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.
A lonely yellow light gets swallowed by the morning in New Hampshire
And casts a shadow on the pavement where we used to walk together
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
But in a small town made of hills and trees and streams
All you've got to believe is what you dream
I know she will make it somehow
'Cause she is from New Hampshire
Yeah
She said she wants to see it all
Putting on her make-up
She's making her last telephone call
She says she's leaving me now
My eyes are following the lines that lead away from old New Hampshire
Yeah
But she's gone out of view and taken with her clarity and laughter
But in a big town made of hard and scary things
All you've got to believe in is what you dream
I know she will make it somehow
She is from New Hampshire
Yeah
She said she wants to see it all
Putting on her make-up
She's making her last telephone call
She says she's leaving
Why is growing up so bad for love
It only takes us further from what means the most
She means the most and now she's gone away
But she is from New Hampshire
Yeah
She said she wants to see it all
Putting on her make-up
She's making her last telephone call
She says she's leaving me now
She says she's leaving me now
She says she's leaving me now
New Hampshire
New Hampshire
Ooh
Ooh
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
That's you
That's you
That's you
You
That's you
That's you
That's you
That's you
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
And casts a shadow on the pavement where we used to walk together
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
But in a small town made of hills and trees and streams
All you've got to believe is what you dream
I know she will make it somehow
'Cause she is from New Hampshire
Yeah
She said she wants to see it all
Putting on her make-up
She's making her last telephone call
She says she's leaving me now
My eyes are following the lines that lead away from old New Hampshire
Yeah
But she's gone out of view and taken with her clarity and laughter
But in a big town made of hard and scary things
All you've got to believe in is what you dream
I know she will make it somehow
She is from New Hampshire
Yeah
She said she wants to see it all
Putting on her make-up
She's making her last telephone call
She says she's leaving
Why is growing up so bad for love
It only takes us further from what means the most
She means the most and now she's gone away
But she is from New Hampshire
Yeah
She said she wants to see it all
Putting on her make-up
She's making her last telephone call
She says she's leaving me now
She says she's leaving me now
She says she's leaving me now
New Hampshire
New Hampshire
Ooh
Ooh
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
That's you
That's you
That's you
You
That's you
That's you
That's you
That's you
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
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Light Up The Sky
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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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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Put in a small town made of hills and trees And you've got to believe--this is what you dream
is actually
but in a small town made of hills and trees and streams, all you've got to believe is what you dream