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.
Whoa black betty bambalam
Yeah black betty bambalam
Black betty had a child bambalam
Damn thing gone wild bambalam
She's always ready bambalam
She's so rock stedy bambalam
Whoa black betty bambalam
Yeah black betty bambalam
Alright
Whoa black betty bambalam
Yeah black betty bambalam
What ever gets me high bambalam
Yeah you know thats no doubt Bambalam
She's always ready bambalam
She's so rock steady bambalam
Whoa black betty bambalam
Yeah black betty bambalam
Yeah
Oh yeah alright (3x)
Oh yeah oh yeah
Whoa black betty bambalam
Yeah black betty bambalam
She's from birmingham bambalam
Way down in alabam' bambalam
Black betty had a child bambalam
Damn thing gone black bambalam
Whoa black betty bambalam
Yeah black betty bambalam
Oh yeah alright
Oh yeah oh yeah
Blambalam!
Yeah black betty bambalam
Black betty had a child bambalam
Damn thing gone wild bambalam
She's always ready bambalam
She's so rock stedy bambalam
Whoa black betty bambalam
Yeah black betty bambalam
Alright
Whoa black betty bambalam
Yeah black betty bambalam
What ever gets me high bambalam
Yeah you know thats no doubt Bambalam
She's always ready bambalam
She's so rock steady bambalam
Whoa black betty bambalam
Yeah black betty bambalam
Yeah
Oh yeah alright (3x)
Oh yeah oh yeah
Whoa black betty bambalam
Yeah black betty bambalam
She's from birmingham bambalam
Way down in alabam' bambalam
Black betty had a child bambalam
Damn thing gone black bambalam
Whoa black betty bambalam
Yeah black betty bambalam
Oh yeah alright
Oh yeah oh yeah
Blambalam!
Lyrics submitted by chocol8_k8
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"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"
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"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"
Mountain Song
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"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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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.
American Town
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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.
Top choice of a cover song by Spiderbait and good to see that it gave their career a good ol' kick start back to what they were like in the mid-late 90s.
no, it was originally a leadbelly song and heaps of ppl have covered it over the years. I think this is one of the better covers turning a tale of a prostitute? (I think) into a fast adrenaline-packed pumping song.
Personally, I've always thought it was about a gun. That's what I was told.
But I also hear it derived from an old prison cadance.
I, myself... Think that Meat Loaf's cover was AMAZING.
@Justus I have read elsewhere it was originally about a Musket that had been painted black.<br />
@Justus I have read elsewhere it was originally about a Musket that had been painted black.<br />
'Black Betty' is a direct reference to the originals creator's love for the Flinstones. It is Betty Rubble in which the singer writes about and goes on to reference the character's son BamBam in the popular lyric: "Bam-ba-lam". BamBam was her "child" and in the show was a rather "wild" Boy as described in the song. The lyricist continues to joyfully represent the Flinstones in the parodying line "She's all rock steady" a throwback remark to the show's usage of the term "rock" as an adjective.
It is also my personal belief that Betty is referred to as "Black" Betty, because of her trademark black hair.
I really dont care what this song is about cuz i think its about nothing. I just like it because one of my friends sometimes he talks really 'ghetto' sometimes and you cant really understand him so i think this song is kinda what he sounds like sometimes like "blambalamlamasdlkhasdf". lol. just a thought....
if l find out who gives these cheap bands permission to cover classic rock songs... l'll give them a smack
It's the classic rock bands themselves I think - they ahve to give permission.
It was orignally a Cuck Berry song.
oh i thought lynard skynard was the orignal...i really like this song regardless who sings it cuz it has GREAT energy! lol!
I know for a fact it was Leadbelly who first RECORDED it. And then Ram Jam took it on to where it became more popular.