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 know we often feel the rub of love
That we don't always fit quite hand in glove
But we live inside of a mystery
And my heart often fails to contain
And I know that words are not enough
When I think of all the endless love
That you give to me in my time of need
Boy, it's high time these words were said [will sell]
Ask for my hand you know I'll give it
And if you're cold I give you warmth
And I don't care if it's unfair
'cause I would sacrifice myself
Now that I know
The only thing that matters
Us [Repeats]
It's hard to say what road we're traveling down
Sometimes it leads us to some awful towns
But we somehow keep, both our hands and feet
On the floorboard and the steering wheel
Ask for my hand, you know I'll give it
And if you're cold I give you warmth
And I don't care if it's unfair
'cause I would sacrifice myself
Now that I know
The only thing that matters
Us [Repeats]
There was a time I lost my, eyes
There was a day I wasted
Too much of your golden light
Ask for my hand
You know I gave it I give you warmth
And I don't care if it's unfair
'cause I would sacrifice myself
Now that I know
The only thing that matters
You're the only that matters
You're the only that matters
Us [Repeats]
That we don't always fit quite hand in glove
But we live inside of a mystery
And my heart often fails to contain
And I know that words are not enough
When I think of all the endless love
That you give to me in my time of need
Boy, it's high time these words were said [will sell]
Ask for my hand you know I'll give it
And if you're cold I give you warmth
And I don't care if it's unfair
'cause I would sacrifice myself
Now that I know
The only thing that matters
Us [Repeats]
It's hard to say what road we're traveling down
Sometimes it leads us to some awful towns
But we somehow keep, both our hands and feet
On the floorboard and the steering wheel
Ask for my hand, you know I'll give it
And if you're cold I give you warmth
And I don't care if it's unfair
'cause I would sacrifice myself
Now that I know
The only thing that matters
Us [Repeats]
There was a time I lost my, eyes
There was a day I wasted
Too much of your golden light
Ask for my hand
You know I gave it I give you warmth
And I don't care if it's unfair
'cause I would sacrifice myself
Now that I know
The only thing that matters
You're the only that matters
You're the only that matters
Us [Repeats]
Lyrics submitted by Mondenkind
Us Lyrics as written by Matthew Preston Slocum
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
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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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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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,
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.
That no matter the problems and the differences, the love couple always find themselves in control and the mystery of love keep them together making them or ''us'' the only thing that matters.
The song seems to describe certain community dynamics. First clue is the title "Us". Granted, that could still pertain to just two people, but other clues that it's about a larger corporate community lie in the description of practical love that the first Christians in the book of Acts shared with one another:
-Sharing things in common - "you give to me in my time of need"
-The newness and mystery surrounding the Holy Spirit's spread of this new faith - "we live inside of a mystery that my heart often fails to contain"
-The sacraficing of self being one of the central principles Christ taught his disciples as emulated by the chorus.
-The idea of a socialist or communist community often associated with the first church in Acts - "I don't care if it's not fair (in other words, in context of the chorus, it's okay with me if I'm not getting my fair share)... now that I know the only thing that matters: us." The community is more important than the individual members.
-The disciples never knew where they would be led to preach the gospel next, they were just following the Holy Spirit's leading, and oftentimes that led them to places where they endured harsh persecution - "It's hard to say what road we're traveling down, sometimes it leads us through some awful towns."
-And finally, the last stanza seems to be speaking straight from the perspective of the apostle Paul, the greatest champion of the earliest Christian missionary endeavors who was blinded on the road to Damascus, where he realized how much of his former zealotry was wasted in persecuting the church before his conversion - "There was a time I lost my eyes. There was a day I wasted too much of your golden light."
The evidence seems strong that this song describes several different facets of the early spread of Christianity from the book of Acts.
This pretty much seems to be a song directly about love. It is very true that there was a lot of love in the original groups of followers of Jesus, and that is the way it should be, but that is not what this song is talking about. It's a song about love between two people -- there is no need to attempt to further spiritualize it, as love between two people is a thing God takes very seriously. He gave us a song about it, for crying out loud lol.