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.
A pair of shoes some old reviews
That you kicked behind the door
A calling card is torn apart
And it's wasted on the floor
Some city scene you're like a preteen
Chasing all the latest news
We're back at home we fix old radios
Wiping off the dusty tunes so
Please, please don't touch
Please, please don't touch
I keep it warm at thirty-four
Like the way it was before
Your favorite shirt a little dirt
Builds inside the bedroom drawer
'Cause all the paint and the stains
All the papers and the fumes
They're all of you they stay alive
And inside the things we knew
So please, please don't touch
Please, please don't touch
Empty stalls and shopping malls
That we'll never see again
Hotel lobbies like painful hobbies
That linger on
Time compares us, you feel embarrassed
Like you drive your parent's car
On another road, in another road
Kept in a jar
That you kicked behind the door
A calling card is torn apart
And it's wasted on the floor
Some city scene you're like a preteen
Chasing all the latest news
We're back at home we fix old radios
Wiping off the dusty tunes so
Please, please don't touch
Please, please don't touch
I keep it warm at thirty-four
Like the way it was before
Your favorite shirt a little dirt
Builds inside the bedroom drawer
'Cause all the paint and the stains
All the papers and the fumes
They're all of you they stay alive
And inside the things we knew
So please, please don't touch
Please, please don't touch
Empty stalls and shopping malls
That we'll never see again
Hotel lobbies like painful hobbies
That linger on
Time compares us, you feel embarrassed
Like you drive your parent's car
On another road, in another road
Kept in a jar
Lyrics submitted by ZombieCultHero
Count Souvenirs Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I wouldn't say it's about an lover, for me it's about coming home to an old version of yourself, a younger version that you now don't recognize. so, it's totally introspective.
To me it sounds like he just stays home keeping all the belongings and the memories of a beloved person intact just like a mother who loses her child would do. Though in this context it could be any beloved person that died or just a girlfriend that left.
As about "Please, please don't touch" it's towards any person who tries to touch the lost person's belongings.
"'Cause all the paint And the stains All the papers and the fumes They're all of you They stay alive And inside the things we knew"
What a verse. It's an amazing song, catchy but complex.
yeah that is the secret weapon of the junior boys, there is so much more to their music than just what it sounds like. it is almost intuitive the way the beats move along, coupled with his voice. anyway, back to the point of all this: to me this song is about coming home to your hometown or whatever after being away for a long time, and seeing things that remind you of the person you used to love when you were younger. as you get older it becomes harder to adapt to new people and you always have this idealized memory of relationships in the past and i think this is like a nostalgia for that.
the "please dont touch" line reminds me of someone clinging to the past or an idea of the past. they have a special memory of something or someone and they dont want anyone to change or talk-down this warm feeling they have. I also get the feeling (mental image) of all the things you leave behind when you go away gathering dust and decaying while you're somewhere else.
such an amazing song.
The "please don't touch" refrains specifically references the past being like a museum, and using the words of museum placards ("please don't touch") to both draw reference to the past as an archive and to the fact that the past should be left alone so as not to cause present pain. Time wounds all heals.
I think the pronoun usage and the fact that this is one of the songs on their breakup record suggests that this is remembering a lover's house. That said, at times it does seem like he's talking to a younger version of himself, a self he can't access anymore but to rhapsodize at a distance so as not to cause himself too much pain now.