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.
she swears she fell from heaven
a short fall from holy hands
and the sun forsakes the sky just to lay
upon her golden strands
she wants to touch the fire
she wants to hold it in her hands
she wants to catch the lightning bolts
and glow without their reprimands
but underneath her pillowcase
is where she keeps the razorblades
for the next person that falls asleep
and underneath her staircase
is where she lays the handgrenades
for the next person that tries to leave
kick and scream, don't let her take me
sleep and dream, it's all the same
don't let me miss the signs that lead me out
tonight i fall down
cos underneath her pillowcase
is where she keeps the razorblades
for the next time that i fall asleep
and underneath her staircase
is where she lays the handgrenades
for the next time that i try to leave
oh i try to leave
yes i try to leave
leave her
she swears she fell from heaven
a short fall from holy hands
and the sun forsakes the sky just to lay
upon her golden strands
a short fall from holy hands
and the sun forsakes the sky just to lay
upon her golden strands
she wants to touch the fire
she wants to hold it in her hands
she wants to catch the lightning bolts
and glow without their reprimands
but underneath her pillowcase
is where she keeps the razorblades
for the next person that falls asleep
and underneath her staircase
is where she lays the handgrenades
for the next person that tries to leave
kick and scream, don't let her take me
sleep and dream, it's all the same
don't let me miss the signs that lead me out
tonight i fall down
cos underneath her pillowcase
is where she keeps the razorblades
for the next time that i fall asleep
and underneath her staircase
is where she lays the handgrenades
for the next time that i try to leave
oh i try to leave
yes i try to leave
leave her
she swears she fell from heaven
a short fall from holy hands
and the sun forsakes the sky just to lay
upon her golden strands
Lyrics submitted by iamthenightstars
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
she swears she fell from heaven a short fall from holy hands and the sun forsakes the sky just to lay upon her golden strands she wants to touch the fire she wants to hold it in her hands she wants to catch the lightning bolts and glow without their reprimands
The falling from Heaven thing, I think, stands for a relationship, or multiple relationships, that got ended after she'd been let down or betrayed by the other. With the sun forsaking the sky, he probably tries to portray her beauty. The next few lines show a (maybe too) strong ambition this girl has, which the narrator seems to admire.
but underneath her pillowcase is where she keeps the razorblades for the next person that falls asleep and underneath her staircase is where she lays the handgrenades for the next person that tries to leave
In this verse it turns out she's a bitter (or "harmed") soul. The razorblades and hand grenades can be interpreted in two ways: the first being a longing for revenge. The other one, more likely considering the last line "for the next person that tries to leave" is that she put those traps there out of fear. Scared of being left by someone she held dear, once again.
The narrator might already be in a relationship with the girl at this point, not realizing he's that next person.
kick and scream, don't let her take me sleep and dream, it's all the same don't let me miss the signs that lead me out tonight i fall down
Here he pretty much realizes he's that person. This verse is the most confusing one, because everything suggests that she is revengeful, while that really doesn't make sense to me. However, "don't let me take her", can also be explained differently. Now that he's in a relationship with this harmed person he realizes he'd underestimated how her past had affected her mental condition, or it would affect their relationship and him. All of a sudden he isn't so sure anymore if he can deal with this relationship, and he feels like he should get out of it. He doesn't want to stay with her because he's afraid of what the relationship might do with him, but he's also afraid to leave her, because of what she might do to him. Then the chorus follows and "the next person" is replaced by "I", which is confirming the above.
oh i try to leave yes i try to leave leave her
Seems like the fear of what she might do to him/herself if he'd leave has won, and he stays, though in conflict with himself.
Then there's a bit repetition, seemingly for the sake of the song's flow.