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 racing for you honey
But you take your love
From under my feet
The very moment I arrive
I hold the invitation in my hand
You smile and I don't understand
When you tell me the writing ain't yours
You were the one thing I could count on
Even if your apathy was what I expected
Oh darling I waited and waited to feel your footsteps
And to hear your breath
But maybe I just wanted someone to wait for
[Chorus]
You were ever in my mind
You were behind my soul each time
I held it to the flame
You were ever in my precious thoughts
I'd leave a room of angels
Just to be alone
If only to say your name
I never told you I needed you darling
Like a rose needs the rain
How could you possibly know how much
So I reach for your love
Like the moon and the stars
Ever in my sight
Ever out of touch
There's a spotlight of a holy kind
Think it comes from somewhere
Up in the sky or from some far off lovely place
But this light never ever ever shone on me
At least as far as I could see
So I sat in the dark and I watched you
Now I just cry to myself
When there's no one around
And I teach myself to walk backwards
Out of any given situation
Yes I can be graceful and try
Not to step on my train and
You don't have to say goodbye
But I'll be right here if you want to
[Chorus]
Now I could paint your portrait
If I never saw you again
When I am old someone may ask me
If I ever loved
And I will speak but they won't recognize
My words, they'll say I'm telling lies
And maybe I am
Maybe I am
All I know is
[Chorus]
But you take your love
From under my feet
The very moment I arrive
I hold the invitation in my hand
You smile and I don't understand
When you tell me the writing ain't yours
You were the one thing I could count on
Even if your apathy was what I expected
Oh darling I waited and waited to feel your footsteps
And to hear your breath
But maybe I just wanted someone to wait for
[Chorus]
You were ever in my mind
You were behind my soul each time
I held it to the flame
You were ever in my precious thoughts
I'd leave a room of angels
Just to be alone
If only to say your name
I never told you I needed you darling
Like a rose needs the rain
How could you possibly know how much
So I reach for your love
Like the moon and the stars
Ever in my sight
Ever out of touch
There's a spotlight of a holy kind
Think it comes from somewhere
Up in the sky or from some far off lovely place
But this light never ever ever shone on me
At least as far as I could see
So I sat in the dark and I watched you
Now I just cry to myself
When there's no one around
And I teach myself to walk backwards
Out of any given situation
Yes I can be graceful and try
Not to step on my train and
You don't have to say goodbye
But I'll be right here if you want to
[Chorus]
Now I could paint your portrait
If I never saw you again
When I am old someone may ask me
If I ever loved
And I will speak but they won't recognize
My words, they'll say I'm telling lies
And maybe I am
Maybe I am
All I know is
[Chorus]
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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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 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.
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The tune is completely ripped off Fiona Apple's 'Love Ridden'. Before you diss me as a hater, actually listen to the two songs!!!
@FYsi I always thought this song sounded very similar to Never Is A Promise by Fiona Apple, and that What If sounded like Silent All These Years by Tori Amos.
This song is so beautiful. When I hear it I picture sort of a peasant girl who had always been admiring a prince, and one day someone decided to play a nasty trick on her and invite her to the ball. Then she arrives and confesses her love to the prince, but he doesn't return it.
This song reminds me of the autumn, for some reason. So tragic.
But yes, I completely agree with Bugoff. This is one of the best songs from Enchant, and maybe of all of her work.
I think that it's about a girl who fell in love with a guy who didn't loved her back and was even cruel sometimes. She was obsessed and kept loving him forever, but maybe she didn't really love him, she loved being in love and used him to feel in love, so she kind of needed him... but that's just my opinion...
I fully agree with ladylunacy about this song. It hits so close to home for me it's hard to listen to but I love it so much.
To me this song is about a woman who loved a man and he made her believe that he loved her just as much as she loved him, later she finds out all his feelings for her were false. But even though she was so hurt by this she will still always love him no matter what. "So I reach for your love like the moon and the stars. Ever in my sight, ever out of touch" She is there watching him be happy with another woman but yet she still finds her heart aching for him. God, this song is more like my situation than I realized...
All of EA's older work seems to be completely overlooked. This is one of the best songs from Enchant.
I love this song, the very first time I heard it, I cried. It is the most meaningful song to me, of Emilie's. I think it's about falling for someone truly amazing, and not fully realizing it, or not getting the chance to understand how much it really affected that person's life until something happens and the subject of the song is gone and there is no way the narrator can say to that person how they feel, and have always felt.
Something like this happened to me once.
I also think it is beautiful:D Especially the sentence: "I never told you I needed you darling, like a rose needs the rain" Sigh
this song makes me cry ;__;
Its like she loved something and just held it inside and just dreamed about it. I've done that.
I'm in the situation it seems the song is about... Girl falls in love with amazing guy. He shows nothing but confidence in her and is always there for her; he is everything she could want. However, she finds that he doesn't love her the same way she loves him, leaving her to find someone like him (I hold the invitation in my hand; You smile and I don't understand when you tell me the writing ain't yours). However, she's never going to stop loving him, as the chorus suggests. The holy light could be the blessing of love (they say in the musical Les Miserables "To love another is to see the face of God") and it seems like she's watching everyone around her fall in love and pair up, though she's left sitting in the dark watching the man get his share of the light. Now she's a bit jaded and teaches herself to "walk backwards out of any given situation". She's not expecting him to love her in a romantic way anymore, though she would gladly accept if he wanted to give her a chance in a relationship or even to offer some closure to what she thought was requited love. I completely agree; Emilie's older work is overlooked despite the pure emotion and beauty of it.
@ladylunacy Literally me a year ago. And when I say Literally, I do actually mean literally.