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.
Ambien, arsenic
And make me a lesbian
Make me a something
So I can forget him
And get back to reading
And get back to sleep again
Ativan, marzipan
Anything, anything
CNN, TRL
Make me a vegetable
Show me the war
And remind me to hate them all
Shooting off nerves at each other
How could I deserve to be crying here
Under the covers
But I just want to make it through the night
I just want to feel like I'll survive
Everything is relative, that's right
You've never suffered a day in your life
Make me thirteen again
Mannequin, safety pins
Things were so simple then
No of this drawn-out selection
I made no distinction
I just hated one
BBC, history
Make me feel ugly
Something with Nazis
Would do the job perfectly
He's just a boy, what on earth am I thinking
The billions treasure each drop they are drinking
And I just want to make it through the night
I just want to know that I'll survive
Everything is relative, that's right
But you've never suffered a day in your life
Poor little rich girl
Playing piano
All of the practice
We think you'd have learned by now
Poor little rich girl
Playing piano
What good is practice
If you haven't learned by now
Poor little rich girl
Playing piano
What good is practice
If you haven't learned by now
Poor little rich girl
Playing piano
It is a big world
I think you'd have learned by now
There are no starving Chinese
In your bedroom
The finger that points
Is attached to your elbow
Poor little rich girl
Playing piano
It is a big world
I think you'd have learned by now
There are no starving Chinese
In your bedroom
The finger that points
Is attached to your elbow
And make me a lesbian
Make me a something
So I can forget him
And get back to reading
And get back to sleep again
Ativan, marzipan
Anything, anything
CNN, TRL
Make me a vegetable
Show me the war
And remind me to hate them all
Shooting off nerves at each other
How could I deserve to be crying here
Under the covers
But I just want to make it through the night
I just want to feel like I'll survive
Everything is relative, that's right
You've never suffered a day in your life
Make me thirteen again
Mannequin, safety pins
Things were so simple then
No of this drawn-out selection
I made no distinction
I just hated one
BBC, history
Make me feel ugly
Something with Nazis
Would do the job perfectly
He's just a boy, what on earth am I thinking
The billions treasure each drop they are drinking
And I just want to make it through the night
I just want to know that I'll survive
Everything is relative, that's right
But you've never suffered a day in your life
Poor little rich girl
Playing piano
All of the practice
We think you'd have learned by now
Poor little rich girl
Playing piano
What good is practice
If you haven't learned by now
Poor little rich girl
Playing piano
What good is practice
If you haven't learned by now
Poor little rich girl
Playing piano
It is a big world
I think you'd have learned by now
There are no starving Chinese
In your bedroom
The finger that points
Is attached to your elbow
Poor little rich girl
Playing piano
It is a big world
I think you'd have learned by now
There are no starving Chinese
In your bedroom
The finger that points
Is attached to your elbow
Lyrics submitted by oslo1888, edited by Mellow_Harsher
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
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.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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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 this song is about feeling guilty about making music about personal turmoil when there's people who've had more turmoil (vegetable > Terry Schaivo, war > war in Iraq/any war) in their lives.
There's a Regina Spektor reference in "Poor Little Rich Girl".