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.
Long ago, there was a man
Change stone to bread with the touch of his hand
Made the blind see and the dumb understand
He died for the tears in your eyes
Your eyes
Many people came from all around
Hear this man preach, glorious sound
Spoke of man in harmony and love abound
He died for the tears in your eyes
Your eyes
Your eyes
Your eyes
Died for the tears in your eyes
For the tears in your eyes and the tears of sorrow
Four cents may be all that they're worth
For the rising sun each day assures us
The meek shall inherit the earth
The earth
Faith is a word we all should try
Describing the man who willingly died
Believe that your hunger, sorrow, and fears
Is less than the tears in your eyes
Your eyes
Less than the tears in your eyes
For the tears in your eyes and the tears of sorrow
Four cents may be all that they're worth (all they're worth)
For the rising sun each day assures us
The meek shall inherit the earth
Say it again
For the tears in your eyes and the tears of sorrow
Four cents may be all that they're worth (all they're worth)
For the rising sun each day assures us
The meek shall inherit the earth
The earth
Thank you
Change stone to bread with the touch of his hand
Made the blind see and the dumb understand
He died for the tears in your eyes
Your eyes
Many people came from all around
Hear this man preach, glorious sound
Spoke of man in harmony and love abound
He died for the tears in your eyes
Your eyes
Your eyes
Your eyes
Died for the tears in your eyes
For the tears in your eyes and the tears of sorrow
Four cents may be all that they're worth
For the rising sun each day assures us
The meek shall inherit the earth
The earth
Faith is a word we all should try
Describing the man who willingly died
Believe that your hunger, sorrow, and fears
Is less than the tears in your eyes
Your eyes
Less than the tears in your eyes
For the tears in your eyes and the tears of sorrow
Four cents may be all that they're worth (all they're worth)
For the rising sun each day assures us
The meek shall inherit the earth
Say it again
For the tears in your eyes and the tears of sorrow
Four cents may be all that they're worth (all they're worth)
For the rising sun each day assures us
The meek shall inherit the earth
The earth
Thank you
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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"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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I remember thia as a boy with him in this video with all the other pop stars of the time singing, he seemed displeased. I remember hearing they forced him to participate and provide a song for the album the U.S.A was making for Africa. You could buy t-shirts and buttons and stickers and it would all make Africa happier. It's a good song though.
@stevenj777 It was a long time ago, so it's to be expected that some might misremember the events. If I may just provide people with the details of what actually happened. <br /> <br /> Following the success of the UKs Band Aid project and the single "Do They Know Its Christmas?", musical artists in the US (spearheaded by Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson) decided to put something similar together (a "supergroup" of the talent of the time singing a charity single) and help raise more money to help with the awful famine in Ethiopia. <br /> <br /> Many artists agreed to be on the "We Are The World" charity single and, of course, Prince was invited too (being, along with Madonna and MJ, arguably the biggest stars of the time). However, Prince declined. This wasn't through arrogance, or being a snob, or because he didn't want to help....far from it. In fact, he offered to write and record his own song himself and have that as his contribution (that being 4 The Tears In Your Eyes and is a far more personal and, in my view, worthwhile endeavour. Of course, the media twisted the events to sell papers, making all sorts of ludicrous and wicked accusations. <br /> <br /> There was, of course, a massive rivalry between Prince and MJ then and the media made much of that, but the reason given by Prince at the time was that he simply wouldn't be able to perform - he would clam up being in the same room as all the other big talents. The media treated this as a weak excuse (but it was likely completely true - despite his larger than life persona, Prince was actually a criminally shy person and, for every single album of his, when it came down to laying his own vocals, he always kicked everyone else out of the studio (even the recording engineer!) and cut the vocals on his own, doing the engineering himself. So viciously and relentlessly did the media pursue him over this, Prince did something quite rare and wrote and released a song that directly addressed and criticised what was happening! That song is "Hello" and can be found on The Hits/The B-Sides - well worth checking out.
Pretty obvious, about Jesus Christ