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.
It is an S.O.S. sent out telepathically
Signs of our distress don't allow complacency
We need restoration now of our integrity
And a drastic bold reminder of our morality
The rectifying troop is here, the ones we've needed all these years
To stop the heinous wrongdoings and verify our moral benevolence as a people
Operation, Operation Rescue
They're here to right our fall, they've heard a troubled call
Operation, Operation Rescue
You wonder where they come from, but I just wonder why they're here at all
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya
Life ever-after is what they're in business for
See them brandish the key to their kingdom's door
It's persuasive, it's a part of you and me
But it's not overwhelming as they wish it to be
If no one believed in fairy tales, there's nothing they could do but fail
Yet everywhere we look someone is trying to reassure our
moral benevolence as a people
Operation, Operation Rescue
They're here to right our fall, they've heard someone's troubled call
Operation, Operation Rescue
You wonder where they come from, but I just wonder what compels them all
Operation, Operation Rescue
Operation, Operation Rescue
You may wonder where they come from
But I just wonder what compels them all
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Signs of our distress don't allow complacency
We need restoration now of our integrity
And a drastic bold reminder of our morality
The rectifying troop is here, the ones we've needed all these years
To stop the heinous wrongdoings and verify our moral benevolence as a people
Operation, Operation Rescue
They're here to right our fall, they've heard a troubled call
Operation, Operation Rescue
You wonder where they come from, but I just wonder why they're here at all
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya
Life ever-after is what they're in business for
See them brandish the key to their kingdom's door
It's persuasive, it's a part of you and me
But it's not overwhelming as they wish it to be
If no one believed in fairy tales, there's nothing they could do but fail
Yet everywhere we look someone is trying to reassure our
moral benevolence as a people
Operation, Operation Rescue
They're here to right our fall, they've heard someone's troubled call
Operation, Operation Rescue
You wonder where they come from, but I just wonder what compels them all
Operation, Operation Rescue
Operation, Operation Rescue
You may wonder where they come from
But I just wonder what compels them all
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Lyrics submitted by The Automatic Man, edited by DanVitaleRocks
Operation Rescue Lyrics as written by Greg Graffin
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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pinkfade, Man, this isn't normally the kind of thing I'd respond to, and it's been 2.5 years since your post, but for the sake of any other kids like you who might read this, I have to respond.
First off, if you had taken the time to read the previous posts, you'd have seen that Operation Rescue is an ACTUAL ORGANIZATION. A pro-life group (anti-abortion, in case I need to break it down further).
On that note, maybe if you would make an effort to listen more, read more, and learn to figure out for yourself the answer to, "Why do people say what they say or do the things that they do?", you might learn to appreciate your parents a little more. Every word or action (from ANYONE you encounter) is driven by a motive (conscious or subconscious). Figure out the motive and then judge your response. In MOST cases your parents genuinely love you, in spite of what you might believe. With that in mind, the things they tell you to do are generally driven by the belief that it is what is in your best interest. I'm not saying they are always right, dumb people can often have great motives. I'm just saying that maybe you ought to cut them some slack and at least consider the possibility that they know something you don't and think about what it is they are saying, and why they are saying it.
Want to know my motive for telling you this? I've been there, and my hatred for the "system" is probably best described by the Ramallah song "Heart Full of Love". It pisses me off that the vast majority of sheeple are so blind to the injustices, criminal acts, thievery and oppression that the power elite commit in our world every day. Why? Because I've come to understand that I genuinely love the sheeple. Poor, stupid bastards, I can't stand to see them taken advantage of just because they are too stupid to ask "Why?". My love for all people is what makes me hate seeing others make the same mistakes that I have. Calm down, brother. Look at the prisons and the graveyards, the streets and the treatment centers, and you'll find them filled with people who can't let that anger and hatred go (or at least have channeled it poorly). A world of addicts, bangers, and domestic terrorists is NOT the world I want to live in. In fact, these end up being the people that the "system" uses to justify MORE AND MORE strict enforcement of conformity. We need change, but burning down your school just makes YOU look crazy, it doesn't affect the REAL culprits AT ALL. In essence, you are making things worse. You want to make things better? Calm down, it's a long road. Don't go popping off like a bottlerocket, they don't impress anyone.
I'm pretty sure that Bad Religion (or Ramallah, Rob Lind for that matter) never intended to glorify that anger (as you relate to from the burning kid on the "Suffer" album), as much as point out that it is a SYMPTOM OF the state of society (that "society had better learn to recognize" ...as Lind says in a different tune).
