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.
Well, she's not bleeding on the ballroom floor
Just for the attention
'Cause that's just ridiculously odd
Well, she sure is gonna get it
Here's the setting
Fashion magazines line the walls now
The walls line the bullet holes
Have some composure
Where is your posture? Oh, no, no
You're pulling the trigger, pulling the trigger
All wrong
Have some composure
Where is your posture? Oh, no, no
You're pulling the trigger, pulling the trigger
All wrong
Give me envy, give me malice, give me your attention
Give me envy, give me malice, baby, give me a break!
When I say shotgun, you say wedding
Shotgun wedding, shotgun wedding
She didn't choose this role
But she'll play it and make it sincere so
So you cry, you cry gGive me a break)
But they believe it from the tears
And the teeth right down to the blood at her feet
Boys will be boys
Hiding in estrogen and wearing Aubergine Dreams (give me a break)
Have some composure
Where is your posture? Oh, no, no
You're pulling the trigger, pulling the trigger
All wrong
Have some composure
Where is your posture? Oh, no, no
You're pulling the trigger, pulling the trigger
All wrong
Come on this is screaming photo op, op
Come on, come on
This is screaming, this is screaming
This is screaming photo op
Boys will be boys, baby
Boys will be boys
Boys will be boys, baby
Boys will be boys
Give me envy, give me malice, give me your attention
Give me envy, give me malice, baby, give me a break
When I say shotgun, you say wedding
Shotgun wedding, shotgun wedding
Boys will be boys
Hiding in estrogen and boys will be boys
Boys will be boys
Hiding in estrogen and wearing Aubergine Dreams
Just for the attention
'Cause that's just ridiculously odd
Well, she sure is gonna get it
Here's the setting
Fashion magazines line the walls now
The walls line the bullet holes
Have some composure
Where is your posture? Oh, no, no
You're pulling the trigger, pulling the trigger
All wrong
Have some composure
Where is your posture? Oh, no, no
You're pulling the trigger, pulling the trigger
All wrong
Give me envy, give me malice, give me your attention
Give me envy, give me malice, baby, give me a break!
When I say shotgun, you say wedding
Shotgun wedding, shotgun wedding
She didn't choose this role
But she'll play it and make it sincere so
So you cry, you cry gGive me a break)
But they believe it from the tears
And the teeth right down to the blood at her feet
Boys will be boys
Hiding in estrogen and wearing Aubergine Dreams (give me a break)
Have some composure
Where is your posture? Oh, no, no
You're pulling the trigger, pulling the trigger
All wrong
Have some composure
Where is your posture? Oh, no, no
You're pulling the trigger, pulling the trigger
All wrong
Come on this is screaming photo op, op
Come on, come on
This is screaming, this is screaming
This is screaming photo op
Boys will be boys, baby
Boys will be boys
Boys will be boys, baby
Boys will be boys
Give me envy, give me malice, give me your attention
Give me envy, give me malice, baby, give me a break
When I say shotgun, you say wedding
Shotgun wedding, shotgun wedding
Boys will be boys
Hiding in estrogen and boys will be boys
Boys will be boys
Hiding in estrogen and wearing Aubergine Dreams
Lyrics submitted by ADimeADexter, edited by Ninjasauceman
Time To Dance Lyrics as written by Spencer Smith George Ross
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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Great version of a great song,
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Song clearly about Invisible Monsters. First verse, Brandy Alexander bleeding out at the beginning of the book. There are a couple of allusions in the first chapter, and most likely when it's revisited later as well although I'm too lazy to look for them, about how even in a tragic event like this, the 3 characters are still vying for their share of the spotlight, vying for attention. Hence the reference to whether or not she's bleeding on the floor for the attention. "Here's the setting:..." is even kind of a direct lift from the very beginning of the book; "This is called scene setting: where everybody is, who's alive, who's dead."
The chorus, the "Have some composure, where is your posture?" part, I think is an extension of the idea of such deep vanity that it extends to such a serious moment. Even when Evie is shooting someone, in her mind, she it is a superficial act for the attention, so to me it's either what she's saying to herself in the back of her mind, or it's coming from one of the other two characters present, scrutinizing her form while shooting Brandy for beauty and gracefulness.
"Give me malice. Flash." is right there in the first few pages. I know I saw "Give me attention. Flash." at some point a bit deeper into it. "Give me a break. Flash." was definitely in there. I would be willing to bet "Give me envy" is in there somewhere too.
"When I say 'shotgun', you say 'wedding'." is a clear reference to the shooting. Even though Evie used a rifle, the narrator describes Brandy as being "shotgunned, at the bottom of the staircase, bleeding to death." So, yeah. Obvious.
