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.
Walk with me, my monster
But close those crusty eyes
The sounds I make may be abrasive
But you'll be all right
Turn off all your senses
And pretend you're home
Walk with me and you walk alone
Yeah!
At the sight of his scales
You start to shake
You can never trust a snake
At the sight of his scales
You start to scream
You can't trust a fanged thing
Grain by grain, so hot I've lost it
Echoes peck and gnaw at me
Creep, I crawl
Shake, I'm breaking
Creep and crawl
They're chasing me
Serpents!
And I feel so cold
Like the world just might explode
And if I open my mouth
It will fill full of sand
And I feel so cold
Like the world just might explode
And if I open my mouth
It will fill full of sand
At the sight of his scales
You start to shake
You can never trust a snake
At the sight of his scales
You start to scream
You can't trust a fanged thing
It's safe to say I've finally lost it
The well's gone dry and abandoned me
Creep, I crawl, begging droplets
Of anything to comfort me
Thirsty
Laying in a hot desert
Bitten by a poisonous snake
Soft venom floods my veins
I have lost my heartbeat
My poor pulse is quivering
And I've lost control
Descending to my ending
A perilous black hole
The rivers run dry and so has my veins
I'm a filthy animal begging for change
Nothing I do is going as planned
Nothing's left of me but fucking sand
Nothing's left of me but fucking sand
The sun explodes, so slow
I feel the flames and I see the snow
All that's left of my mind is sea of sand
The sun explodes, so slow
I feel the flames and I see the snow
All that's left of my mind is sea of sand
And everybody's celebrating!
I've lost my way
Desperate for change
Pursued by snakes
Bearing my name
I've lost my way
My skin's dry and baked
Fearing I'll fade
I'm the snake
I walk with my monster
He beats me down
Bestial and savage thoughts
His arms are long
Can't get up, can't get up
Nothing's as planned
Nothing's left of me but fucking sand!
But close those crusty eyes
The sounds I make may be abrasive
But you'll be all right
Turn off all your senses
And pretend you're home
Walk with me and you walk alone
Yeah!
At the sight of his scales
You start to shake
You can never trust a snake
At the sight of his scales
You start to scream
You can't trust a fanged thing
Grain by grain, so hot I've lost it
Echoes peck and gnaw at me
Creep, I crawl
Shake, I'm breaking
Creep and crawl
They're chasing me
Serpents!
And I feel so cold
Like the world just might explode
And if I open my mouth
It will fill full of sand
And I feel so cold
Like the world just might explode
And if I open my mouth
It will fill full of sand
At the sight of his scales
You start to shake
You can never trust a snake
At the sight of his scales
You start to scream
You can't trust a fanged thing
It's safe to say I've finally lost it
The well's gone dry and abandoned me
Creep, I crawl, begging droplets
Of anything to comfort me
Thirsty
Laying in a hot desert
Bitten by a poisonous snake
Soft venom floods my veins
I have lost my heartbeat
My poor pulse is quivering
And I've lost control
Descending to my ending
A perilous black hole
The rivers run dry and so has my veins
I'm a filthy animal begging for change
Nothing I do is going as planned
Nothing's left of me but fucking sand
Nothing's left of me but fucking sand
The sun explodes, so slow
I feel the flames and I see the snow
All that's left of my mind is sea of sand
The sun explodes, so slow
I feel the flames and I see the snow
All that's left of my mind is sea of sand
And everybody's celebrating!
I've lost my way
Desperate for change
Pursued by snakes
Bearing my name
I've lost my way
My skin's dry and baked
Fearing I'll fade
I'm the snake
I walk with my monster
He beats me down
Bestial and savage thoughts
His arms are long
Can't get up, can't get up
Nothing's as planned
Nothing's left of me but fucking sand!
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
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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.
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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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Great version of a great song,
*hallucinates
That's a great interpretation. I'm happy to see no one tried to force nintendo into the meaning of this one too.