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.
Yeah, they say there's a place free of trouble and care
And you have to pass a test for to make it there
It has something to do with the road that's straight and narrow
And the only way to go it is by being right and thorough
There's always one more hill to climb
There's always one more hill to climb
Bombarded by multiple choices 24/7
Navigating a tangled web of logic and passion
Guided by subconscious voices, astute and sharpened
Tested, tested oh oh oh
Often times we may be wonder what we're supposed to do
Stand and deliver or see the conflict through
And as we long and proceed to build our castles in the sky
Our plans get confounded and determination dies
There's no preparation and no guide
Just what you've done before here with your life
Bombarded by multiple choices 24/7
Navigating a tangled web of logic and passion
Guided by subconscious voices, astute and sharpened
Tested, tested oh oh oh
Acting on will (the test is the reaction)
Opening your heart (the test is the emotion)
Rolling the dice (the test is the agility)
Burning out your mind (the test is a recovery)
Let's go
You can play by the rules or bend them to your knees
But the test isn't over til you reach your dark eternal sleep
There are no absolutes, no big wheels in the sky
You don't have to be first just gotta somehow get by
Yeah bombarded by multiple choices 24/7
Navigating a tangled web of logic and passion
Guided by subconscious voices astute and sharpened
Tested, tested
And you have to pass a test for to make it there
It has something to do with the road that's straight and narrow
And the only way to go it is by being right and thorough
There's always one more hill to climb
There's always one more hill to climb
Bombarded by multiple choices 24/7
Navigating a tangled web of logic and passion
Guided by subconscious voices, astute and sharpened
Tested, tested oh oh oh
Often times we may be wonder what we're supposed to do
Stand and deliver or see the conflict through
And as we long and proceed to build our castles in the sky
Our plans get confounded and determination dies
There's no preparation and no guide
Just what you've done before here with your life
Bombarded by multiple choices 24/7
Navigating a tangled web of logic and passion
Guided by subconscious voices, astute and sharpened
Tested, tested oh oh oh
Acting on will (the test is the reaction)
Opening your heart (the test is the emotion)
Rolling the dice (the test is the agility)
Burning out your mind (the test is a recovery)
Let's go
You can play by the rules or bend them to your knees
But the test isn't over til you reach your dark eternal sleep
There are no absolutes, no big wheels in the sky
You don't have to be first just gotta somehow get by
Yeah bombarded by multiple choices 24/7
Navigating a tangled web of logic and passion
Guided by subconscious voices astute and sharpened
Tested, tested
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
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."
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
It's also on the album also called Tested, but since it's a live album most people assume it's just a compilation. It has quite a few great songs you won't hear on any other albums. I believe YouTube has a video or two of them performing it live, but other than that you probably won't hear it. It's an excellent song, though.
The lyrics are brilliant. I'm not quite sure what it means, but I'm assuming that it is about life. Much like both of the above responses say, it's has to do with getting through life, the "test". However, even though certain religions believe that life is a test to see if you are worthy of going to heaven, it seems that Bad Religion thinks otherwise with lines such as "There are no absolutes, no big wheels in the sky". It's an interesting song, I still don't completely understand it, but the general meaning seems to be about life.
It's an amazing song, it's a shame it is hardly known.