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.
From above and around,
observations are collected
Knowledge is taken in by curious life forms
That may bring hope from beyond
Beneath the giver of life, our sun
An examination of another kind is done
A view from those who stood high
And breathing the sky
An opinion from below and from above
Some were decided, some were not
A few looked away, but none forgot
Misanthrope
Hater of all mankind
There is some hope
For those who own their mind
They came, they saw and acknowledged
Some good, some bad
Opinion: Dangerous
Stay where you are, don't get consumed
By what they created from sheer neglect
In denial of years and years of
shattered souls
That were lost to the power of
Fragile, frightful minds
A view from those who stood high
And breathing the sky
An opinion from below and from above
Some were decided, some were not
A few looked away, but none forgot
Misanthrope
Hater of all mankind
There is some hope
For those who own their mind
They came, they saw and acknowledged
Some good, some bad
Opinion: Dangerous
observations are collected
Knowledge is taken in by curious life forms
That may bring hope from beyond
Beneath the giver of life, our sun
An examination of another kind is done
A view from those who stood high
And breathing the sky
An opinion from below and from above
Some were decided, some were not
A few looked away, but none forgot
Misanthrope
Hater of all mankind
There is some hope
For those who own their mind
They came, they saw and acknowledged
Some good, some bad
Opinion: Dangerous
Stay where you are, don't get consumed
By what they created from sheer neglect
In denial of years and years of
shattered souls
That were lost to the power of
Fragile, frightful minds
A view from those who stood high
And breathing the sky
An opinion from below and from above
Some were decided, some were not
A few looked away, but none forgot
Misanthrope
Hater of all mankind
There is some hope
For those who own their mind
They came, they saw and acknowledged
Some good, some bad
Opinion: Dangerous
Lyrics submitted by MonkeysLikePeanuts
Misanthrope Lyrics as written by Chuck Schuldiner
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Ah the first song that hooked me up on Death. I would actually put this in the same array as Philosopher.
I don't really see how this is about "intelligent life forms existing outside of Earth."
To me this song makes more sense as a description of nihilistic philosophers, for example Nietzsche. From above and around, observations are collected Knowledge is taken in by curious life forms That may bring hope from beyond Beneath the giver of life, our sun An examination of another kind is done
This verse is about gathering information about people and forming an opinion that develops into an idea or a philosophical doctrine.
A view from those who stood high And breathing the sky An opinion from below and from above
This describes a philosopher as a figure above the other people.
Some were decided, some were not A few looked away, but none forgot
An idea of ubermensch and untermensch. "A few looked away, but none forgot" might be a parallel to the genocide and other activity committed by Nazis.
Misanthrope Hater of all mankind There is some hope For those who own their mind They came, they saw and acknowledged Some good, some bad Opinion: Dangerous
Pretty much self-explanatory. Think with your own head. The idea is a double edge sword and can not be taken blindly.
Stay where you are, don't get consumed By what they created from sheer neglect In denial of years and years of shattered souls That were lost to the power of Fragile, frightful minds
Don't rush to follow the idea, or you might end up like a lot of people who lost their lives (souls) by following something that was created by the insecurities of their leader (philosopher/misanthrope)
Well that's my opinion. Not a lot comments over here. Hope someone will find it useful.
@Wargherd reading this in 2021, thank you man you're the best comment here after 9 years
@Wargherd Very insightful, not a big philosopher but made what seemed like random lyrics make sense. Thank you.
I believe Chuck said in an interview that this song was about the possibility of intelligent life forms existing outside of Earth.
wallamanage, you should really shut the fuck up and get a life. youre not funny.
This is a very underrated Death song.
I love this song
@Wargherd
emptywords.org/SparkMagazine07-95part2.htm
You're literally disagreeing with the man who wrote the lyrics.
@SASR Oh well, I wasn't aware of that interview, my interpretation made sense to me.
This song is about Herbert. He looks through some World War One documents and finds out that the war occured because Archduke Ferdinand was assasinated. This is quite the revelation.