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.
Now I'm of consenting age to be forgetting you in a cabaret
Somewhere downtown where a burlesque queen may even ask my name
As she sheds her skin on stage
I'm seated and sweating to a dance song on the club's PA
The strip joint veteran sits two away
Smirking between dignified sips of his dignified
Peach and lime daiquiri
And isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Oh, and isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Oh, but I'm afraid that I
Well, I may have faked it and
I wouldn't be caught dead, d-dead, d-dead, d-dead in this place
Well I'm afraid that I
Well that's right
Well I may have faked it and
I wouldn't be caught dead in this place
And isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Oh, and isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Well I'm afraid that I
Well, I may have faked it and
I wouldn't be caught dead, d-dead, d-dead, d-dead in this place
Well I'm afraid that I
Well that's right
That I may have faked it and
I wouldn't be caught dead in this place
And isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Oh, and isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Praying for love and paying in naivety
Praying for love and paying in naivety, oh
Somewhere downtown where a burlesque queen may even ask my name
As she sheds her skin on stage
I'm seated and sweating to a dance song on the club's PA
The strip joint veteran sits two away
Smirking between dignified sips of his dignified
Peach and lime daiquiri
And isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Oh, and isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Oh, but I'm afraid that I
Well, I may have faked it and
I wouldn't be caught dead, d-dead, d-dead, d-dead in this place
Well I'm afraid that I
Well that's right
Well I may have faked it and
I wouldn't be caught dead in this place
And isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Oh, and isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Well I'm afraid that I
Well, I may have faked it and
I wouldn't be caught dead, d-dead, d-dead, d-dead in this place
Well I'm afraid that I
Well that's right
That I may have faked it and
I wouldn't be caught dead in this place
And isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Oh, and isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Praying for love and paying in naivety
Praying for love and paying in naivety, oh
Lyrics submitted by ADimeADexter
But It's Better If You Do Lyrics as written by Spencer Smith George Ross
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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I think the song is about a young lad who is 'in love' with a girl who doesn't even acknowledge him, He goes to a strip club for attention and hopes to make her jealous or maybe she acknowledge's him but she doesn't think he's 'man enough' to be her boyfriend.
''Now I'm of consenting age to be forgetting you in a cabaret''
He's saying 'im old enough to go and i can forget about you easy when there's proper 'women' around.'
''Somewhere downtown where a burlesque queen may even ask my name'' A dig at th fact the girl doesn't take the time to know him yet a stripper would.
''I'm seated and sweating to a dance song on the club's P.A.'' He's nervous because he doesn't really want to be there but he thinks it's the why for her to notice him.
''And isn't this exactly where you'd like me I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety'' 'and isn't this exactly where you'd like me I'm exactly where you'd like me' Suggests that he's there for her to show that he is 'man eough' because he's at a strip joint, where all the manly men would go. 'Praying for in a lap dance and paying in naivety' obviously he would like to be loved but he is naive to think it'd come from a lap dancer who is just doing her job.
''Well, I may of faked it And I wouldn't be caught dead in this place'' Again something that suggests he doesn't want to be there cause he's not used to sleezy places but he goes to try and prove he' a Man.
Well that's my ideas of what the lines mean :) Marvelous song!! ;D
@leighcartoon i totally agree with this interpretation, mine was almost the same. I would just like to add on that the last two lines: "Praying for love and paying in naivety" is different from what he said before. I think earlier he was praying for love from the lap dancer but now he is talking about love in general; maybe to the girl he was doing all this for. It ends in a sorta sad way where he says he is still naive or how love in general is naivety.