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.
He stumbled into faith and thought,
God this is all there is
The pictures in his mind arose
And began to breathe
And all the gods in all the worlds
Began colliding on a backdrop of blue
Blue lips
Blue veins
He took a step but then felt tired
He said, I'll rest a little while
But when he tried to walk again
He wasn't a child
And all the people hurried past
Real fast and no one ever smiled
Blue lips
Blue veins
Blue, the color of the planet from far, far away
He stumbled into faith and thought,
God this is all there is
The pictures in his mind arose
And began to breathe
And no one saw and no one heard
They just followed lead
The pictures in his mind awoke
And began to breed
They started off beneath the knowledge tree
Then they chopped it down to make white picket fences
They marched along the railroad tracks
And smiled real wide for the camera lenses
They made it past the enemy lines
Just to become enslaved in the assembly lines
Blue lips
Blue veins
Blue, the color of the planet from far, far away
Blue lips
Blue veins
Blue, the color of the planet from far, far away
Blue, the most human color
Blue, the most human color
Blue, the most human color
Blue lips
Blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet from far, far away
God this is all there is
The pictures in his mind arose
And began to breathe
And all the gods in all the worlds
Began colliding on a backdrop of blue
Blue lips
Blue veins
He took a step but then felt tired
He said, I'll rest a little while
But when he tried to walk again
He wasn't a child
And all the people hurried past
Real fast and no one ever smiled
Blue lips
Blue veins
Blue, the color of the planet from far, far away
He stumbled into faith and thought,
God this is all there is
The pictures in his mind arose
And began to breathe
And no one saw and no one heard
They just followed lead
The pictures in his mind awoke
And began to breed
They started off beneath the knowledge tree
Then they chopped it down to make white picket fences
They marched along the railroad tracks
And smiled real wide for the camera lenses
They made it past the enemy lines
Just to become enslaved in the assembly lines
Blue lips
Blue veins
Blue, the color of the planet from far, far away
Blue lips
Blue veins
Blue, the color of the planet from far, far away
Blue, the most human color
Blue, the most human color
Blue, the most human color
Blue lips
Blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet from far, far away
Lyrics submitted by 16996602, edited by rswalrath, beyx2, scribyuniverse, KumonKitsune
Blue Lips Lyrics as written by Regina Spektor
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
To me this song has a very clear meaning with lots of hidden religious references.
The line: "They started out beneath the knowledge tree" is a religious reference to the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" which is symbolic to Christians and Jews. In Genesis chapters 2/3, we are told how The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (also known as the Tree of Knowledge) is in the centre of the garden of Eden.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_Knowledge_of_Good_and_Evil
Look on that link for more information.
I think the message in this song is that our creator has made a perfect world for us all to live in yet we are mindlessly destroying it:
"They started out beneath the knowledge tree. Then they chopped it down to make white picket fences"
I think this line means that people's consciences are being destroyed by the media/goverment/the world we live in. The cutting down of the tree is the destruction of our consciences. When Regina tells us that they made the tree into fences, it is symbolising how people are greedy, out to make money from anything they can.
I believe the character in the song, the man who "stumbled into faith", is a highly religious character who is observing the collapse of soceity and goodness:
"And all the people hurried fast, Real fast, And no one ever smiled"
This line is saying how everyone is so caught up in their own lives they never take the time to look around and see what they are doing.
"And, marching along the railroad tracks, They smile real wide for the camera lenses. They made it past the enemy lines Just to become enslaved in the assembly lines"
These lyrics are saying how people are proud of such little achievements, everyone is becoming the same, nobody stands out, everyone does the same. There is so much I could write about this song! :)
I would also agree with envirohodges, saying blue, the colour of our blood connects everyone.
I like your idea about the Tree of Good and Evil. <br /> <br /> I like that line a lot about chopping the tree down to make white picket fences. <br /> <br /> I am not a super religious person, nor do I really enjoy music with a heap of religion thrown in (just an opinion), but this idea of wrecking the world created to just conform and be everyone else is very cool. The imagery is there. <br /> <br /> I love Regina. Her lyrics always keep me interested. I never really know where she's going with them. :)
I think you're very right, I couldn't have put it better myself, and now I don't have to!
I also agree with you completely and I'd take it a step further and say that the first satanza and the first part of the second is specifically referring to the creation story as told in Genesis.<br /> <br /> He stumbled into faith and thought,<br /> "God, this is all there is?"<br /> The pictures in his mind arose,<br /> And began to breathe.<br /> And all the gods and all the worlds<br /> Began colliding on a<br /> Backdrop of<br /> Blue.<br /> <br /> He took a step, but then felt tired.<br /> He said, "I'll rest a little while."<br />
I agree with most...my own interpretation, at least, is that the white picket fences depict how we categorize ourselves and separate each other, regardless to the fact that we were given 'the knowledge tree'; we destroyed this and we've segregated ourselves amongst one another ...blue veins, we're all the same...yet we are divided. why? we're all blind, oblivious, but 'he' sees this, he is recognizing this...
Honestly, I think Regina sneeks some kind of a religious reference into almost all her songs.. sometimes they're just clearer to find than other times.
"They started out beneath the knowledge tree.<br /> Then they chopped it down to make white picket fences"<br /> This actual means something totally different to me. They started out under the same tree, but chopped it down to take separate lands for themselves. They started out together, and destroyed nature mindlessly, as you said, but to separate themselves from what they were, that is to say, humans have been separating themselves from one another.<br /> <br /> I bet RS actually just puts random words together that sound good, and goes, "Uhh, yeah, yeah that's the meaning... suuuuuuuure I meant that when I was writing it..."<br /> <br /> I agree with what you wrote. Very nice! :)
I have to agree with your interpretation on many points, however I feel the following lines express something more than just being "different":<br /> <br /> "And, marching along the railroad tracks,<br /> They smile real wide for the camera lenses.<br /> They made it past the enemy lines<br /> Just to become enslaved in the assembly lines"<br /> <br /> I feel like this is saying that we work extremely hard for things and then just throw them away. I think she is referring to how we fight wars for freedom, but we only do it to enslave ourselves to capitalism. Also, I think she is referring back to:<br /> <br /> "And all the people hurried fast, <br /> Real fast, <br /> And no one ever smiled"<br /> <br /> We smile for the cameras, but not genuinely...only for our own self absorption. Why would we smile to cameras but not to others?
@Lozeli <br /> <br /> Blue is the color of Krsna. This piece could very well tell the story of one's path to spiritual enlightenment in the Vedic tradition. It references the timeless story of falling from enlightenment by pursuing ego, vanity / self-gratification, etc. while forsaking the "real path to happiness" of surrendering one's ego and becoming one with something far greater, our singularity of commonality via God / Krsna. <br /> <br /> Spektor explored a lot with religion on the album Far, and this seems to be an explanation with Krsna / enlightenment.