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 am waitin' 'til I don't know when
'Cause I'm sure it's gonna happen then
Time keeps creepin' through the neighborhood
Killing old folks, wakin' up babies
Just like we knew it would
All the neighbors are startin' up a fire
Burning all the old folks the witches and the liars
My eyes are covered by the hands of my unborn kids
But my heart keeps watchin'
Through the skin of my eyelids
They say a watched pot won't ever boil
Well I closed my eyes and nothin' changed
Just some water getting hotter in the flames
It's not a lover I want no more
And it's not heaven I'm pining for
But there's some spirit I used to know
That's been drowned out by the radio
They say a watched pot won't ever boil
You can't raise a baby on motor oil
Just like a seed down in the soil
You gotta give it time
'Cause I'm sure it's gonna happen then
Time keeps creepin' through the neighborhood
Killing old folks, wakin' up babies
Just like we knew it would
All the neighbors are startin' up a fire
Burning all the old folks the witches and the liars
My eyes are covered by the hands of my unborn kids
But my heart keeps watchin'
Through the skin of my eyelids
They say a watched pot won't ever boil
Well I closed my eyes and nothin' changed
Just some water getting hotter in the flames
It's not a lover I want no more
And it's not heaven I'm pining for
But there's some spirit I used to know
That's been drowned out by the radio
They say a watched pot won't ever boil
You can't raise a baby on motor oil
Just like a seed down in the soil
You gotta give it time
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Van Halen
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
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.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
It's common knowledge that Arcade Fire named the album on which this song appears Funeral because they had lost several close relations during the recording. But I think those losses sparked a more general contemplation of the contribution of the older generations and how they both affected and were affected by the passage of time in the twentieth century. The Arcade Fire often uses their music to make sociopolitical statements, and nowhere is this more evident than in the "Neighborhood" series, in which each song seems to reference a different time period in modern history.
This last song in the "Neighborhood" cycle apparently concludes when the album was released, in 2004 and addresses the frustration that many contemporary Westerners feel with the the unresponsiveness of governmental powers to the impending crises that threaten to destroy our world: "Well, I closed my eyes and nothing changed,/Just some water getting hotter in the flames." The singer recognizes that soon he, too, will become the "last generation," and the decision-making power will be in the hands of his descendants, the "unborn children" who cover his eyes. Nonetheless, he is still very much emotionally involved in the outcome of his generation's decisions for them ("my heart keeps watching through the skin of my eyelids").
Perhaps the most overtly political song of the cycle, "Neighborhood #4" criticizes the contemporary rebirth of Christian fundamentalism and the warmongering of the U.S. government in lines like "the neighbors are starting up a fire,/Burning all the old folks, the witches, and the liars." It also touches on the environmental crisis ("You can't raise a baby on motor oil") and more directly alludes to the isolation that has continued to define the lives of the kids who came of age in "Neighborhood #3," during the birth of the Internet age. It's not romance that will fill this emptiness and it's not religion, it's the community and humanistic values that have been sacrificed for economic and political advancement: "But there's some spirit I used to know/That's been drowned out by the radio!"
Together, the four "Neighborhood" songs represent a bleak review of the twentieth century and a cautionary but hopeful vision of the twenty-first. According to Arcade Fire, if our generation plants "a seed" of change "down in the soil" and "give it time," the results may be worth waiting for.
Please see my comments on the other "Neighborhood" songs for more details on how this song cycle makes a sociopolitical statement.