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.
I've been up at this all night long
I've been drowning in my sleep
I've prayed for your safe place
And it's time for us to leave
Time is running
Is running on empty and the gas is running out
I've decided that tonight is the night that I
Let love aside
Full speed ahead this seems to be the place
I've seen this once before
Planned perfection sought in my dreams
Hoping this would take you home
My knuckles have turned to white
There's no turning back tonight
Kiss me one last time
Around this turn where
The cross will cast your shadow
The people will all gather
To remember such a day
Where the flames grew as high as trees
And the world stopped, it stopped
For you and me
My knuckles have turned white
There's no turning back tonight
Kiss me one last time
Shut your eyes
My knuckles have turned white
There's no turning back tonight
So hold on tight
Kiss me one last time
Shut your
I will now bring new meaning to the word alone
Endless nights of dreaming of life
And the days we should have spent here
Drowning in my sleep
I'm drowning in my sleep
Drowning in my sleep
I'm drowning in my sleep
Glass shatters and comes to a halt)
I thought we'd be there by now
I thought it would be so much quicker than this
Pain has never been so brilliant
I made sure you were buckled in
Now you can walk hand in hand
Hand in hand with him
My knuckles have turned white
There's no turning back tonight
Kiss me one last time (shut your eyes)
My knuckles have turned white
There's no turning back tonight (so hold on tight)
So hold on tight
Kiss me one last time
Shut your
I've been drowning in my sleep
I've prayed for your safe place
And it's time for us to leave
Time is running
Is running on empty and the gas is running out
I've decided that tonight is the night that I
Let love aside
Full speed ahead this seems to be the place
I've seen this once before
Planned perfection sought in my dreams
Hoping this would take you home
My knuckles have turned to white
There's no turning back tonight
Kiss me one last time
Around this turn where
The cross will cast your shadow
The people will all gather
To remember such a day
Where the flames grew as high as trees
And the world stopped, it stopped
For you and me
My knuckles have turned white
There's no turning back tonight
Kiss me one last time
Shut your eyes
My knuckles have turned white
There's no turning back tonight
So hold on tight
Kiss me one last time
Shut your
I will now bring new meaning to the word alone
Endless nights of dreaming of life
And the days we should have spent here
Drowning in my sleep
I'm drowning in my sleep
Drowning in my sleep
I'm drowning in my sleep
Glass shatters and comes to a halt)
I thought we'd be there by now
I thought it would be so much quicker than this
Pain has never been so brilliant
I made sure you were buckled in
Now you can walk hand in hand
Hand in hand with him
My knuckles have turned white
There's no turning back tonight
Kiss me one last time (shut your eyes)
My knuckles have turned white
There's no turning back tonight (so hold on tight)
So hold on tight
Kiss me one last time
Shut your
Lyrics submitted by staywhatyouare2
It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door Lyrics as written by Christopher Dudley Aaron Gillespie
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
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"
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Ok, I think he crashes the car to give her life in heaven, as he thinks he isnt good enough for her 'let love aside' (he thinks this is whats best for her) In doing this he survives, but he probably has ptsd and has nightmares about the crash, remembering it vividly. 'drowning in my sleep' (dreams so vivid he would drown in them)