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.
You're telling yourself to take nothing
'cause everything taken will break in your hands
you're telling yourself it gets better
but "better" is getting fed up with "she said"s
So you're telling yourself that it's nothing
but "nothing" has never gone straight to your head
You're telling yourself it was better
but you drive yourself crazy alone in your bed
While you're telling that she's worth it
you're finding you justify lies that she's said
But I promise you now, it's not worth it
'cause everything taken will break in your hand
Don't you feel like we've been diving way too long and we can't be saved?
So as I slept the waves told me your secrets
How could you let me be the last to know?
You were the only one who could've saved me
But you were the only one who didn't care
And then this fell in your lap (whoa-oh, whoa-oh)
And yet you fell on your face still (HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP!)
And you wasted the night, you let your heart start talkin' instead
You couldn't see the infection
But I could smell it festering
And there's no room to fly in the ambulance tonight
Couldn't you have gone ahead alone
I promise you now, you never needed me at all
You lost what you were lookin' for and you're digging me up like you buried it in my chest
I should've remembered
the way you operate with no regard for me
Just leave her out of this
Just leave me out of this
Her eyes reflected the sun
and suddenly he was blinded
And he wasted his life he let his sick heart show him the way
He thought the stars were projected
Each time she looked to the sky at night
But the world glowed on while she slept and left him scared and alone
Dear the people of earth,
we think you're pretty too.
Love, Every star in the sky
It's just we're never sure which of you is alive and which is dead
To the stars in the sky,
we were wondering where you hide when the ocean fills the atmosphere.
And how old is your light? Are you dead behind your glow?
'cause everything taken will break in your hands
you're telling yourself it gets better
but "better" is getting fed up with "she said"s
So you're telling yourself that it's nothing
but "nothing" has never gone straight to your head
You're telling yourself it was better
but you drive yourself crazy alone in your bed
While you're telling that she's worth it
you're finding you justify lies that she's said
But I promise you now, it's not worth it
'cause everything taken will break in your hand
Don't you feel like we've been diving way too long and we can't be saved?
So as I slept the waves told me your secrets
How could you let me be the last to know?
You were the only one who could've saved me
But you were the only one who didn't care
And then this fell in your lap (whoa-oh, whoa-oh)
And yet you fell on your face still (HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP!)
And you wasted the night, you let your heart start talkin' instead
You couldn't see the infection
But I could smell it festering
And there's no room to fly in the ambulance tonight
Couldn't you have gone ahead alone
I promise you now, you never needed me at all
You lost what you were lookin' for and you're digging me up like you buried it in my chest
I should've remembered
the way you operate with no regard for me
Just leave her out of this
Just leave me out of this
Her eyes reflected the sun
and suddenly he was blinded
And he wasted his life he let his sick heart show him the way
He thought the stars were projected
Each time she looked to the sky at night
But the world glowed on while she slept and left him scared and alone
Dear the people of earth,
we think you're pretty too.
Love, Every star in the sky
It's just we're never sure which of you is alive and which is dead
To the stars in the sky,
we were wondering where you hide when the ocean fills the atmosphere.
And how old is your light? Are you dead behind your glow?
Lyrics submitted by runmoocow
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Hey just a little correction near the end. He says: Dear the people of earth, we think you're pretty too. Love, every single star in the sky it's just that we're not sure wich of you is alive, and wich of you is dead
To the stars in the sky, We're wondering where you hide when the ocean meets the atmosphere Now how old is your light? Are you dead behind your glow?