Classic love story true to his western tx roots. One of my favorites as a story, but I think there are alot of songs that are amazing not even listed on this site. I guess I should figure out how to add them, because I have about 8 REK cd's.
When there weren't any parties,
She'd park by the quarry,
Walk into the woods until she came to a clearing
Where townies would gather and drink until blackout,
Smoke cigs till they're sick, pack bowls, and then pass out.
Windows wide open to let the hard rock in,
theirs was a rage that didn't need much convincing.
The girls gave her glares, but the boys were quite pleasant.
To be totally honest, they didn't seem much different.
When there weren't any parties,
Sometimes she'd party with townies.
Out on the parkways, after the parties, it was always arousing,
When they'd rev up their engines.
It's hard to describe, so she kept it a secret.
The girls that she lived with, they knew nothing about it.
The night with the fight and the butterfly knife,
It was the first night she spent with that one guy she liked.
She gave him a ride to some kid's house in Cleveland.
He stayed there for two weeks. The cops finally found him.
He didn't seem that different, except for the blood on his jacket.
He didn't seem that different, except for maybe his haircut.
He didn't seem much different.
They didn't seem that different, up until this one little incident.
They didn't seem much different?
Now, the cops wanna question everyone present.
They parade every townie in town through the station,
But no one says nothing, and they can't find the weapon.
The girl takes the stand, and she swears she was with him
Her father's lawyers do most of the talking.
She's sick of the questions, sick of the concept of justice and fairness.
Who the hell cares who gets caught in the middle?
She smokes and she ponders this riddle
When one townie falls in the forest, can anyone hear it?
When one townie falls...when one townie falls in the forest, does anyone notice?
One drop of blood, an immaculate kiss?
Mom, do you know where your girl is?
Sophomore accomplice in a turtleneck sweater...
Dad, do you know where your kids are?
Sniffing on crystal in cute little cars,
Getting nailed against dumpsters, behind townie bars.
It's a cute little town, boutiques and cafes.
Her friends all seemed nice, she was getting good grades,
But when she came home for Christmas,
She just seemed distant and different.
She'd park by the quarry,
Walk into the woods until she came to a clearing
Where townies would gather and drink until blackout,
Smoke cigs till they're sick, pack bowls, and then pass out.
Windows wide open to let the hard rock in,
theirs was a rage that didn't need much convincing.
The girls gave her glares, but the boys were quite pleasant.
To be totally honest, they didn't seem much different.
When there weren't any parties,
Sometimes she'd party with townies.
Out on the parkways, after the parties, it was always arousing,
When they'd rev up their engines.
It's hard to describe, so she kept it a secret.
The girls that she lived with, they knew nothing about it.
The night with the fight and the butterfly knife,
It was the first night she spent with that one guy she liked.
She gave him a ride to some kid's house in Cleveland.
He stayed there for two weeks. The cops finally found him.
He didn't seem that different, except for the blood on his jacket.
He didn't seem that different, except for maybe his haircut.
He didn't seem much different.
They didn't seem that different, up until this one little incident.
They didn't seem much different?
Now, the cops wanna question everyone present.
They parade every townie in town through the station,
But no one says nothing, and they can't find the weapon.
The girl takes the stand, and she swears she was with him
Her father's lawyers do most of the talking.
She's sick of the questions, sick of the concept of justice and fairness.
Who the hell cares who gets caught in the middle?
She smokes and she ponders this riddle
When one townie falls in the forest, can anyone hear it?
When one townie falls...when one townie falls in the forest, does anyone notice?
One drop of blood, an immaculate kiss?
Mom, do you know where your girl is?
Sophomore accomplice in a turtleneck sweater...
Dad, do you know where your kids are?
Sniffing on crystal in cute little cars,
Getting nailed against dumpsters, behind townie bars.
It's a cute little town, boutiques and cafes.
Her friends all seemed nice, she was getting good grades,
But when she came home for Christmas,
She just seemed distant and different.
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This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
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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.
the title of the song is an obvious reference to the movie "breaking away". a great movie that has been forgetten to a certain extent. As a dude who lives in a college town and went to college in a couple of college towns this is my obvious choice for best song on the album. The Hold Steady are always best when you feel, "I know these people". I've been both the townie and the guy hanging out with townies and it's true "they do seem just like us" till some moment when you're like what is wrong with these dudes. the townie concept is a great idea for a song that i've never seen exploited before. when it comes down to it it's all rather feudal and there's a tension in the air that is rarely acknowledged. This song is like a romeo and juliet for a college town where romeo's family lives in a trailer and juliet is a rich girl from a prosperous town 200 miles away.