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.
MARY
I've been living to see you
Dying to see you, but it shouldn't be like this
This was unexpected
What do I do now?
Could we start again please?
I've been very hopeful so far
Now, for the first time, I think we're going wrong
Hurry up and tell me
This is just a dream or
Could we start again please?
PETER
I think you've made your point now
You've even gone a bit too far to get the message home
Before it gets too frightening
We ought to call a halt so
Could we start again please?
ALL
Wish I could reassure you
Wish I could talk to you and tell you how I feel
I've been very careless
This I don't deny, but
Could we start again please?
I'm sure you know I love you
But somehow I just stood aside and let you slip away
Perhaps that's how you want it
Perhaps I want that, too
Could we start again please?
Could we start again?
I've been living to see you
Dying to see you, but it shouldn't be like this
This was unexpected
What do I do now?
Could we start again please?
I've been very hopeful so far
Now, for the first time, I think we're going wrong
Hurry up and tell me
This is just a dream or
Could we start again please?
PETER
I think you've made your point now
You've even gone a bit too far to get the message home
Before it gets too frightening
We ought to call a halt so
Could we start again please?
ALL
Wish I could reassure you
Wish I could talk to you and tell you how I feel
I've been very careless
This I don't deny, but
Could we start again please?
I'm sure you know I love you
But somehow I just stood aside and let you slip away
Perhaps that's how you want it
Perhaps I want that, too
Could we start again please?
Could we start again?
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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.
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
beautiful song. Mary wants to know where it all went wrong and if there was anything that she could have done to stop it. and she's wishing that everything could have turned out diffrently
First heard this song in the Norman Jewison film version of the musical. As far as I know it wasn't included in the original stage run, although I believe it has been used in more current productions.
In any case, it is a beautiful and haunting song, even when taken out of the context of Jesus Christ Superstar.
This is the song, aside from Gethsemane, that always gets me. I think it's meant to show how horrified Mary and Peter was as they were seeing that Jesus being the Messiah actually meant that He would be tortured and beaten, and at this point of the musical, they knew he'd end up being crucified.
Mary's part, where she says she had been living to see Him but not like that (being beaten) and Peter's "I think you've made your point now" shows how they and other disciples misunderstood what Jesus was doing. All they saw were the miracles and the growing crowd and they thought everything would be glorious, they thought everything was going to be all silk and lace. But Jesus had been telling them all along "Neither you or the 50,000 understand what power is, what glory is, understand at all."
This song shows that they are finally beginning to understand that for Jesus to fulfill His promise to them (Any one of you can inherit the Kingdom), Jesus needs to undergo unbelieveable suffering and give up His life (Body and blood, the blood of the NEW and EVERLASTING covenant), and this song shows that they love Him and couldn't bear to see Him suffering, even pleading with Him to stop what was happening. "Before it gets too frightening (Crucifixion), we ought to call a halt. Could we start again, please?" They can only do that if Jesus lived which Jesus could have chosen to do (remember Pilate wanted to save Jesus, not crucify him).