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.
Pull up the sleeve collect the change
And make it add up
Bring back everything you need
You never move just stand around and count the peasants
Cherrys falling from the trees
And the lonely rain I know it seems a lot like heaven
Poor child dont stop here
This is only the way to tear soaked eyes and years of aching
Cut the rope and drift away
You must believe or make the curtain fall together
Down the alley in the breeze
Dont look confused those birds are only fleas with feathers
Theyll turn you back and get you blue its true
Now I know their names they talk to me the pain of loosing
If someone elses game
Shes a notion away relaxing in New English gardens
Pushing up the daisy chains
And make it add up
Bring back everything you need
You never move just stand around and count the peasants
Cherrys falling from the trees
And the lonely rain I know it seems a lot like heaven
Poor child dont stop here
This is only the way to tear soaked eyes and years of aching
Cut the rope and drift away
You must believe or make the curtain fall together
Down the alley in the breeze
Dont look confused those birds are only fleas with feathers
Theyll turn you back and get you blue its true
Now I know their names they talk to me the pain of loosing
If someone elses game
Shes a notion away relaxing in New English gardens
Pushing up the daisy chains
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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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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.
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
One of, if not their best song...No clue what it means though. Thoughts?
God, I'm in love with this song right now. To me, it seems like he is infatuated with a girl who is both waaayyy out of league and in a different country. This song is just a reflection of how he has to just let it go
I thought this verse
"Pull up the sleeve Collect the change and make it out of"
was
"Roll up your sleeve. Collect the change and make it add up"
I haven't thought out the song yet, but I've been listening to it.
It is, this person has some of the lyrics wrong...
Yeah, I think the birds line is:
"Those birds are only fleas with feathers"
As for what it means...I've been listening to this song a lot lately, and it seems to me to be a sort of subtle verbal attack on this girl who frustrates the narrator with her lack of movement or action. It could very well be another drug song, perhaps about a stoner chick who spends her time "counting pairs of cherries falling from the tree" and "pushing up the daisy chains". Hard to say. Love it, though.
yeah, i can kind of interpretet it as a drug song making the change add up to what she's pulling up her sleeves for the lonely rain ("i feel pessimists are people who wait for rain, and i'm soaked to the core" kind of deal) she's isolated as a result of the drug or whatever.. and even though where the drug takes her does seem like heaven/ the high she gets from it might seem like things cant get better [from such a low point], it definitely isn't heaven and he's saying don't stop here, and die thinking thats as good as its going to get; its not. the only way to stop is to cut the rope and drift away, sure its going to be hard, but make the curtain fall together, put an end to it etc she shouldn't be fooled by the 'birds' (or... the interesting little things.. like people.. that are also on drugs?) that are down the alley.. maybe thats where she gets her fix, because they're just fleas? (thermo4's correction) with feathers.. meaning that um, they're deceiving and really pests absorbing life from something else, with a charming or desirious appearence that is quite false pushing up the daisy chains, is an idiom for being dead, right? maybe.. she's exactly dead. but the way he refers to her, she might as well be
i mean.. you know.. i dont have much of an idea, i was just trying to figure one out... since i love this song, but it doesn't have many interpretations on here... i really want to hear other peoples ideas
I like this song. No... I really think the lyrics are those birds are only pleased with feathers. Only fleas with feathers? That doesn't make sense. A flea ridden bird? I think this girl is unpopular and I don't think with a flea ridden bird. Those birds are only pleased with feathers is a saying.
It is, roll up your sleeve collect the change and make it add up.
it's about a modern victoria era man who enjoys smoking fine dunhill pipes and cigars. he is addicted to heroin