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.
She say she gon' be the first and the next
To lead the eagle out the nest
A man say he gon' build a wall
And have Mexico pay for it all
And there's a riots every week
Their uniforms blue and the peoples on the streets
And everyone's living on the edge
'Cause you could be the next one walking with the dead
If I was president
I'll get elected on Friday
Assassinated on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
And on Monday everybody goes back to work
It's just an ordinary day
Ay, but I could be the president, and you could be the president
And she could be the president, and we could be the president
Her t-shirt says "Black Lives Matter"
The media is screaming all lives matter
Charlie got a gun up in his hands
Walk up into the school and then you hear the bang bang
And Suzanna from Alabama can't walk no more
'Cause she lost two legs in a war
And the USA they looking for the peace
All y'all got to do is smoke a little bit of weed
They don't want me to tell you about the secrecy
They don't want me to tell you about the conspiracy
They want to put a hole in my head like Kennedy
If I was president
Get elected on Friday
Assassinated on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
And on Monday everybody goes back to work
It's just an ordinary day
Ay, but I could be the president, and you could be the president
And she could be the president, and we could be the president
If I was president
To lead the eagle out the nest
A man say he gon' build a wall
And have Mexico pay for it all
And there's a riots every week
Their uniforms blue and the peoples on the streets
And everyone's living on the edge
'Cause you could be the next one walking with the dead
If I was president
I'll get elected on Friday
Assassinated on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
And on Monday everybody goes back to work
It's just an ordinary day
Ay, but I could be the president, and you could be the president
And she could be the president, and we could be the president
Her t-shirt says "Black Lives Matter"
The media is screaming all lives matter
Charlie got a gun up in his hands
Walk up into the school and then you hear the bang bang
And Suzanna from Alabama can't walk no more
'Cause she lost two legs in a war
And the USA they looking for the peace
All y'all got to do is smoke a little bit of weed
They don't want me to tell you about the secrecy
They don't want me to tell you about the conspiracy
They want to put a hole in my head like Kennedy
If I was president
Get elected on Friday
Assassinated on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
And on Monday everybody goes back to work
It's just an ordinary day
Ay, but I could be the president, and you could be the president
And she could be the president, and we could be the president
If I was president
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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.
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"
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
it's "they" go back to work on monday. not "then". i wouldn't micromanage but it kind of makes a huge difference in the meaning of the song.