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.
(You've got the power in there)
(Waving your wand in the air)
Time after time those fanatical minds try to rule all the world
Telling us all it's them who's in charge of it all
I've got a trick, a magic stick, that will make them all fall
We've got the power now, motherfuckers; that's where it belongs
You've got that right!
(Power in there)
You know that it is!
(Wand in the air)
They've got their weapons to solve all their questions
They don't know what it's for
(Because they don't know what it's for)
Why can't they see that's not power, that's greed
To just want more and more?
(Just want more and more)
I got a plan and it's here in my hand; a baton made of light
We're the enforcers, the sorcerer's orphans
And we know why we fight
(And we know why we fight)
You've got that right
(You've got the power in there)
(Waving your wand in the air)
(You've got the power in there)
(You've got the power in there)
(You've got the power in there)
(Waving your wand in the air)
You've got that right!
You know that it is!
(Waving your wand in the air)
Time after time those fanatical minds try to rule all the world
Telling us all it's them who's in charge of it all
I've got a trick, a magic stick, that will make them all fall
We've got the power now, motherfuckers; that's where it belongs
You've got that right!
(Power in there)
You know that it is!
(Wand in the air)
They've got their weapons to solve all their questions
They don't know what it's for
(Because they don't know what it's for)
Why can't they see that's not power, that's greed
To just want more and more?
(Just want more and more)
I got a plan and it's here in my hand; a baton made of light
We're the enforcers, the sorcerer's orphans
And we know why we fight
(And we know why we fight)
You've got that right
(You've got the power in there)
(Waving your wand in the air)
(You've got the power in there)
(You've got the power in there)
(You've got the power in there)
(Waving your wand in the air)
You've got that right!
You know that it is!
Lyrics submitted by christsizeshoes
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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,
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There's an article where Wayne Coyne goes through all the songs on the forthcoming album, and this is the relevant part of what he has to say on this track:
"The idea of a magic wand and magic powers occurred to me while watching a homeless guy in Oklahoma City. He was, I believe, Vietnamese, and had a cool looking wizardly beard and mustache and he carried a long stick, which he used as a kind of cane-weapon. And one day I saw him fighting an "imagined" enemy and the long stick became (as best I could tell) a kind of magic wand that made his invisible foe retreat. I mean... it seemed to give him a confidence that allowed him to defeat his hallucinations...and at first I thought "how sad...he believes this old stick is saving him"... but the more I thought about it, the more I envied him in a way...for the evil manifestations of his mind he invented a sparkling sorcerer's baton to lead his psychic revolution...yes!!...
And so we delved into a kind of radical protest rock mentality...We sing, "We got the power now, motherfuckers, that's where it belongs", but I believe it's cosmically empowering - not actually empowering. In the song, we rail against the greedy, corrupt evil beings who are in control and trying to enslave us... But our rebellion is simply to fight back - we have no solutions."
So yeah, it's kind of a protest song, but it's simultaneously making the point that protest songs don't really offer solutions, and they might be therapeutic to people writing or listening to them, but they can't really change things in and of themselves.
your handle is freakin rad
Wayne Coyne is one bad-ass guy. Great input man.