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.
life is full of chances
lets not take any today
better to be safe than sorry as they say
and its not what you do
its how you do it
rules arnt here for you to be exploited
55 in a one-way school-zone street
bearing down on that pedal with your feet
children run and children play
lets be careful not to lose a life today
flock of chicken on the farmers dirt road
if you gunna speed turn around and go back home
rural folk lead rural little lives
in come the city slicks and trouble arrives
here are some examples that we know quite well
friends anf family taking a spill
sara johnson sees trafic signs everywhere
when she blows right throught you can tell she doesn't care
she turned right on red and it was otherwise posted
abuse of the system will only got her busted
jayme vanout of dutch decent
playing baseball in the rain and got all wet
ignored all the signs that lightening was close
but the lightening missed her, lightening hit the post
john short hitch hiking to the show
put out a thumb got in a car there was somthing he didn't know
turns out the driver wasn't so nice after all
and 96 percent of all hitch hikers take a deadly fall
sara elis running by the tracks
train come along with that clickty clack
shoe lace gets caught on a rail road spike
close call with death but she came out alright
francis wilson with scissors in her hand
runs up stairs to get the glue stick off the bed stand
trips on her way, and takes a fall
lucky for her she wasn't hurt at all
kayla dix reachin for her pipe
grabs a match to ignite
with one deep inhale she forgets about the flame
lights the carpit on fire and who's blame
kario paraal whatever
how often do people die in lawn chairs he thinks never
as it were he could he couldn't be further from the truth
lawn chair related death are second among youth
dan hall ross walkin down south main
falling ice with cautionary signs to expain
neglects the sign and doesn't look up
i mean ice could be falling dan what the fuck
people preocupied with cancer and stds
why can't focus on the obsurities
its a dangerous threat to people of all the land
the spot light has been moved to diseases on demand
lets not take any today
better to be safe than sorry as they say
and its not what you do
its how you do it
rules arnt here for you to be exploited
55 in a one-way school-zone street
bearing down on that pedal with your feet
children run and children play
lets be careful not to lose a life today
flock of chicken on the farmers dirt road
if you gunna speed turn around and go back home
rural folk lead rural little lives
in come the city slicks and trouble arrives
here are some examples that we know quite well
friends anf family taking a spill
sara johnson sees trafic signs everywhere
when she blows right throught you can tell she doesn't care
she turned right on red and it was otherwise posted
abuse of the system will only got her busted
jayme vanout of dutch decent
playing baseball in the rain and got all wet
ignored all the signs that lightening was close
but the lightening missed her, lightening hit the post
john short hitch hiking to the show
put out a thumb got in a car there was somthing he didn't know
turns out the driver wasn't so nice after all
and 96 percent of all hitch hikers take a deadly fall
sara elis running by the tracks
train come along with that clickty clack
shoe lace gets caught on a rail road spike
close call with death but she came out alright
francis wilson with scissors in her hand
runs up stairs to get the glue stick off the bed stand
trips on her way, and takes a fall
lucky for her she wasn't hurt at all
kayla dix reachin for her pipe
grabs a match to ignite
with one deep inhale she forgets about the flame
lights the carpit on fire and who's blame
kario paraal whatever
how often do people die in lawn chairs he thinks never
as it were he could he couldn't be further from the truth
lawn chair related death are second among youth
dan hall ross walkin down south main
falling ice with cautionary signs to expain
neglects the sign and doesn't look up
i mean ice could be falling dan what the fuck
people preocupied with cancer and stds
why can't focus on the obsurities
its a dangerous threat to people of all the land
the spot light has been moved to diseases on demand
Lyrics submitted by Poegwen
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
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.
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.