The song is definitely about the pro-life organization of the SAME NAME. Oh, and by the way, to punkpirate ...like it or not, this song IS pushing a morality. EVERYONE pushes morality. You saying, "live and let live" IS a judgement against anyone who feels compelled to stop abortion. The general consensus of society pushes it's weighty morality on each and every one of us in different ways every day. We can't all be happy about everything all of the time, and that's just the way it is. Cheer up, "Slumber Will Come Soon".
thought provoking response sentinel, i can relate to your sentiments.
operationrescue.org has everything you need to know about this stupid organization for stupid people. I don't know for sure how I feel about abortion, but I do know that pushing morality on other people is wrong.
to quote George Carlin, "if a fetus is a person, why don't we celebrate our birthdays 9 months earlier?"
Genius song Greg wrote on censorship, amazing no one has commented on it. 20/10 Greg...good job.
I actually figured out the real meaning. Operation Rescue is a group of people who think they can make homosexuals heterosexual. The leader, and his followers have been accused of stalking and assualt, and other crimes. The censorship thing still makes sense though.
Operation Rescue is actually a pro-life group. In the live version of this song, on the import "Tested," Greg mentions Randall Terry (The founder of Operation Rescue) very near the end of the song.
I could be totally wrong, but I interpreted the song in a religious sense instead of taking "operation rescue" literally. The first few lines that jumped out at me were "It's an s.o.s. sent out telepathically", "See them brandish the key to our kingdom's door" and "If no one believed in fairytales there's nothing they could do but fail". I think the lyrics are talking about religious figures in churches (priests, nuns, etc.) who are the 'rectifying troop'. They are constantly trying to impose moral standards and right our wrongs, as if rescuing us from the wrongdoings and chaotic life we live in today.
Now, back to the quotes above. "s.o.s sent out telepathically" seems to be symbolic of prayer. It's people asking for help from God in a time of need. "Life ever-after is what they're in business for, see them brandish the key to our kingdom's door": this reminds me of how religious figures feel they have a key into Heaven and they are 'brandishing' it (waving it around) in a condescending manner. Last, "If no one believed in fairy tales, there's nothing they could do but fail". If nobody trusted religion (which is metaphorically a fairytale) then the churches would have no authority. They would fail if nobody believed in god.
I think the most important part of the song is the line "I just wonder why they're here at all/what compels them all". This is questioning their motives in promoting benevolence and bringing people into the church. Many other BR songs point out the greed of religion and other problems within the church. I feel that the big question of this song is- do these church figures really care about restoring morality or are they in it for themselves?
I realize that Operation Rescue is a real organization and I am sure Graffin does too but i don't believe this song is about that organization in particular. Also I definitely do not believe its about censorship. The song just seems to be about people trying to "rescue" each other (usually through religion) from nothing for no apparent reason. Also another theme in the song, (my favorite) is that there really doesn't seem to be a reason why people do this. "You wonder where they come from, but I just wonder what compels them all". When I hear this song it just reminds me of how angry I get when people come to my door to talk about religion, and tell me that I need to be saved. Why the fuck do they care?
Like Al Pist says,
Perhaps I could be wrong, suppose that it's all true I'll find out on my own, I don't want to hear it from you You're obsessed with pointing fingers, blind to your hypocrisies I'd rather burn in hell than be like you down on your knees
Don't want your illumination I can see clearly on my own And I don't need you to judge me Let those without sin cast the first fucking stone AmenÂ… (From The Pist, song: The First Stone)
i love it. I fucking love it. I thought; and it pretty much damm appears so; the teenage punks and parent bullshit..
parents pompously thinking my child's heading down the wrong direction... ;) but I have authority till he's 18. Its my self-rightious duty as a parent to - "bend-him-straight"- have to do what I have to do; must correct their dangerous precarious unstability before its too late.
And one day you wake up to find two overgrown escorts here to take you away to the out-of-state residential treatment center for teens you would hit the ground running to avoid. (they tackle you if you try to run away) :)
My hatred as the burning kid on the suffer cover derives from these institutions and the system tied in with the school district kidnap these kids and force their way of life upon them. Il burn em' all down. Starting with Islandview and then provo Canyon. :) still alittle bitter about it and might just kill anyone who tryes to defend that system. I swear.
haha yea this song most likely is about censorship or the organization of IQ32 homophobes.