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.
Misty sunrise in my hometown
Rows of cotton 'bout knee high
Mrs. Baker down the dirt road
Still got clothes out on the line
Irwin Nichols there with Judge Lee
Playin' checkers at the gin
When I dream about the southland
This is where it all begins (from)
Carolina down to Georgia
Smell the jasmine and magnolia
Sleepy sweet home Alabama
Roll tide roll
Muddy water Mississippi
Blessed Graceland whispers to me
Carry on, carry on
Sweet southern comfort, carry on
Catching catfish on the river
Chasing fireflies by the creek
Kissing Gary William's sister
On the porch Home Coming week
With rusty cars and weeping willows
Keepin' watch out in the yard
Just a snapshot of down home Dixie
Could be anywhere you are (in)
Carolina down to Georgia
Smell the jasmine and magnolia
Sleepy sweet home Alabama
Roll tide roll
Muddy water Mississippi
Blessed Graceland whispers to me
Carry on, carry on
Sweet southern comfort, carry on
As I sit here, I'm surrounded
By these priceless memories
I don't have to think about it
There's no place I'd rather be (than)
Carolina down to Georgia
Smell the jasmine and magnolia
Sleepy sweet home Alabama
Roll tide roll
Muddy water Mississippi
Blessed Graceland whispers to me
Carry on, carry on
Sweet southern comfort, carry on
Rows of cotton 'bout knee high
Mrs. Baker down the dirt road
Still got clothes out on the line
Irwin Nichols there with Judge Lee
Playin' checkers at the gin
When I dream about the southland
This is where it all begins (from)
Carolina down to Georgia
Smell the jasmine and magnolia
Sleepy sweet home Alabama
Roll tide roll
Muddy water Mississippi
Blessed Graceland whispers to me
Carry on, carry on
Sweet southern comfort, carry on
Catching catfish on the river
Chasing fireflies by the creek
Kissing Gary William's sister
On the porch Home Coming week
With rusty cars and weeping willows
Keepin' watch out in the yard
Just a snapshot of down home Dixie
Could be anywhere you are (in)
Carolina down to Georgia
Smell the jasmine and magnolia
Sleepy sweet home Alabama
Roll tide roll
Muddy water Mississippi
Blessed Graceland whispers to me
Carry on, carry on
Sweet southern comfort, carry on
As I sit here, I'm surrounded
By these priceless memories
I don't have to think about it
There's no place I'd rather be (than)
Carolina down to Georgia
Smell the jasmine and magnolia
Sleepy sweet home Alabama
Roll tide roll
Muddy water Mississippi
Blessed Graceland whispers to me
Carry on, carry on
Sweet southern comfort, carry on
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"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.
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"
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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.
This song makes me think about my life and how I take too many things for granted. It brings back memories of my childhood adventures. This, by far, is a great song!
this song really hit me when i first heard it, i grew up in North Carolina and i miss a lot of the things it mentioned: "muddy water, cotton feilds, magnolias, jasmine" it's a great song
I love this song. No other region has the soul the South has. The only thing this song lacks is that it does not mention Virginia. It is a big omission to leave out the home state of General Lee and the state of the Confederat capital.
My moms friend wrote this song. It's about my hometown - Town Creek, Alabama. I know every person mentioned in this song. :D It makes me smile every time I hear it, knowing that it's about my home and where I've grown up. Makes me miss it even though I've only been gone for a year and I'm going back this coming spring.
Technically, 'amymonkey', it also omits Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri too (though the latter never "officially" left the Union); but you're right, the omission of the Commonwealth of Virginia is a terrible oversight. He barely squeezes in Tennessee with the "Blessed Graceland" line (because everyone in Dixie knows it's "blessed" 'cause it's Jesus' house when Elvis isn't staying there). Short of that it's a great anthem to the South Land!
I'm a native to Washington state.yes that liberal state where it rains 300 days a year.but my dad & mom are real life hill billies from down south.I have spent a lot of time living in Virginia, North Carolina,Texas,and South Carolina.I can say the south is my kind of place.wish I was still down there.although I don't know if it would still be as i remember it.