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.
Proud enough for you to call me arrogant
Greedy enough to be labeled a thief
Angry enough for me to go and hurt a man
Cruel enough for me to feel no grief
Never could have just a part of it
I always need more to get by
Getting right down to the heart of it
The root of all evil has been running my whole life
Dirty enough for me to lust
Leaving nothing left to trust
Jealous enough to still feel envious
Lazy enough to sleep all day
And let my life just waste away
Selfish enough to make you wait for me
Driven blindly by our sins
Misled so easily
Entirely ready to leave it behind
I'm begging to break free
Take all of me
The desires that keep burning deep inside
Cast them all away
And help to give me strength to face another day
I am ready
Help me be what I can be
Self-centered fear has got a hold me
Clutching my throat
Self righteous anger running all through me
Ready to explode
Procrastination paralyzing me
Wanting me dead
These obsessions that keep haunting me
Won't leave my head
Help to do for me what I can't do myself
Take this fear and pain
I can't break out of this prison all alone
Help me break these chains
Humility now my only hope
Won't you take all of me
Heal this dying soul
I can feel my body breaking
I can feel my body breaking
I'm ready to let it all go
I can feel my body shaking
Right down to the foundation
The root of it all
Take all of me
And the drive that keep burning deep inside
Cast it all away
And help to give me strength to face another day
I am ready
Help me be what I can be
I am ready
Come to me
Take me away
Greedy enough to be labeled a thief
Angry enough for me to go and hurt a man
Cruel enough for me to feel no grief
Never could have just a part of it
I always need more to get by
Getting right down to the heart of it
The root of all evil has been running my whole life
Dirty enough for me to lust
Leaving nothing left to trust
Jealous enough to still feel envious
Lazy enough to sleep all day
And let my life just waste away
Selfish enough to make you wait for me
Driven blindly by our sins
Misled so easily
Entirely ready to leave it behind
I'm begging to break free
Take all of me
The desires that keep burning deep inside
Cast them all away
And help to give me strength to face another day
I am ready
Help me be what I can be
Self-centered fear has got a hold me
Clutching my throat
Self righteous anger running all through me
Ready to explode
Procrastination paralyzing me
Wanting me dead
These obsessions that keep haunting me
Won't leave my head
Help to do for me what I can't do myself
Take this fear and pain
I can't break out of this prison all alone
Help me break these chains
Humility now my only hope
Won't you take all of me
Heal this dying soul
I can feel my body breaking
I can feel my body breaking
I'm ready to let it all go
I can feel my body shaking
Right down to the foundation
The root of it all
Take all of me
And the drive that keep burning deep inside
Cast it all away
And help to give me strength to face another day
I am ready
Help me be what I can be
I am ready
Come to me
Take me away
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
this song is epic...and what's cool is that the lyrics are deep but they aren't hard to understand either...they're definitely about someone who's being eaten alive by the nature of his life, which has turned him into a terrible man on all levels, and he wants to break free from it, but he needs help
This song is followed by Repentance (in the AA Suite) off 'Systematic Chaos'. Anyone who says Dream Theater has a bad song is a blasphemer.
The 3rd installment in Portnoy's AA saga. These are parts 6 and 7.
The Glass Prison -> This Dying Soul -> The Root of all Evil
Hmm... Interesting. The first time I listened to the Octavarium album, after Octavarium ended and I put on this song again I realized Octavarium ends just like this one begins, and since Octavarium has 5 parts and this one has parts 6 and 7 I thought it was Octavarium's parts 6 and 7. But YtseJam's theory makes sense too, and I haven't heard The Glass Prison or This Dying Sould yet, so I wouldn't know for sure. Still, this is a great song. =)
I really like this song. My 2nd or 3rd favorite off of Octavarium. It has a very catchy chorus that dares me to sing along everytime I listen
Yeah, I agree with Hank when he says it has a catchy chorus.
I really like the vocal melodies Labrie uses in this song.
kickass song... quit complainin' and go listen to track 6!
Yep your right very catchy one of my favorite DT songs the first part is really cool and the line about breaking these chains in the second part of this song is pretty cool to me also awesome song
Thoe are steps 6 and 7 as outlined by the AA program.
This song also begins with the same note as In The Name of God ended with on Train of Thought.