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.
Because it's safe at the bottom, this lake
We know what you're gonna do when you get there
Sit down and listen
And it's a cold hearted fool and on that shit we made money
Motives lost in a heap 'cause the dead don't, dead don't listen
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in, shining
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in, shining
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
I'm an apple dripping man
Just like the feet that tapped, "Take me home"
We'll be back when the stores are in order
The house isn't shaking
The king is elected from the love that grows it, love that grows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in, shining
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in, shining
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
I'm an apple dripping man
Just like the feet that tapped, "Take me home"
We built the mountains to stand up where he knows
All the sheep that showed don't care who knows it, care who knows it
But the sons are the giants built by the pharaohs
All the apples fed them sheep
We built the mountains to stand up where he knows
All the sheep that showed don't care who knows it, care who knows it
Care who knows it, care who knows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in, shining
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in, shining
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
I'm an apple dripping man
Just like the feet that tapped, "Take me home"
We know what you're gonna do when you get there
Sit down and listen
And it's a cold hearted fool and on that shit we made money
Motives lost in a heap 'cause the dead don't, dead don't listen
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in, shining
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in, shining
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
I'm an apple dripping man
Just like the feet that tapped, "Take me home"
We'll be back when the stores are in order
The house isn't shaking
The king is elected from the love that grows it, love that grows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in, shining
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in, shining
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
I'm an apple dripping man
Just like the feet that tapped, "Take me home"
We built the mountains to stand up where he knows
All the sheep that showed don't care who knows it, care who knows it
But the sons are the giants built by the pharaohs
All the apples fed them sheep
We built the mountains to stand up where he knows
All the sheep that showed don't care who knows it, care who knows it
Care who knows it, care who knows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in, shining
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in, shining
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
Wake up, wake up
Oh, that sunshine is shining in
Let's go, I don't care who knows it
I'm an apple dripping man
Just like the feet that tapped, "Take me home"
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
This song is amazing. It's about two ways to live your life: the path of least resistance, or a life lived deliberately and with purpose. The first verse describes the easy way ("it's safe at the bottom"), doing what you're told ("sit down and listen"), getting a job you hate to achieve financial security ("built that cold hearted fool and on that shit he made money"), and giving up on your dreams because the people around you have given up on theirs ("motives lost in a heap, because the deaf don't listen").
The second verse is about giving up on society in its present form, until humanity is ready to embrace a form of society that truly works, with economic equality ("the stores are in order"), peace instead of war ("the house isn't shaking"), and leaders that lead for the good of the people, rather than rulers who rule for personal gain ("the king is elected from the love that grows").
The third verse, then, is about the desire to start a social revolution against apathy. Building great things, creating change ("built the mountains to stand up"), with the ultimate goal of shaking people into action, lighting some kind of passion within people who have forgotten it, so they can let go of their fear of themselves and others ("all the sheep that showed don't care who knows it").
The second two lines of the third verse are talking about the heredity of power standing in the way of this kind of change. "The sons are the giants built by the pharaohs" means that power is kept within limited circles, passed from father to son in the form of wealth, and passed between people with similar philosophies on the use of power, in the form of political machination. Because there is an "elite" class, and a "common" class, it will always be difficult for the common people to make their own way in the world. Making things worse, because the people in power provide for the security of the common people (protecting them, feeding them; "apples fed them sheep"), there is little motivation in most people to seek anything more than the life they have been given.
The first two lines of the third verse are then repeated, to restate that despite all the reasons against it, social revolution on a personal level is necessary if life is to mean anything.
The chorus is, throughout, a call to action.
Either that was a load of bull crap OR You were a hell of a genius to figure that one out.
Damn, and I was starting to worry whether they were just writing lyrics for the heck of it,
Thanks for my making me regain my faith ^_^ lawl.
portugal. the man's lyrics seem completely random at times, but there's a method to their madness--and a lot of their songs are very meaningful if you take the time to listen. I love them.