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'm sure if you wanted to stop love
You could just untie your end and let it go
But, my God, you don't, you don't
Yeah, I think I love you for it
Yeah, I think I love you for it
You're still sending cells to their rightful places
When forming more likely to escape such a narrow way to life
What's it look like from your side?
From here I can't see why it's worth, why it's worth
One more coming, coming out cursed
Say it, say it
Say what this is all for
Say it, say it
Say what this is all for
Say, it's redemption
'Cause our world is grey, world is grey
We're just swaying from side to side
And our world is grey, world is grey
We are thieves and saints alike
But you don't let go, don't let go
We keep swaying and swaying
And you don't let go, you don't
Yeah, I think I love you for it
He's shooting God up his arm through a needle
And she's putting cuts on her legs to bleed out the devil
Surely you will not die
Eat and you shall be like God, what have we done?
Say it, say it
Say that this is all for redemption
'Cause our world is grey, world is grey
We're just swaying from side to side
Our world is grey, world is grey
We are thieves and saints alike
But you don't let go, don't let go
We keep swaying and swaying
We all just sway, we all just sway
But you don't let go, you don't, you don't
I'm sure if you wanted to stop love
You could just untie your end, let it go
My God, you don't
You could just untie your end and let it go
But, my God, you don't, you don't
Yeah, I think I love you for it
Yeah, I think I love you for it
You're still sending cells to their rightful places
When forming more likely to escape such a narrow way to life
What's it look like from your side?
From here I can't see why it's worth, why it's worth
One more coming, coming out cursed
Say it, say it
Say what this is all for
Say it, say it
Say what this is all for
Say, it's redemption
'Cause our world is grey, world is grey
We're just swaying from side to side
And our world is grey, world is grey
We are thieves and saints alike
But you don't let go, don't let go
We keep swaying and swaying
And you don't let go, you don't
Yeah, I think I love you for it
He's shooting God up his arm through a needle
And she's putting cuts on her legs to bleed out the devil
Surely you will not die
Eat and you shall be like God, what have we done?
Say it, say it
Say that this is all for redemption
'Cause our world is grey, world is grey
We're just swaying from side to side
Our world is grey, world is grey
We are thieves and saints alike
But you don't let go, don't let go
We keep swaying and swaying
We all just sway, we all just sway
But you don't let go, you don't, you don't
I'm sure if you wanted to stop love
You could just untie your end, let it go
My God, you don't
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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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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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How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Page
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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.
just because something is art doesnt mean it is open to interpretation.
I was very impressed with the depth of the lyrics in this album.
I believe the first stanza is about the universal love that everyone shares. It makes a reference to how love essentially originates from God.
"You're still sending cells to their rightful places" A reference to Gods involvement in biology. "One more coming out cursed." This is a reference to a human birth. The narrator is amazed at how God will let more humans live on earth considering how potentially evil we are.
Third stanza: A request for redemption to be the human's purpose.
Fourth stanza: "Our world is grey" Man is both evil and good. While God demands everything in black and white. We continue to live as though there are gray areas of neither good, nor bad. "We're just swaying from side to side." We cannot live perfectly.
Fifth Stanza: This is a reference to temptation. How we are deceived into believing that certain sins are OK. More gray essentially. Also refers to the serpent in the garden of Eden. The Garden had two trees, the tree of the knowledge of GOOD and EVIL and the tree of life. Obviously we are sticking to the theme of right and wrong.
So basically, this whole song is a reference to how God provides our sense of what is right and our love which we share with each other. We need to understand that God hates evil and loves good. But he still loves his creatures. Kinda goes back to the old saying "Love the sinner, hate the sin". If God didn't love everything he created, then the moment we sinned we would be destroyed. Pretty good proof that God loves us.
There's a lot more to this song. I only grazed over it.
<Recommended reading: "Mere Christianity" by C.S.Lewis>
God does not see in black and white. He is more intricate and wonderful than right or wrong. The artist says the world is grey signifying how we see God in a dualistic nature. We categorize into right and wrong and make up the grey, but that is just our thinking as humans.
It sounds like this could be about all the wrongs in the world today (abortion, drug, suicide, obesity) and Cody's saying that God could just give up on us for all of these faults but he doesn't and that's why we love him.
yeah, i think it means we're loved somehow, and that enables us to love back.
love is the point of God's story. he could let go but he hasn't, for the purpose of redemption. our world is hopeless but its for love that he holds on. unearned, unfaltering and without agenda. just to love, even if its never reciprocated. like we should love.
I like the reference to Eden:" Eat and you will be like God." This song really resonates for me because it talks about many reasons that humans are filthy and unlovable, then it states the fact that God still does love us. Wierd. Maybe He could just give up on us like we give up on ourselves but He doesn't. "We keep swaying but You don't let go."
I love this..."What's it look like from your side? From here I can't see why it's worth One more coming out cursed." Basically saying, he doesn't know why God even has faith in us anymore...Absolutely beautiful.
as with all art. many ways to take this song.religion, a realitionship,drugs, defintly beautiful
It's about life, and questioning the meaning of our lives, asking God why we do such things to the perfect bodies he created, and why are we here on Earth. Asking why he still loves us no matter what until the end.
this definatley about God having an unconditional love for us. and how he doesnt understand why he could still love us with all of the horrible things in the world.
also i interpret the chorus as the purity of life and existence was corrupted with sin (white to grey) and that we are "swaying" on the line of life and death (or salvation and damnnation) and God is holding us up and he wont let go. and i also think he feels bad for God because he has to hold all of us and most will not even recognize him in there lives.