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.
One unworthy worker's version on the verge of vernacular
Enter a sour house to do battle with spectacular draculas
Lick tall walls to find them all sweeter than a cane
Pour the quick elixir in your wounds to ease the pain
Oh
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Medicine of modern miracles, voodoo to those out of focus
Experts explain experience -- "Hocus pocus, hocus pocus!"
Mouthfuls down in a floating locus, most of us deny
Medicine of modern miracles, who knew circles with no foci?
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Trapped in sap, chambered in a tree
Shadow of a giant across the centuries
Bits of shattered glass scattered on the shore
Break the genie bottle and open up the door
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Enter a sour house to do battle with spectacular draculas
Lick tall walls to find them all sweeter than a cane
Pour the quick elixir in your wounds to ease the pain
Oh
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Medicine of modern miracles, voodoo to those out of focus
Experts explain experience -- "Hocus pocus, hocus pocus!"
Mouthfuls down in a floating locus, most of us deny
Medicine of modern miracles, who knew circles with no foci?
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Trapped in sap, chambered in a tree
Shadow of a giant across the centuries
Bits of shattered glass scattered on the shore
Break the genie bottle and open up the door
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Ooo, plum been running, buck a doz
Ooo, smoke banshee's honey bee sting buzz
Lyrics submitted by shadowwiththeeyes
Smoke Banshee Lyrics as written by Jean-paul Gaster Dan Maines
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song has always perplexed me. Like most of Neil Fallon's lyrics the meaning can be highly subjective. My opinion on the meaning of Smoke Banshee is that it's referencing all the medicinal cures that have been deemed unsuitable for public consumption. A Banshee is usually a reference to Death. The lyric "Medicine of modern miracles, voodoo to those out of focus Experts explain experience -- "Hocus pocus, hocus pocus!" seems to be saying that the so called experts (FDA maybe?) are holding back important research and possible cures to disease by telling the public it's quackery (voodoo and the hocus pocus). The reason this is done is so big drug companies can continue to monopolize the industry and continue to make obscene amounts of money off the sick. Marijuana prohibition comes to mind....
Excellent analysis swollengoat68.....it is very hard for me to understand the meaning of clutch's lyrics sometimes.....i always have an idea of what it means it's just hard for me to put it into words and that's where people like you come in to help me haha....I've always been a fan of clutch, but I have a much deeper respect for them than i ever did before now that i understand Neil's lyrics.....i use to think he was just a guy with a heavy voice to fit the band......but it amazes me how intelligent their lyrics are in combination with the humor. I love it.
kudos to you,great explanation
The only lines of this song that, to me, are apparently decipherable are:
"Trapped in sap, chambered in a tree Shadow of a giant across the centuries"
These lines make me think of the scene in Jurassic Park where the scientists harvest dinosaur DNA by drilling it out of petrified mosquitoes that were trapped in sap. "Giant across the centuries" could plausibly refer to a dinosaur.
"Pour the quick elixir in your wounds to ease the pain," could be a reference to Rosicrucianism. I say this because Neil Fallon has since made references to Rosicrucianism/Christian Rosenkreuz in at least a few other songs (in The Amazing Kreskinand and at least one other that I can't think of at the moment).
I love this song but more than the meaning, one thing has always perplexed me, what does he say between "...plum been runnin'..." and "Trapped in a sap"?
sounds like "Try it!" or "Cry out!"
probably the former, but I'd appreciate it if someone could clear that up for me, thanks.
The song seems to be one rejecting the idea of Marijuana prohibition as the user SwollenGoat68 has mentioned. 'Worker's version' refers to opinions of common masses. 'Verge of vernacular' might mean their being on the edge of falling back on the use of pot for numbing down their pain. Sour house is pot. Spectacular draculas might be inner or outer monsters Sweeter than cane because it gets you high. It is like exilir because it makes you feel good and at the same time kills your pain. Medicine of modern.......circles with no foci is about how modern medicine is not available for those out of focus or the lower strata of society. To them, expert opinion is hocus pocus. Those who avail the medicine also take a lot of it and our bodies deny them and possibly faces side effects. These are therefore useless like a circle without a foci if neither the poor can avail them nor the rich can benefit from. Trapped in a sap.......open up the door is all about marijuana use being centuries old, the ban on it and singer's plea to lift it. I couldn't figure out the chorus. Thank you :)