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.
Come labor, get ready to dance for your bread
My son, I was once where you stand
There's a beast with insatiable hunger
Its minions need crafters and skilled working hands
Needs a fortress high in the hilltops
And we are the great chosen crew
But I am a lowly carpenter, so, what have i power to do?
Oh, misery! Call us to rise up at dawn
To turn whey as fast as we can
We may be the mortar that cradles the brick,
but I am just one grain of sand.
And don't tell me of tossing the wrenches,
It only brings pleasure and pain
And we are all lowly carpenters, so,
Where we're taken is where we'll remain
And the master shall govern with unbroken backs
Look down from the tops of the hills
You can cry through the night just as much as you like
There will always be towers to build
I coulda been more than some stone-dragging vessel!
I could be more than their wood-cutting slave!
But we are all lowly carpenters, so, what have we power to change?
And if you can't take no more, then get out of the way
For we've got a day to get through
We wire their castles, their prisons, and banks
Know their mansions from cellar to roof
We've got hammers, and wrenches, and chisels
We could destroy any great wall we come to
But I am a lowly carpenter, so, what have I power to do?
My son, I was once where you stand
There's a beast with insatiable hunger
Its minions need crafters and skilled working hands
Needs a fortress high in the hilltops
And we are the great chosen crew
But I am a lowly carpenter, so, what have i power to do?
Oh, misery! Call us to rise up at dawn
To turn whey as fast as we can
We may be the mortar that cradles the brick,
but I am just one grain of sand.
And don't tell me of tossing the wrenches,
It only brings pleasure and pain
And we are all lowly carpenters, so,
Where we're taken is where we'll remain
And the master shall govern with unbroken backs
Look down from the tops of the hills
You can cry through the night just as much as you like
There will always be towers to build
I coulda been more than some stone-dragging vessel!
I could be more than their wood-cutting slave!
But we are all lowly carpenters, so, what have we power to change?
And if you can't take no more, then get out of the way
For we've got a day to get through
We wire their castles, their prisons, and banks
Know their mansions from cellar to roof
We've got hammers, and wrenches, and chisels
We could destroy any great wall we come to
But I am a lowly carpenter, so, what have I power to do?
Lyrics submitted by BlissfulVanity, edited by grabyerpitchforks
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
As a worker I feel that we are the backbone of so much but seem to have such little say, beautiful shit