Second verse could be about Shannon, as said. I would think it's about Brandy though, the same scene, her lying on the floor bleeding. "She didn't choose this role, but she'll play it an make it sincere." (For anyone who has read this book, think: Do what you LEAST want. Hence, she chose the person she became, but didn't in the sense that she didn't want to be that.) And it's talking about her fake emotion, the overly sentimental way she's asking Shannon to tell her what happened to this point, after which it has the "Give me a break. Flash."...so I think the "Give me a break" in the background after "You cry" is a clue as to what it's referring to, possibly.
"Boys will be boys, hiding in estrogen and wearing Aubergine Dreams" is not about Seth or about a generality of gay men, as has been suggested by a couple of people. Definitely Brandy, since as someone pointed out, she used to be a man, and it references about a hundred times her "aubergine eyes" and even the particular shade of eyeliner she uses: Aubergine Dreams.
"Come on, this is screaming 'photo op'." seems to just be a reflection of that superficial mindset in general, where everything is artificial. Could quite possibly also be a fairly directly lifted line from somewhere in the book.
And yes, excellent book. Not his best though. Rant, people...read Rant. xD
this song totally makes me think of the book "invisible monsters" with the reference to shooting, attention, estrogen and aubergine. also the "give me ...." thing is kind of a writing theme in the book as will it will be like Flash. give me insert emotion word here so i'm guessing panic at the disco wrote this song inspired by chuck palahniuk's book.
To me it kinda reminds me of The lead singer of Anberlin's voice. but hey what do i know... I cant wait to read that book. I'm on my way to the library right now. I swear.
this entire song is an allusion to the book Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk. i love it. the whole: shotgun wedding aubergine dreams estrogens etc.etc. read that book asap if you haven't already.
this is 100% correct.<br /> <br /> many of their songs come from that book. and were inspired by it. the movie is coming out this summer
I don't want to sound stupid here, but I was hoping someone could tell me what aubergine dreams are?
Yeah, aubergine is the french word for eggplant. So just think the color of eggplant. :DD
This is really really old, sorry.<br /> But if I remember correctly, Aubergine Dreams was the name of some sort of makeup in the book Invisible Monsters.<br /> Like how lipstick can be named "Cherry Red" or "Kiss Me Pink" or something.<br /> And yeah, aubergine is French for eggplant, so it would be some shade of purple.
And I just read the rest of the comments on here... sorry. >.<<br /> I'd delete my comment if I knew how.
greatest song ever!
This song is about a bride who commits suicide upon her wedding night.
Well, she's not bleeding on the ballroom floor Just for the attention 'Cause that's just ridiculously odd Well, she sure is going to get it Here's the setting Fashion magazines line the walls now The walls line the bullet holes
The opening starts with a scene of a bride who has killed herself on the ballroom floor. She has long waited for this day, hiding her suicidal thoughts (bullet holes) behind her wedding plans (fashion magazines)
When I say shotgun, you say wedding Shotgun, wedding, shotgun, wedding
One would assume that this was an arranged marriage, coincidentally, a SHOTGUN MARRIAGE.
She didn't choose this role But she'll play it and make it sincere So you cry, you cry (Give me a break) But they believe it from the tears And the teeth right down to the blood at her feet Boys will be boys Hiding in estrogen and wearing aubergine dreams (Give me a break)
More light is shed upon this issue as the wedding IS revealed to be a shotgun marriage, with the bride smiling through her tears on her wedding night, about to be wedded to a man she had not wanted. (She didn't choose this role)
And when she finally kills herself, the crowd is taken by complete surprise. The point of view then shifts to the groom, who (open to interpretation) is a rash young man, blinded by ranging hormones and a young life (boys will be boys, hiding in estrogen, and wearing aubergine)
Give me envy, give me malice, give me your attention Give me envy, give me malice, baby, give me a break
To say the least, their relationship has been a taxing, uneasy relationship, the kind that demands constant devotion and yet feels extremely taxing at the same time.
As for the chorus, it all puts the general feel down quite nicely: Have some composure And where is your posture? Oh, no, no You're pulling the trigger Pulling the trigger All wrong
Come on this is screaming photo op, op Come on Come on This is screaming This is screaming This is screaming photo op.
When I read these lines, I can feel the groom's hollow sense of rage, regret, and sorrow, turning into rage once again.
This song intoxicating. Addicted the first time I heard it. Invisible Monsters refferences = Awesome
It is truly about Invisible Monsters.
i didnt choose this name for nothin ;)
in the book her eyes are 'aubergine.' aka some shade of purple. aubergine dreams.
not HER eyes, ie: the main character. Brandy's eyes are lined with a color named Aubergine Dreams, and it's refferenced throughout the book. Aubergine is a purple color.