about me You forgot to leave a number You forgot to name the street This is American living with my American dream It thunders like a river but its cold just like a stream And this is so typical… Erased by the author of me….
And I know now… Things don’t get much better than this… Life doesn’t get much bigger than this…
So just teach me something so I can go...