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.
[Intro]
Contrary to popular belief
You know what, yo
This is not a love song, it's a sonnet
Damn it feels good to have people up on it but
I'm just a fool playing with the master's tools
Learning how to break the rules of this record company pool
Hallucination, I see with my eyes
But my heart's telling me lies, why do I fantasize
Why am I telling lies to the people from the stage
Pretending it's all good when inside it's fire and rage
Cause I can't understand
How a man lives off the life of another man
Trying to pimp the universe, that's a joke
I stay rocking the boat down to my last note
It's murder she wrote, assassination vocabulary
I see your termination is heavily necessary
I should'a known, they do it for Forbes alone
I do it to break the walls if I fell off then let me know people
[Chorus]
It's funny how life can go
First you ride high then you might lay low
Don't get high off your own supply
Some will set foots before a fall comes by
This is my message to the world
Just trying to reach every boy and girl
Not trying to say if it's right or wrong (you know what, yo)
This is just a love song
Lyrical optometrist with twenty-twenty vision
Servin' rhymes like my granny used to serve provision
Chaotical amniotical fluid, the rap jewett that's fluent
In the art of onomatopoeia
Metaphysical microscopic topic dropper
When I was a kid I wanted roller skates and a bike chopper
But alas, pop, pop, never thought to keep me in style
That's why I'm schizophrenic now so
God bless the child that has his own
The harvest we reap is what we sown
Chrome microphone, shoot it, towards the dome
Of computer digital clones, that mimic philosopher stones
Saying the style's their own, when they bite like mike from Brownsville
That sounds ill, relationship is a mirror
But ch'ya see yourself within, and the picture is clearer
That's why I'm on the scene wit a mic, like Ernesto Guevara
While they exploit your life like Gerardo Rivera, they just
[Chorus]
It's easy not to care, what people say
It's harder to pretend to try
Cause they can only love you, from yesterday
I'm looking at the Nile, it rose high
I'm just a man who's walking
They stand around and keep talking
They tried to clip my wings
But wisdom fills so many things say it again
I'm just a man who's walking
They stand around and keep talking
They tried to clip my wings
But wisdom says so many things, to love, love
[Out]
It's funny how life can go
Don't get high off your own supply
This is my message to the world
Not trying to say if it's right or wrong
This is just a love song
Contrary to popular belief
You know what, yo
This is not a love song, it's a sonnet
Damn it feels good to have people up on it but
I'm just a fool playing with the master's tools
Learning how to break the rules of this record company pool
Hallucination, I see with my eyes
But my heart's telling me lies, why do I fantasize
Why am I telling lies to the people from the stage
Pretending it's all good when inside it's fire and rage
Cause I can't understand
How a man lives off the life of another man
Trying to pimp the universe, that's a joke
I stay rocking the boat down to my last note
It's murder she wrote, assassination vocabulary
I see your termination is heavily necessary
I should'a known, they do it for Forbes alone
I do it to break the walls if I fell off then let me know people
[Chorus]
It's funny how life can go
First you ride high then you might lay low
Don't get high off your own supply
Some will set foots before a fall comes by
This is my message to the world
Just trying to reach every boy and girl
Not trying to say if it's right or wrong (you know what, yo)
This is just a love song
Lyrical optometrist with twenty-twenty vision
Servin' rhymes like my granny used to serve provision
Chaotical amniotical fluid, the rap jewett that's fluent
In the art of onomatopoeia
Metaphysical microscopic topic dropper
When I was a kid I wanted roller skates and a bike chopper
But alas, pop, pop, never thought to keep me in style
That's why I'm schizophrenic now so
God bless the child that has his own
The harvest we reap is what we sown
Chrome microphone, shoot it, towards the dome
Of computer digital clones, that mimic philosopher stones
Saying the style's their own, when they bite like mike from Brownsville
That sounds ill, relationship is a mirror
But ch'ya see yourself within, and the picture is clearer
That's why I'm on the scene wit a mic, like Ernesto Guevara
While they exploit your life like Gerardo Rivera, they just
[Chorus]
It's easy not to care, what people say
It's harder to pretend to try
Cause they can only love you, from yesterday
I'm looking at the Nile, it rose high
I'm just a man who's walking
They stand around and keep talking
They tried to clip my wings
But wisdom fills so many things say it again
I'm just a man who's walking
They stand around and keep talking
They tried to clip my wings
But wisdom says so many things, to love, love
[Out]
It's funny how life can go
Don't get high off your own supply
This is my message to the world
Not trying to say if it's right or wrong
This is just a love song
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just a correction: Sayin a style's their own when they bite like Mike Furounsville
it's mike from brownsville. as in mike tyson, who was from brownsville in new york. pretty funny simile. great song by k-os