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.
Here is my car, my phone and my TV
I've got it all, but you can see through me
But am I here? It's kind of hard to tell
I do a good impression of myself
But what's normal now anyhow?
Sullen and bored the kids stay
And in this way wish away each day
Stoned in the mall the kids play
And in this way wish away each day
Prescription drugs, they help me through the day
And that restraining order keeps me well at bay
And what's normal now, anyway?
Sullen and bored the kids stay
And in this way wish away each day
Stoned in the mall the kids play
And in this way wish away each day
Sullen and bored the kids stay
And in this way wish away each day
Stoned in the mall the kids play
And in this way wish away each day
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little
I've got it all, but you can see through me
But am I here? It's kind of hard to tell
I do a good impression of myself
But what's normal now anyhow?
Sullen and bored the kids stay
And in this way wish away each day
Stoned in the mall the kids play
And in this way wish away each day
Prescription drugs, they help me through the day
And that restraining order keeps me well at bay
And what's normal now, anyway?
Sullen and bored the kids stay
And in this way wish away each day
Stoned in the mall the kids play
And in this way wish away each day
Sullen and bored the kids stay
And in this way wish away each day
Stoned in the mall the kids play
And in this way wish away each day
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little sentimental
Wish I was old and a little
Lyrics submitted by christsizeshoes, edited by ToasterBoxes
Normal Lyrics as written by Steven John Wilson
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
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great stuff. I guess it's fair to say this is a sister song to the more mellow sentimental.
with the 'cars, phones, and televisions', you'd think the character in the stanza is doing fine in his life when he's actually not. it could be because he or she's materially satisfied but not happy or at terms with his life or himself. maybe he pursued a stable desk job, got a car, a family, and all that because that was his idea of a normal life... but maybe now he starts to question just what is 'normal' after all.
in fact, the character could be one of the restless kids that FOABP was touching so heavily about, but now he's a young adult, seemingly normal on the outside but with the personal problems he had as a child still lingering on in his head. as a kid he's had a hollow life, and now wishes he has something, anything to be sentimental about, even if they weren't particularly happy memories.
the chorus adds to that; maybe he sees the kids stoned and wasting their lives in the mall and they remind him of his younger, meaningless days.
well that's my interpretation of the song and it's a fairly straightforward one. the new EP is awesome, as is PT.
@headphonedust Wow. I can definetly see that now thinking about it. <br /> <br /> I can relate a bit. My childhood was full of bullying and never fitting in. Never really having too many friends. My home life was very loved, but most of your days as a kid is spent in school. As an adult, I never 100% adjusted to being social with others. I want to, but I'm really bad at it. A lot of this comes back to anxiety and fear of inadequacy for so many years. <br /> <br /> Now with a job/career, car, etc...yesh. I don't really have much to be sentimental about. Most of my sentimental memories are college. That's why I actually want to start a family/kids. Build sentimental memories.<br /> <br /> But I get the song's intent. That building the 'normal life' creates the same darts as before. His kids have led the same pitfalls he did, and his married life is in shambles. Now he leads a meaningless life of repetition, the same sort of life being 'stoned in the mall'? Maybe building a life to reject the past is not the appropriate path?
idk to me it seems like sentimental's lyrics are supposed to target a person at an age of maturity.it seems like he thinks that as hes gotten older hand as he continues to grow he will have to start letting go of his dreams and grab hold of the concept of a "normal" life"I'm finding it hard to hang from a star". and then in this song normal he has what most would call a "normal" life but knows hes not really living just surviving and wait for some sort of sign that will show him the way to live truly happy. "You gotta see the waves. look for the bottle in the waves now" bottle=happiness? idk :p
The first line of the chorus is "sullen and bored, the kids stay", not "stoned in the mall". This is a direct reference to their other song, "Sentimental", which has a similar structure in the chorus. The second line, however, does say "stoned in the mall", as written here.
Can anyone make out the interweaving lyrics that are sung over the "Wish I was old and a little sentimental" lines? I think they'd provide great insight into this song. All I can make out is "You've gotta see the way he's looking (????) at the waves now." I'm not even sure that's entirely correct or if it changes at all during the repetitions.
from what I can decipher it sounds like "you've got to see the waves not the wine in (the) bottle it's the waves now" you can hear it better on We Lost The Skyline's live version youtube.com/watch<br /> and the version of Stars Die on that album is the best version. Ever.<br /> Enjoy!
Steven Wilson sure likes to repeat lyrics and themes eh? Agreed with headphonedust... this is Sentimental's other version I suppose. Glad the other one was included on the album though - way better in my opinion.
Anyway, I think the song is from the point of view of someone who to know what it's like to feel sentimental - to look back on something and remember it fondly. The drugs that are referred to in the song might not allow them to do that any longer perhaps. Or they make it difficult to remember what life was like in general because remembering what went on while taking the drugs doesn't produce any feelings at all.
Interesting stuff.
phydeaux420: Good catch on the chorus lyrics, fixed it.
I can't make out the background vocals at the end either, so I didn't bother putting them in - figuring we'll have to wait for an official lyric sheet. Sounds like "you gotta see the ?? wine bottle ?? the waves now" to me, but who knows.
Anyhow, I see this as a reworked or alternate version of "Sentimental." Not only the identical chorus, but the melody of the verses are quite reminiscent of one another as well. This is quite speculative, but I wonder if maybe this is an older incarnation of "Sentimental," a song which perhaps got its name from the lyrics of this version (interestingly, the word "sentimental" never appears in the album version).
I prefer this over the album version, though, primarily for the "wish I was old" bit at the end with the Floydian vocal harmonies. Very direct lyrics, so not much to discuss in terms of the "meaning."
I think this song should be 'located' between Sentimental ("and I don't really know if I care what is normal") and "Way out of here" ("covered my tracks, disposed of the car") not as an alternate version, but an independent song that tell us something else about the story of the main character in FOABP, but for some reason it didn't make it into the album.
I also like the reference to Anesthetize ("I do a good impression of myself"). Maybe when the DVDA comes out with the full and re-arranged tracklist everything will make sense then.
Answer to the question of interweaving lyrics at the end of the song:
you gotta see the waves, not the wine bottle in the waves now
The other line that loops sounds like "wish i wasn't lonely," although that isn't listed on the sleeve with the other two lyrics.
Maybe it has to do with seeing beauty in the world instead of the ugliness. The waves & wine bottle are metaphors.
@lintasmic9000 Is the line you quote written on the sleeve? I have the Blank Planet Recurring version and it doesn't have printed lyrics.
The part where he sings "Wish I was old and a little sentimental" has some simply beautiful chords going on! Great song!
Agreed, Carvalho!
I can't say I prefer "Normal" over "Sentimental", but this song sure has a special place in my heart that "Sentimental" doesn't touch on. I think this is because of the way he sings the verses, especially the first. The emotion is a lot more raw to me.
my guess is this song was probably written before Anesthetize and Sentimental and the took stuff from this song to make those 2 songs.
@Service to busy This was the first song he wrote for FoaBP.