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.
The sidewalk's cracked and dirty face
Is look up from underneath my feet,
It's staring at the hallow, broken boy,
Who's lost and wandering these same old streets,
And every night I wander here alone,
A night that we won't meet
I wonder when, when I'll finally understand,
Why time can wash away love like,
It was made of sand,
And it's wonderful
The pain that comes with regret,
Sometimes you have to see the beauty,
In all of this loneliness
The streetlights flicker, and they fade,
Like every good intention that I've had,
And every face that passes through my mind,
And I'll be struggling with these same old dreams,
Until the concrete turns to sand,
And I'm swept up by the waves
I wonder when, when I'll finally understand,
Why time can wash away love like,
It was made of sand,
And it's wonderful
The pain that comes with regret,
Sometimes you have to see the beauty,
In all of this loneliness
There's only so many chances that you get to do,
Something that's this important,
Now I'd rather sink than swim
Sewer grates keep spitting up their steam,
Exhaling all the broken dreams I've flushed away
And I wonder when, when I'll bow out,
Wash me away like I was made of sand,
And it's wonderful, it's wonderful
Is look up from underneath my feet,
It's staring at the hallow, broken boy,
Who's lost and wandering these same old streets,
And every night I wander here alone,
A night that we won't meet
I wonder when, when I'll finally understand,
Why time can wash away love like,
It was made of sand,
And it's wonderful
The pain that comes with regret,
Sometimes you have to see the beauty,
In all of this loneliness
The streetlights flicker, and they fade,
Like every good intention that I've had,
And every face that passes through my mind,
And I'll be struggling with these same old dreams,
Until the concrete turns to sand,
And I'm swept up by the waves
I wonder when, when I'll finally understand,
Why time can wash away love like,
It was made of sand,
And it's wonderful
The pain that comes with regret,
Sometimes you have to see the beauty,
In all of this loneliness
There's only so many chances that you get to do,
Something that's this important,
Now I'd rather sink than swim
Sewer grates keep spitting up their steam,
Exhaling all the broken dreams I've flushed away
And I wonder when, when I'll bow out,
Wash me away like I was made of sand,
And it's wonderful, it's wonderful
Lyrics submitted by x_melancholy_x, edited by bayside311
Talking of Michelangelo Lyrics as written by Anthony S Raneri Andrew Robert Elderbaum
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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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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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.
I think this song and Prufrock are similar because in this song, there's mention to how he is about to do something important, but would rather sink than swim.
In Prufrock, the narrator is about to ask an important question, but he is full of insecurity, so he chooses not to. And at the end, he imagines himself walking on the beach and he "drowns."
There are connections, definitely.
I like this song and I'm reluctantly becoming a fan of Bayside, the vocalist has a very melodic voice.