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.
see some story was told
what is there to tell
well, some song had been sung
but none of it sings
let's spell it out
a, b, and c
up and down from a is to z
you meant zed, you said zed
from nothing to something and something for nothing
from no one to someone, from someone to same one
same old thing
only way out
to no way back
what can you do?
easy; you shove it back where it came
easy; you never let yourself down
so you got up
and you ran
and you run to get up
through chinatowns
to slip right down
soho's a town in every downtown
drinking friends
who've drunk in bars
who've drunken friends
in drinking bars
waiting for the lightning man to strike
icing on your cake
well if i knew you were coming
i'd cooked your goose
baby come to daddy
baby come to daddy
baby come to daddy
daddy's come to baby
daddy's come to baby
come to daddy
baby
baby come to daddy
easy; you shove it back where it came
easy; you never let yourself down
you better be careful out there
you be careful out there
you better be careful out there
you be careful
you ain't gonna get far
you better be careful out there
you ain't gonna get far
you ain't gonna get far
you be careful out there
you ain't gonna get far
you ain't gonna get far
you be careful out there
you better be careful out there
we're gonna pluck you off
you better be careful out there
you ain't gonna get far
you ain't gonna get far
we're gonna pluck you off
we're gonna pluck you off
we're gonna pluck you off
baby come to daddy
daddy's come to baby
daddy's come to baby
come to daddy
come to baby
baby come to daddy
daddy's come to baby
come to daddy
easy; you shove it right back down
easy; you never listen to this
what is there to tell
well, some song had been sung
but none of it sings
let's spell it out
a, b, and c
up and down from a is to z
you meant zed, you said zed
from nothing to something and something for nothing
from no one to someone, from someone to same one
same old thing
only way out
to no way back
what can you do?
easy; you shove it back where it came
easy; you never let yourself down
so you got up
and you ran
and you run to get up
through chinatowns
to slip right down
soho's a town in every downtown
drinking friends
who've drunk in bars
who've drunken friends
in drinking bars
waiting for the lightning man to strike
icing on your cake
well if i knew you were coming
i'd cooked your goose
baby come to daddy
baby come to daddy
baby come to daddy
daddy's come to baby
daddy's come to baby
come to daddy
baby
baby come to daddy
easy; you shove it back where it came
easy; you never let yourself down
you better be careful out there
you be careful out there
you better be careful out there
you be careful
you ain't gonna get far
you better be careful out there
you ain't gonna get far
you ain't gonna get far
you be careful out there
you ain't gonna get far
you ain't gonna get far
you be careful out there
you better be careful out there
we're gonna pluck you off
you better be careful out there
you ain't gonna get far
you ain't gonna get far
we're gonna pluck you off
we're gonna pluck you off
we're gonna pluck you off
baby come to daddy
daddy's come to baby
daddy's come to baby
come to daddy
come to baby
baby come to daddy
daddy's come to baby
come to daddy
easy; you shove it right back down
easy; you never listen to this
Lyrics submitted by gothic_hobbit
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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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My favorite Nitzer Ebb song. I'm surprised no one has commented on it. I loved the video when it played on MTV's 120 Minutes. I always heard the lines about the cake as:
icing on your cake well i knew you were coming so i cut you a piece