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.
I walk down my street at night
The city lights are cold and violent
I am comforted by the approaching sound of trucks and sirens
Even though the world's so bad, these men rush out to help the dying
And though I am no use to them, I do my part by simply smiling
The ghetto boys are catcalling me
As I pull my keys from my pocket
I wonder if this method of courtship has ever been effective
Has any girl in history said "Sure, you seem so nice, let's get it on"
Still, I always shock them when I answer, "Hi, my name's Amanda"
And I'm not gonna live my life on one side of an ampersand
And even if I went with you, I'm not the girl you think I am
And I'm not gonna match you, 'cause I'll lose my voice completely
No, I'm just gonna watch you, 'cause I'm not the one that's crazy
I have wasted years of my life agonizing about the fires I started
When I thought that to be strong, you must be flame retardant
And now to dress the wounds calls into question how authentic they are
There's always someong criticizing me: "She just likes playing hospital"
Lying in my bed, I remember what you said: "There's no such thing as accidents"
But you've got the headstone all ready, all drawn up and pretty
Your sick satisfaction, those his and hers matching
The headstone's all push up'n, pairs to the horizon
Your eyes full of ketchup, it's nice that you're trying
The headstone's all ready, all carved up and pretty
Your sick satisfaction, those his and hers matching
The daisies all push up'n, pairs to the horizon
Your eyes full of ketchup, it's nice that you're trying
But I'm not gonna live my life on one side of an ampersand
And even if I went with you, I'm not the girl you think I am
And I'm not gonna match you, 'cause I'll lose my voice completely
No, I'm just gonna watch you, 'cause I'm not the one that's crazy
As I wake up to a cough, the fire burned the block but ironically
Stopped at my apartment and my housemates are all sleeping soundly
And nobody deserves to die for you were awful adament
That if I didn't love you then you had just one alternative
And I may be romantic and I may risk my life for it
But I ain't gonna die for you, you know I ain't no Juliet
And I'm not gonna match, 'cause I'll lose my voice completely
No, I'm just gonna watch you, 'cause I'm not the one that's crazy
The city lights are cold and violent
I am comforted by the approaching sound of trucks and sirens
Even though the world's so bad, these men rush out to help the dying
And though I am no use to them, I do my part by simply smiling
The ghetto boys are catcalling me
As I pull my keys from my pocket
I wonder if this method of courtship has ever been effective
Has any girl in history said "Sure, you seem so nice, let's get it on"
Still, I always shock them when I answer, "Hi, my name's Amanda"
And I'm not gonna live my life on one side of an ampersand
And even if I went with you, I'm not the girl you think I am
And I'm not gonna match you, 'cause I'll lose my voice completely
No, I'm just gonna watch you, 'cause I'm not the one that's crazy
I have wasted years of my life agonizing about the fires I started
When I thought that to be strong, you must be flame retardant
And now to dress the wounds calls into question how authentic they are
There's always someong criticizing me: "She just likes playing hospital"
Lying in my bed, I remember what you said: "There's no such thing as accidents"
But you've got the headstone all ready, all drawn up and pretty
Your sick satisfaction, those his and hers matching
The headstone's all push up'n, pairs to the horizon
Your eyes full of ketchup, it's nice that you're trying
The headstone's all ready, all carved up and pretty
Your sick satisfaction, those his and hers matching
The daisies all push up'n, pairs to the horizon
Your eyes full of ketchup, it's nice that you're trying
But I'm not gonna live my life on one side of an ampersand
And even if I went with you, I'm not the girl you think I am
And I'm not gonna match you, 'cause I'll lose my voice completely
No, I'm just gonna watch you, 'cause I'm not the one that's crazy
As I wake up to a cough, the fire burned the block but ironically
Stopped at my apartment and my housemates are all sleeping soundly
And nobody deserves to die for you were awful adament
That if I didn't love you then you had just one alternative
And I may be romantic and I may risk my life for it
But I ain't gonna die for you, you know I ain't no Juliet
And I'm not gonna match, 'cause I'll lose my voice completely
No, I'm just gonna watch you, 'cause I'm not the one that's crazy
Lyrics submitted by kalelian
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Light Up The Sky
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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.
