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 I am with all the pleasures of the first world
Laid out before me, who am I to breakdown?
Everyday I wake up, I choose love, I choose light
And I try, it's too easy just to fall apart
Oh, my baby don't be so distressed
We're done with politesse
It's time to be so brutally honest about
The way we know we long for something fine
When we pine for higher ceilings
And bourgeois happy feelings
And here we are in the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?
Everyday we wake up, we choose love, we choose light
And we try, it's too easy just to fall apart
Plastic bottles, imported water
Cars we drive wherever we want to
Clothes we buy, it's sweatshop labor
Drugs from corporate enablers
We're not living the good life
Unless we're fighting the good fight
You and me just trying to get it right
In the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?
Everyday we wake up, we choose love, we choose light
And we try, it's too easy just to fall apart
Love can free us from all excess
From our deepest debt
'Cause when our hearts are full we need much less
Yeah, I know we long for something fine
When we pine for higher ceilings
And bourgeois happy feelings
But here we are, in the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?
Here we are, in the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?
Everyday we wake up, we choose love, we choose light
And we try, it's too easy just to fall a-
Everyday we wake up, we choose love, we choose light
And we try, it's too easy just to fall apart
Laid out before me, who am I to breakdown?
Everyday I wake up, I choose love, I choose light
And I try, it's too easy just to fall apart
Oh, my baby don't be so distressed
We're done with politesse
It's time to be so brutally honest about
The way we know we long for something fine
When we pine for higher ceilings
And bourgeois happy feelings
And here we are in the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?
Everyday we wake up, we choose love, we choose light
And we try, it's too easy just to fall apart
Plastic bottles, imported water
Cars we drive wherever we want to
Clothes we buy, it's sweatshop labor
Drugs from corporate enablers
We're not living the good life
Unless we're fighting the good fight
You and me just trying to get it right
In the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?
Everyday we wake up, we choose love, we choose light
And we try, it's too easy just to fall apart
Love can free us from all excess
From our deepest debt
'Cause when our hearts are full we need much less
Yeah, I know we long for something fine
When we pine for higher ceilings
And bourgeois happy feelings
But here we are, in the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?
Here we are, in the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?
Everyday we wake up, we choose love, we choose light
And we try, it's too easy just to fall a-
Everyday we wake up, we choose love, we choose light
And we try, it's too easy just to fall apart
Lyrics submitted by DDavidAlpert1623
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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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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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definitely agree with warhol34, as well as the irony of this song being in a commercial for the iPhone 3g, one of the ultimate first world bourgeoisie items