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.
This state I'm in
A place I've never been
I'm dying to meet you here
Come break this skin
I'll let you sink right in
And show you everything
See you in hell
We'll gather around the fire
And I will lead the choir
Sing farewell
See you in hell
Come break my spell
We'll drown the wishing well
We'll find some time to kill
I'll be right there
The buzz inside your head
The hum of electric chair
See you in hell
We'll gather round the fire
And I don't need the choir
Sing farewell
See you in hell
A place I've never been
I'm dying to meet you here
Come break this skin
I'll let you sink right in
And show you everything
See you in hell
We'll gather around the fire
And I will lead the choir
Sing farewell
See you in hell
Come break my spell
We'll drown the wishing well
We'll find some time to kill
I'll be right there
The buzz inside your head
The hum of electric chair
See you in hell
We'll gather round the fire
And I don't need the choir
Sing farewell
See you in hell
Lyrics submitted by intothegrinder2
Hell Lyrics as written by David Eric Grohl Christopher A. Shiflett
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This songs pretty cool in that it's just a straight-up, under 2 minute rock out in typical foo fashion. reminds me a little of the sounds from Colour and the Shape.
That chorus is so typical hard rock.
"SEE YOU IN HELLLLLLLL! SEE YOU IN HELLLLLLLL!"
you get the idea. cool song.
I just love how DOA runs straight into this song, the two meshing perfectly.
Besides that, the lyrics just work, and the music just carries it through. Got to love it.
A Fight Song !
the ending Makes You Wanna Go Crazy!
Air Guitar Song!!
I blew my ears out with this osng tongiht! Woot!
Wow... I'm surprised the comments are so few... even though I feel guilty about singing 'see you in hell' (Im a christian), this song is probably my second favorite on this album....
Anyone else think the intro sounds like the intro to Led Zeppelin's 'The Song Remains The Same'? Only in that almost machine-gun strumming way, but yeah...
Also: 'The Pretender''s intro sounds like Stairway's intro... hm. Well, we all know Dave loves Zeppelin, so it's all good.
This is a cool song. I like the lyrics, title, guitars, all together awesome song. What's the meaning, though. No one knows either?.....maybe it's aboot his view on the afterlife, that there isn't one (that's my view, I'm an atheist) and his laughing aboot it, thinking aboot the possibility of being there if one were to exist, yet not taking it seriously. That's more literal, though, maybe it's another relationship song, aboot two people who are distorted, confused, and have plenty of issues who understand that and go together like glue and paper. Could be....
"SEE YOU IN HELL!!"
I think this song explains how misery loves company. He wants somebody else to break his skin so he can show them what kind of state he's in. He'll lead the descent because he's indifferent to HELLLLLL. He tells us to break his spell by giving us examples that don't make any sense. You can't drown a wishing well and you sure as hell can't kill time if you think about it but this way he lures us into his state of mind. Let's give the Foo Fighter's some company and hum along to the buzz of the Hell that was in his mind and sing it WELLLLLL. :)
I agree with singlebarrel to an extent such that there is some ambiguity about relationships in there. But the examples make fine sense. They are just more of the many genius wordplays that the FF craft in their lyrics. Take drown a wishing well - what does that really mean? Well, what is a wishing well? It is a place full of water than you throw a nominal sacrifice into to hope for something you really want. What does it mean to "drown" the place that, by definition, is already full of water? Well, water in dreams represents emotion. So, maybe this is something about overwhelming emotions, like those that you have when you first fall in love (or lust, more likely) with someone or something. It's just an analogy for that passion, basically of hoping and wanting and drowning in it and loving it so much that, if it ends up being hell, then who cares because it was a great trip getting there!