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.
Butter on a summer day when she's around
I was on the tracks when the gates came down
And suddenly I recognized those bloodshot rearview mirror eyes as mine
And I heard that whistle call my name
And I almost drove away
But Megan I had a feeling that you would be on that train
So I just waited there for you
Caught a ride to another town
Where the air was clean and the sun never goes down
Everyone was standing in a line in between the landing and the stairs
I heard somebody call my name
I almost climbed the stairs
But Megan I had a feeling that someday you'd meet me there
So I just waited there for you
Butter on a summer day when I hear your name, it's a dream that never came true
So I sat down on the tracks and waited for a train to take me back to you
And somebody came and took my hand
And I finally had to go
But Megan I just want you to know that I waited as long as I could
I'm butter on a summer day when she's around...
I was on the tracks when the gates came down
And suddenly I recognized those bloodshot rearview mirror eyes as mine
And I heard that whistle call my name
And I almost drove away
But Megan I had a feeling that you would be on that train
So I just waited there for you
Caught a ride to another town
Where the air was clean and the sun never goes down
Everyone was standing in a line in between the landing and the stairs
I heard somebody call my name
I almost climbed the stairs
But Megan I had a feeling that someday you'd meet me there
So I just waited there for you
Butter on a summer day when I hear your name, it's a dream that never came true
So I sat down on the tracks and waited for a train to take me back to you
And somebody came and took my hand
And I finally had to go
But Megan I just want you to know that I waited as long as I could
I'm butter on a summer day when she's around...
Lyrics submitted by fedorov1fan, edited by emmamilliken11
Megan Lyrics as written by Josh Caterer
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
to me this song is about someone who is waiting for the girl of his dreams. He says how he turns to mush when shes around. He also says how he has though about moving on but doesn't becuase he wants to be with her.
he sounds like kermit the frog but i love this song
I really don't think that this song has to do with death. When people analyze songs, it seems that they tend to automatically assume that the lyrics are about a bf/gf who died because it's about wanting someone who's no longer there. Although it's very possible, I don't think that is the case with this song. I think this song specifically is about a couple who have broken up, and even though it's been a long time, the guy still has feelings for 'Megan'. He still wishes he could see her again, and he's finding all of these possible ways for it to happen (notably, the train). Like he's been waiting around for her to come back to him and everything reminds him of her. However, he realized that he couldn't wait forever and that he's found someone new. But just for the record - he tried his hardest.
"Bloodshot rearview mirror eyes" -him mourning the death of Megan
"So I sat down on the tracks and waited for a train to take me back to you" -awaiting suicide via incoming train
"Somebody took my hand....I waited as long as I could" -Someone took his hand and led him to heaven or could also mean: -Someone helped him out of depression and he moved on and didn't kill himself
good fucking cover of the smoking popes
josh caterer is ridiculous, his voice is so weird but at teh same time its still good i'm really jealous. same thing with anthony raneri his singing voice is almost like hes just talking in a dramatic tone. its really unique adn he sings in a reallly uncommon octave hich is really ahrd to pull off unless you ahve the perfect pitvhed speaking voice, which he does. lucky >:|
I absolutely love this cover. It's awsome.
I love this cover, I think it's one of my favorite covers, ever.
I took this song a little differently then most but here it goes. The first verse I took kind of literal, he sits on the tracks and before he decides to get off he thinks about her and gets hit. In the second verse lines like "Where the air was clean and the sun never goes down" and "Everyone was standing in a line in between the landing and the stairs" I took as describing heaven, he almost goes up the stairs but hears someone calling his name and he is holding on. The third part he is a ghost and doesn't realize it. He goes back to the tracks to wait for her but "a someone took my hand" I think refers to God. It was finally his time and he tried to hold on as long as possible to let her know what she meant to him.
Like I said before I got a different meaning out of this song then most people.
personally, i dont understand how ANYONE could possibly not understand this song. and btw he wasnt necessarily in heaven but like, judgement, the stairs he sings about are the stairs to heaven. he wouldnt go right to heaven anyways he killed himself.
This is an amazing cover. I agree with Tommy for the most part. Definitely a song about death, though I didn't realize that until listening to it in the context of the Bayside Acoustic album, what with John and all (RIP).
man i saw Bayside back when they just released Long Story Short...damn it feels like such a long time ago...but anyways..i saw them at a place at Indianapolis....seriously only 15 people in the building and about 6 (including me and my g/f) in front of the stage they played...they covered Megan (non-acousticly) the best cover song ive ever seen a band play. it was really great, i told them they should record the cover cause it was amazing...little did i know my deams would come true on this acoustic, (but would rather here it non-acoustic =P)