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.
The day you start to doubt it
Is the day you don’t get through
He doesn’t want to talk about it
He says it feels so good just to be with you
And all this time it’s still on your mind
You got to learn to have faith sometimes
Careful now, when the truth comes out
You’ll be gone, you’re the one he depends on
Tess don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Shhhh, don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Tess don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Shhhh, don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Drive into the darkness
The night stretches out ahead
The truth hits you the hardest
All you should have done
All you should have said
The more he hears, the more he tries
Keep you secret safe inside
He can’t help what he’s become
And now you’re gone,
You’re the one he depends on
Tess don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Shhhh, don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Tess don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Shhhh, don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Is the day you don’t get through
He doesn’t want to talk about it
He says it feels so good just to be with you
And all this time it’s still on your mind
You got to learn to have faith sometimes
Careful now, when the truth comes out
You’ll be gone, you’re the one he depends on
Tess don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Shhhh, don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Tess don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Shhhh, don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Drive into the darkness
The night stretches out ahead
The truth hits you the hardest
All you should have done
All you should have said
The more he hears, the more he tries
Keep you secret safe inside
He can’t help what he’s become
And now you’re gone,
You’re the one he depends on
Tess don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Shhhh, don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Tess don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Shhhh, don’t tell
It’s just for you, it’s not for anybody else
Lyrics submitted by wishin4u
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i love ivy. this is one of my favourites off their new album.
often i find their lyrics not so easy to interpret.
from what i understand, the singer is 'tess.' she's in a relationship with a boyfriend who is very private, has his own inner demons and while he depends on, he doesn't show it easily.
she has questions that she wants to pose to him. she has issues that she wants to discuss. but he "keeps their secrets close".
and there is also a sense of irony that if she leaves, only then will she discover that in fact she is the most important person to him.
in some ways the refrain is the singer telling tess to stay. a little secret "not for anybody else" to help her along, to let her know that she should stay.
it's about how she struggles to stay in a relationship, and how hard it can be to have faith in what can often appear to be a one-sided relationship.
I think it's about how the girlfriend has suspicions about her guy cheating on her & when she questions him, he doesn't deny it nor does he agree with her (he doesn't want to talk about it; he says it feels so good just to be with you & you gotta learn to have faith sometimes). One day, the girl catches him & she starts realizing what she should have done or said to him so that he'll only be interested in her, but then she also realizes that it's not her fault so she leaves the guy. After she leaves, the guy then realizes just how much the girl means to him (the truth hits you the hardest).