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.
Until she herself
Became the deadliest poison
As she grew older
Ooh, until she herself
Became just as fatal
As was her garden
And so you run towards
What you know is wrong
There are too many flowers to cut down
For the love I have for your life
For the love I have for your life
Turn around
Never did I mean to (never did I mean to)
Imprison you (imprison you)
Here in my garden (here in my garden)
Like I am imprisoned (like I am imprisoned)
For the love I have for your life (for the love I have for your life)
All the love I could have for your life (all the love I have for your life)
Turn around (turn around)
Until she herself
Understood her garden
Leaving her heart broken
No future at all
Until she herself
Became a toxic garden
Always frightened
No future at all
And so you run towards
What you know is wrong
There are too many flowers to cut down
For the love I have for your life
With all the love I could have for your life
Turn around
Never did I mean to (never did I mean to)
Imprison you (imprison you)
Here in my garden (here in my garden)
Like I am imprisoned (like I am imprisoned)
For the love I have for your life (for the love I have for your life)
All the love I could have for your life (all the love I have for your life)
Turn around (turn around)
So you run towards
What you know is wrong
But there are too many flowers to cut down
For all the love I have for your life
For the love I have for your life
Turn around
Running through the garden (running through the garden)
I'm running in brilliant colors (brilliant colors)
I'm running straight toward, straight towards (straight towards)
What you know is really wrong (really wrong)
Too many flowers here to cut down (too many flowers)
For the love I have for your life
Turn around (turn around)
For the love I have (for the love I have)
For the love I have (for the love I have)
For all the love I have (for all the love I have)
Turn around (turn around)
Became the deadliest poison
As she grew older
Ooh, until she herself
Became just as fatal
As was her garden
And so you run towards
What you know is wrong
There are too many flowers to cut down
For the love I have for your life
For the love I have for your life
Turn around
Never did I mean to (never did I mean to)
Imprison you (imprison you)
Here in my garden (here in my garden)
Like I am imprisoned (like I am imprisoned)
For the love I have for your life (for the love I have for your life)
All the love I could have for your life (all the love I have for your life)
Turn around (turn around)
Until she herself
Understood her garden
Leaving her heart broken
No future at all
Until she herself
Became a toxic garden
Always frightened
No future at all
And so you run towards
What you know is wrong
There are too many flowers to cut down
For the love I have for your life
With all the love I could have for your life
Turn around
Never did I mean to (never did I mean to)
Imprison you (imprison you)
Here in my garden (here in my garden)
Like I am imprisoned (like I am imprisoned)
For the love I have for your life (for the love I have for your life)
All the love I could have for your life (all the love I have for your life)
Turn around (turn around)
So you run towards
What you know is wrong
But there are too many flowers to cut down
For all the love I have for your life
For the love I have for your life
Turn around
Running through the garden (running through the garden)
I'm running in brilliant colors (brilliant colors)
I'm running straight toward, straight towards (straight towards)
What you know is really wrong (really wrong)
Too many flowers here to cut down (too many flowers)
For the love I have for your life
Turn around (turn around)
For the love I have (for the love I have)
For the love I have (for the love I have)
For all the love I have (for all the love I have)
Turn around (turn around)
Lyrics submitted by Concertina
Running Through the Garden Lyrics as written by Ray Kennedy Gary Nicholson
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"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.
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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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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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.
This song reminds me very much of a Nathaniel Hawthorne short story I studied in a college English class back in 2000. Stevie might have got the inspiration for this song from this story. In the story, a young man named Giovanni moves to a new neighborhood where he notices an alluring woman hanging out in the courtyard garden by his house. He talks with her and hangs out with her in the garden, but she literally becomes poisonous to him. She knows that she poisons everybody she meets and avoids people, but he won't listen or heed the advice of her or her father.
I wonder if Stevie did get the inspiration for the song from the same place.
@stoolhardy: Exactly my thoughts about this song. Almost certainly, at least in part, based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Rappaccini's Daughter".
That is correct stool: the song was inspired by rappaccini's daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. not allmost certainly but certain. i read it in a newspaper. i love this song it's very powerful. like a big chase. anyway i am going to read the short novel NOW.
It seems like the novel The God of All Things somthing or other based on the life of Baby Kochamma and her garden, look at this similarity "she raised a fierce bitter garden" as she was bitter about unrequited love, therefore garden reflects her personality
I love this song; now I have to find and read that story! This song reminded me at first of the poem "Patterns" by Amy Lowell.