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.
Who do you carry the torch for my young man?
Do you believe in anything?
Do you carry it around just to burn things down?
Meet me tonight on the turnpike, my darling
Cause we believe in everything,
If we sweat all these debts then we're sure to drown
So we'll strap ourselves up to this engine now,
With a God that we found laying under the backseat.
What did you learn tonight?
Shouting so loud you barely see,
You're this broken thing,
You're a voice that never sings, that's what I say.
You were freezing over hell,
You were bringing on the end you do so well
You can only blame yourself, that's what I say
All that you've taught is to ignore the things I was showing
And sweep me under the rug,
You're beating with a book everyone that book tells you to love,
There is an ember in the heart of the kiln and its burning hot with love,
Burning out my center till there's nothing but dust,
Rolling me with care into your cigarette,
Cause the God I believe in never worked on a campaign trail.
What did you learn tonight?
Shouting so loud you barely see,
You're this broken thing,
You're a voice that never sings, that's what I say.
You were freezing over hell,
You were bringing on the end, you do so well
You can only blame yourself, that's what I say
Who do you carry that torch for my young man?
Do you believe in anything?
Do you carry it around just to burn things to the ground?
What did you learn tonight?
Shouting so loud you barely see,
(feels like we could escape, I don't mind throwing away the filthy silver song.)
You're this broken thing,
You're a voice that never sings, that's what I say.
(if you try running the maze of your lies it's too hard to save,
If you've thrown out everyone.)
You were freezing over hell,
You were bringing on the end, you do so well
You can only blame yourself, that's what I say
Do you believe in anything?
Do you carry it around just to burn things down?
Meet me tonight on the turnpike, my darling
Cause we believe in everything,
If we sweat all these debts then we're sure to drown
So we'll strap ourselves up to this engine now,
With a God that we found laying under the backseat.
What did you learn tonight?
Shouting so loud you barely see,
You're this broken thing,
You're a voice that never sings, that's what I say.
You were freezing over hell,
You were bringing on the end you do so well
You can only blame yourself, that's what I say
All that you've taught is to ignore the things I was showing
And sweep me under the rug,
You're beating with a book everyone that book tells you to love,
There is an ember in the heart of the kiln and its burning hot with love,
Burning out my center till there's nothing but dust,
Rolling me with care into your cigarette,
Cause the God I believe in never worked on a campaign trail.
What did you learn tonight?
Shouting so loud you barely see,
You're this broken thing,
You're a voice that never sings, that's what I say.
You were freezing over hell,
You were bringing on the end, you do so well
You can only blame yourself, that's what I say
Who do you carry that torch for my young man?
Do you believe in anything?
Do you carry it around just to burn things to the ground?
What did you learn tonight?
Shouting so loud you barely see,
(feels like we could escape, I don't mind throwing away the filthy silver song.)
You're this broken thing,
You're a voice that never sings, that's what I say.
(if you try running the maze of your lies it's too hard to save,
If you've thrown out everyone.)
You were freezing over hell,
You were bringing on the end, you do so well
You can only blame yourself, that's what I say
Lyrics submitted by prayingmantis84, edited by josefineumuser
Untitled Lyrics as written by Vincent Accardi
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
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:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
I played this one backwards and got the same (this never ends). It sounds like Jesse's voice by the way...
Anyways, seeing as the whole album's about the Devil and God Raging Inside and about how he's always have to come back to God in repentance to me says that this song is him saying that he wishes that this would just end. He wants to grow out of it and mature beyond stupidity and stuff.