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're blind, baby
You're blind from the facts on who you are
'Cause you're watchin' that garbage
The woman makes the men all pause
And if you got a woman
She might make you forget yours
There's a 5 letter word
To describe her character
But her brains being washed by an actor
And every real man that tries to approach
Come the closer he comes
He gets dissed like a roach
I don't think I can handle
She goes channel to channel
Cold lookin' for that hero
She watch channel zero
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
Yo baby, you got to cut that garbage off
Yo! I want to watch the game
Hey yo, lemme tell you a little somethin'
Im'a take all your soaps
And then I'm gonna hang 'em on a rope
You know what I'm sayin'?
'Cause that garbage your watchin' don't make no sense
Hey yo, lemme tell you a little somethin' baby
I'm 'a take your set an' I'm 'a throw it
Out the window
G's
Two, seven, five, four, eight
She watched she said
All added up to zero
And nothing in her head
She turns and turns
And she hopes the soaps
Are for real, she learns
That it ain't true, nope
But she won't survive
And rather die in a lie
Falls a fool, for some dude, on a tube
I don't think I can handle
She goes channel to channel
Cold lookin' for that hero
She watch channel zero
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
Yo baby, you think I'm jokin'?
Do it look like I'm jokin'?
I ain't jokin', word up, baby
Yo, cut that garbage off now
Yo, I got the Tyson fight on, you know what I'm sayin'?
Yo, so you can't be comin' here and stagnating like that
You know what I'm sayin'?
Yo, we gettin' ready to watch the Super Bowl
We got a black quarterback so step back
Trouble vision for a sister
'Cause I know she don't know, I quote
Her brains retrained
By a 24 inch remote
Revolution a solution
For all of our children
But her children
Don't mean as much as the show, I mean
Watch her worship the screen, and fiend
For a TV ad
And it just makes me mad
I don't think I can handle
She goes channel to channel
Cold lookin' for that hero
She watch channel zero
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
Yo baby, can't you that's nonsense you watchin'?
Look, don't nobody look like that
Nobody even live that, you know what I'm sayin'?
You watchin' garbage, nothin' but garbage
Straight up garbage
Yo, why don't you just back up from the TV
Read a book or somthin'
Read about yourself
Learn your culture, you know what I'm sayin'?
You're blind from the facts on who you are
'Cause you're watchin' that garbage
The woman makes the men all pause
And if you got a woman
She might make you forget yours
There's a 5 letter word
To describe her character
But her brains being washed by an actor
And every real man that tries to approach
Come the closer he comes
He gets dissed like a roach
I don't think I can handle
She goes channel to channel
Cold lookin' for that hero
She watch channel zero
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
Yo baby, you got to cut that garbage off
Yo! I want to watch the game
Hey yo, lemme tell you a little somethin'
Im'a take all your soaps
And then I'm gonna hang 'em on a rope
You know what I'm sayin'?
'Cause that garbage your watchin' don't make no sense
Hey yo, lemme tell you a little somethin' baby
I'm 'a take your set an' I'm 'a throw it
Out the window
G's
Two, seven, five, four, eight
She watched she said
All added up to zero
And nothing in her head
She turns and turns
And she hopes the soaps
Are for real, she learns
That it ain't true, nope
But she won't survive
And rather die in a lie
Falls a fool, for some dude, on a tube
I don't think I can handle
She goes channel to channel
Cold lookin' for that hero
She watch channel zero
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
Yo baby, you think I'm jokin'?
Do it look like I'm jokin'?
I ain't jokin', word up, baby
Yo, cut that garbage off now
Yo, I got the Tyson fight on, you know what I'm sayin'?
Yo, so you can't be comin' here and stagnating like that
You know what I'm sayin'?
Yo, we gettin' ready to watch the Super Bowl
We got a black quarterback so step back
Trouble vision for a sister
'Cause I know she don't know, I quote
Her brains retrained
By a 24 inch remote
Revolution a solution
For all of our children
But her children
Don't mean as much as the show, I mean
Watch her worship the screen, and fiend
For a TV ad
And it just makes me mad
I don't think I can handle
She goes channel to channel
Cold lookin' for that hero
She watch channel zero
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
She watch, she watch
Yo baby, can't you that's nonsense you watchin'?
Look, don't nobody look like that
Nobody even live that, you know what I'm sayin'?
You watchin' garbage, nothin' but garbage
Straight up garbage
Yo, why don't you just back up from the TV
Read a book or somthin'
Read about yourself
Learn your culture, you know what I'm sayin'?
Lyrics submitted by ButNeverOutgunned
She Watch Channel Zero?! Lyrics as written by William Jonathan Drayton Carlton Douglas Ridenhour
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I concur with you there Duino, Horkheimer and Adorno had some good points. Scary when you think of how media-saturated our world is today. Great tune anyhow.