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.
There was a thick set man with frog eyes
Who was standing by the door
And a little bald man with wing-nut ears
Was waiting in the car
Well Robert Moore passed the frog-eyed man
As he walked into the bar
And Betty Coltrane she jumped under her table
"What's your pleasure?" asked the barman
He had a face like boiled meat
"There's a girl called Betty Coltrane
That I have come to see"
"But I ain't seen that girl 'round here
For more than a week"
And Betty Coltrane she hid beneath the table
Well, then in came a sailor with
Mermaids tattooed on his arms
Followed by the man with the wing-nut ears
Who was waitin' in the car
Well, Robert Moore sensed trouble
He'd seen it comin' from afar
And Betty Coltrane she gasped beneath the table
Well, the sailor said "I'm looking for my wife
They call her Betty Coltrane!"
The frog-eyed man said "That can't be
That's my wife's maiden name"
And the man with the wing-nut ears said
"Hey, I married her back in Spain!"
And Betty Coltrane crossed herself beneath the table
Well, Robert Moore stepped up and said
"That woman is my wife"
And he drew a silver pistol
And a wicked bowie knife
And he shot the man with the wing-nut ears
Straight between the eyes
And Betty Coltrane, she moaned under the table
The frog-eyed man jumped at Robert Moore
Who stabbed him in the chest
And as Mister Frog-eyes died he said
"Betty, your the girl that I loved best!"
The sailor pulled a razor
Robert blasted it to bits
"And Betty, I know you're under the table"
"Well have no fear," said Robert Moore
"I do not want to hurt you!"
"Never a woman did'na love me
Half as much as you
You are the blessed' sun, girl
And you are the sacred moon"
And Betty shot his legs out from under the table!
Well, Robert Moore went down heavy
With a crash upon the floor
And over to his trashin' body
Betty Coltrane she did crawl
She put the gun to the back of head
And pulled the trigger once more
And blew his brains out all over the table!
Well Betty stood up and shook her head
And waved the smoke away
Said, "I'm sorry Mr Barman
To leave your place this way."
As she emptied out their wallets she said,
"I'll collect my severance pay"
And then she winked and threw dollar on the table
Who was standing by the door
And a little bald man with wing-nut ears
Was waiting in the car
Well Robert Moore passed the frog-eyed man
As he walked into the bar
And Betty Coltrane she jumped under her table
"What's your pleasure?" asked the barman
He had a face like boiled meat
"There's a girl called Betty Coltrane
That I have come to see"
"But I ain't seen that girl 'round here
For more than a week"
And Betty Coltrane she hid beneath the table
Well, then in came a sailor with
Mermaids tattooed on his arms
Followed by the man with the wing-nut ears
Who was waitin' in the car
Well, Robert Moore sensed trouble
He'd seen it comin' from afar
And Betty Coltrane she gasped beneath the table
Well, the sailor said "I'm looking for my wife
They call her Betty Coltrane!"
The frog-eyed man said "That can't be
That's my wife's maiden name"
And the man with the wing-nut ears said
"Hey, I married her back in Spain!"
And Betty Coltrane crossed herself beneath the table
Well, Robert Moore stepped up and said
"That woman is my wife"
And he drew a silver pistol
And a wicked bowie knife
And he shot the man with the wing-nut ears
Straight between the eyes
And Betty Coltrane, she moaned under the table
The frog-eyed man jumped at Robert Moore
Who stabbed him in the chest
And as Mister Frog-eyes died he said
"Betty, your the girl that I loved best!"
The sailor pulled a razor
Robert blasted it to bits
"And Betty, I know you're under the table"
"Well have no fear," said Robert Moore
"I do not want to hurt you!"
"Never a woman did'na love me
Half as much as you
You are the blessed' sun, girl
And you are the sacred moon"
And Betty shot his legs out from under the table!
Well, Robert Moore went down heavy
With a crash upon the floor
And over to his trashin' body
Betty Coltrane she did crawl
She put the gun to the back of head
And pulled the trigger once more
And blew his brains out all over the table!
Well Betty stood up and shook her head
And waved the smoke away
Said, "I'm sorry Mr Barman
To leave your place this way."
As she emptied out their wallets she said,
"I'll collect my severance pay"
And then she winked and threw dollar on the table
Lyrics submitted by Dressed2Depress
The Ballad of Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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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:
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Great song. I agree it should have been on murder ballads.
I think Nick is implying that perhaps instead trying to kill each other that Robert Moore, the "man with the wing-nut ears", the "frog-eyed man" and the sailor should have realized their real enemy was Betty Coltrane. Clearly Betty Coltrane is a harpy and when she steals the money from everyone at the end it is obvious she never cared about any of these men.
Another awesome tale of "love" gone wrong from Nick Cave.