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.
Don't like the look of this old town
What goes up must come down
Character is lost and found
On unfamiliar playing ground
Get out of my world
What in the world
Shoeboxed around the rifle range
Have all your functions rearranged
Your mind and body gagged and bound
On a new familiar playing ground
The ordinary will ignore
Whatever they cannot explain
As if nothing ever happened
And everything remained the same again
What in the world
What in the world
What in the world
Get out of my world (what in the world)
Get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Open your mouth now
Secret signs and knowing looks
These sunny days will cook the books
Happy to take the misery
This mortal life can bring to me
Don't like the look of this town
What goes up must come down
Character is lost and found on unfamiliar playing ground
What in the world
What in my the world
What in the world
(What in the world) what in, get out, get out, get out of my world
What in the world
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
What goes up must come down
Character is lost and found
On unfamiliar playing ground
Get out of my world
What in the world
Shoeboxed around the rifle range
Have all your functions rearranged
Your mind and body gagged and bound
On a new familiar playing ground
The ordinary will ignore
Whatever they cannot explain
As if nothing ever happened
And everything remained the same again
What in the world
What in the world
What in the world
Get out of my world (what in the world)
Get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Open your mouth now
Secret signs and knowing looks
These sunny days will cook the books
Happy to take the misery
This mortal life can bring to me
Don't like the look of this town
What goes up must come down
Character is lost and found on unfamiliar playing ground
What in the world
What in my the world
What in the world
(What in the world) what in, get out, get out, get out of my world
What in the world
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
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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Punchline
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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.
From a 2015 interview with John Lydon in Seattle's Stranger magazine:
Q: I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you about the song "Seattle" and your relationship to the city. [It's often said to be a rebuke to the band Green River, who opened for PIL in 1985, but the lyrics don't reflect anything specific.]
A: Well, we had a week off in the tour for some reason, due to gig rearrangements and/or whatever, and I flew back to LA, but the band hung out in Seattle and they started jamming about and rehearsing and started putting together a really catchy tune. So I flew up, and the words just flowed out instantly. It's a great song. The subject is about rioting, really, and when you see them World Trade Organization riots, it's kind of appropriate. It's an homage to Seattle, a town that's never done us any harm. A town we feel quite warm about... great atmosphere, the gigs are always amazing. It feels like home to me.
thestranger.com/music/feature/2015/11/18/23158487/john-lydon-is-still-angry
One of my favorite PIL songs. I'm glad to know what it's about. This song came out before Seattle became the Grunge capital.
The grundge band Mudhoney was opening for PIL in Seattle(this was before the whole grunge thing went national). The band bad mouthed John Lydon to the crowd during their set, then trashed his dressing room while PIL was on stage getting boo'd by the crowd of seattle grunge fans. I was at this show and John Lyden was being a complete dick to the crowd through the whole thing until the crowd finally started pelting him with spit and bottles. The song's about hating Seattle.
The band played a gig in Seattle and they were bottled offstage by a very hostile crowd. Following this, they wrote a song about how much they hate Seattle.
Hey "heartbeats_xxx" thank you for that, I never heard of that story before.
It's a shame really that people are so reactionary and wouldn't think about something before responding. For all they know, he could have been singing about London and comparing it to Seattle. Etc..
As for what the song is about, I'm not sure. I'm not even sure he is particularly critiquing Seattle. I wonder if maybe he was on a tour or something and was feeling homesick or something, and ended up in Seattle at some point, and got a bad feeling about the place for some reason. It's "unfamiliar" and maybe he felt it was big and easy to feel lost. Or maybe some people were horrified by his punk looks and said something like, "What in the world?!" and he felt hurt, and felt like they wanted him to get out of their world.
That is my guess anyway. I suppose I would have to google for interviews or something to find out the real meaning.
About a time they got booed by a crowd at seattle when they were playing there, This song describes their feelngs towards the people of seattle. This is very poppy but is so so good!
According to this video, John Lydon says they wrote the song in Seattle, but it has nothing else to do with the city. It's about council flats in England.
youtube.com/watch
Always thought it was about a city losing its identity because of so called progress or becoming ¨cool¨ . Dont think he is bashing at people in Seattle ( or it could be any other place ), more like dont become a hipster, wich is sadly what we got years and decades later . At least for me, i could be wrong... or i could be right.
Its hard to believe this song isn't inspired by the 1986 concert other commenters have referred to. A Seattle band called Green River opened for Pil. After Green River broke up some members formed Mudhoney and two eventually became founding members of Pearl Jam. Green River had elements of what would become grunge but also a dark yet catchy punk sound with what they'd now prob call sludge metal sprinkled in. There was no love loss between them and Lydon or his Pil sound. Hijinx ensued. During Green Rivers Set Lydon actually tried to get it cut short with Green River saying F you we're not going to stop playing .This is also written about in a piece called Green River Tour Book. The song Seattle came out I believe about a year later . I like the Sex Pistols got nothing against Lydon but if he denies the connection it doesn't ring exactly true. I read an interview he did in 2000 something where he denied the song was about Seattle but then got in there at the end , Seattle did end up having those WTO riots there so.......? His song about Seattle turned out to be justified ?