Mountain Song
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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
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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."
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Dear God. this is the song she played solo when i saw them in april. she called it ten percent then. it was amazing, beautiful, witty...it had me in a bit of a reverie and so i mised most of the words at the time. my heart skipped several beats when i recognised the opening lines just now. where did you get the lyrics for this? if you have a recording, i will love you forever if you share it with me.
This is....beautiful to say the least. I really hope they play it this November, because when I saw them in May I dont think they did, you're very lucky espionage. I don't know any exact meaning but I supose it is some sort of self-reference. I love it, and find my own way to relate as usual. It lyrically reminds me of Girl Anachronism, accidents and such. Love me: wwwiii2.org/kevinmp3s/ampersand.mp3 This is where I got mine from. More than possibly the best band on the planet, it's great they're finally getting the attention they deserve so badly. Hopefully lots of riches too. xxx
thankyou. thankyou, thankyou, thankyou blackskieslullaby. i do love you. i'm shaking all over after listening to that. by the way, anyone who reads my 1st comment, ignore the 'ten percent' bit. i went away, calmed myself down and came to the conclusion that it was just me not having heard the word ampersand before and consequently turning it into a word i did know. when you say it in an amanda accent it sounds a little like 'empersent'. hence the misinterpretation.(i now know that an ampersand is an 'and sign', &) also i saw them in may not april but that doesnt matter really.
to me, the "fires" are break-ups, arguments, and the emotion that goes with them, so "flame-retardant" is not being affected by that. "...question how authentic they are/... "She just likes playing hospital"", maybe to do with people accusing her of being melodramatic and exaggerating her emotional wounds, and that she is becoming half convinced they are right... you're right, there are echoes of 'girl anachronism'.
To me, the part about "playing hospital" and questioning how authentic the wounds are seems like it may be about self injury. This is a common theme in Amanda's songs (Bad Habit, for example), and it seems as if it may hold true here, as well, even if in a minor way. It seems that she's been trying to pass off the wounds as accidents, and someone (probably someone she's "with") sees right through it.
ahh i have had a spot of realisation methinks.
I reckon this song is about being single and Im not sure exactly what her opinion on that is. For me the playing hospital is relationships in the sense of someone always getting into bad ones or getting upset over things. The headstones is just damning the relationship, his and hers is like the marraige and how its all done down even how they die together, no fun. So she aint living her life on the other side of an "&". Hmm maybe joint suicide?
I dont exactly know but for me its relationships.
this song is beautiful...
I think amanda is talking about being with someone who always threatens to hurt his/herself
when she says "That if I didn't love you then you had just one alternative" reminds me the most of it-because I used to have a boyfriend that would threaten to kill himself if I ever left him. "alternative" meaning death.
"And I may be romantic and I may risk my life for it But I ain't gonna die for you, you know I ain't no Juliet"
it reminds me of how I finally just gave up-and said, "go ahead and kill yourself if thats what you want. But i wouldn't die for you just because i can't have you"
there's a video of her playing this on her myspace page too. i can't remember the link, but there's one off the regular dresden dolls page.
i think its amanda's personal page that the link is on
i think she's referring to romeo & juliet. "No, I'm just gonna watch you, 'cause I'm not the one that's crazy" romeo and juliet were married after about three or four days after meeting. they died about a week after they first met. she's probably refering to the fact that she can't fall in love with someone so quickly to the point where she would die for them. "Your eyes full of ketchup, it's nice that you're trying" sometimes people use ketchup as fake blood. maybe he wanted to make her feel bad. juliet is always on the other side of the ampersand in the title of the play. maybe she doesn't want to always be second?
this is my favorite song by her. :3
My guess is that it has something to do with Romeo & Juliet. I think that what she means by not living on one side of an ampersand is that she doesn't want to forever be known as part of a duet. For instance, most people hear Juliet and think Romeo & Juliet, not just Juliet.