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'm a ghostwriter for an ocean in a shell
From the poison well
In the corridor by a picture in a frame
Of a man with no name
Don't get back into a corner
Talking to yourself
Come on back to me
My bright tomorrow
But if you feel hollow
Well, it's probably because you are
Well, at least so far
I think of you with hesitation
I think of you too hard
Come on back to me
But don't make me sorry
I'm a ghostwriter for an ocean in a shell
From the poison well
From the poison well
From the poison well
In the corridor by a picture in a frame
Of a man with no name
Don't get back into a corner
Talking to yourself
Come on back to me
My bright tomorrow
But if you feel hollow
Well, it's probably because you are
Well, at least so far
I think of you with hesitation
I think of you too hard
Come on back to me
But don't make me sorry
I'm a ghostwriter for an ocean in a shell
From the poison well
From the poison well
Lyrics submitted by TheBends, edited by IncreasingMeteornium
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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.”
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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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it is also worth noting that this is another example of elliott writing two seperate meaningful sets of lyrics for the same melody - these lyrics are sung to the tune of "first timer," which was released recently on New Moon. elliott seemed to do that alot - he was always revising lyrics to fit his mood and mindset at the time (see also the version of miss misery on blue moon, etc) . i think its a fascinating look at the mind of a musical genius at work ... and im so grateful that he recorded so much of it so we could try to understand
may have been a reply to to Quasi's song "the poisoned well" with the following lyrics:
You only hurt the one you love That may be true But better said, you only hurt the one who loves you
We went through hell Just to get to hell Die of thirst of drink up form the poisoned well
I kept the things inside At least I never lied I'm not trying to document my suicide
You won't live long But you may write the perfect song Please excuse those who choose to not play along
where is this song from????
elliottsmithbsides.com/BasementDemos.htm
Just got leaked a couple of days ago :)
from a poison well, not poisoned....
Is this an early version of First Timer, or was First Timer an early version of this?
"I think of you with hesitation I think of you too hard Come on back to me Don't make me sorry"
I don't know about the ghost part, but a writer for an ocean in a shell is great imagery for what he probably perceived himself as- not that I know this is what he intended the line to mean, but that's my guess.
Sorry. Cell sucks. When you put a shell to your ear you supposedly hear the ocean. He also says ghost writer. What he is saying is without me you have no song. You have nothing so I wrote your song. Elliot is the ghost writer for the quasi song in that sense. It is a clap back to their song.