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 could never really win
Not to say you're born to lose
You were born to take 10th place out of 20 in the field
Mistakes flow through your veins in a mediocre way
Your life's a living hell
You've got gremlins in your blood cells
And monsters in your bed
Their haunting you again
Oh it must be this place at least that's what you say, say, say
[Chorus]
You don't love you anymore
Cast your demons aside
Keep them close enough to know what your running from
Soon you wont feel this anymore
Cast your demons aside
Keep them close enough to know that your moving on
The fire used to burn
In your heart and in your eyes
You used to dream you used to care you used to love you used to fight
For anything at all
You cover up your bedroom wall with who u want to be
Now your afraid to be yourself so u search the mall for something else
You read magazines and watch MTV
You practiced it and everything
Oh your dressed to impressed but you look like a drag queen
[Chorus]
So keep your head up high
Stretch inches into miles
Because Brooklyn wasn't built in just a day
Focus on important things
Be your own gun like every ghost that held you down was gone
Keep them close enough to know that your moving on
[Chorus]
Not to say you're born to lose
You were born to take 10th place out of 20 in the field
Mistakes flow through your veins in a mediocre way
Your life's a living hell
You've got gremlins in your blood cells
And monsters in your bed
Their haunting you again
Oh it must be this place at least that's what you say, say, say
[Chorus]
You don't love you anymore
Cast your demons aside
Keep them close enough to know what your running from
Soon you wont feel this anymore
Cast your demons aside
Keep them close enough to know that your moving on
The fire used to burn
In your heart and in your eyes
You used to dream you used to care you used to love you used to fight
For anything at all
You cover up your bedroom wall with who u want to be
Now your afraid to be yourself so u search the mall for something else
You read magazines and watch MTV
You practiced it and everything
Oh your dressed to impressed but you look like a drag queen
[Chorus]
So keep your head up high
Stretch inches into miles
Because Brooklyn wasn't built in just a day
Focus on important things
Be your own gun like every ghost that held you down was gone
Keep them close enough to know that your moving on
[Chorus]
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wow, great
I think it's "You search the malls for something else".
I love, "you cover up your bedroom walls with who you want to be" - makes me think of someone plastering their walls with posters of bands/movie stars that they aspire to be.
I know so many people who don't even want to just be 'like' someone they admire, they try to emulate them so much they almost become the person... scary.
this line: "Oh, you're dressed to impress but you look like a drag queen" makes me giggle :] i agree that its about someone trying to be like the people they admire. but also that like, soon enough they'll forget about it and try to be like someone else.
This is a fantastic song, such great lyrics. I think it's about someone who is living a life that he once loved, but for some reason no longer enjoys. His whole live is spiraling downward, everything he used to fight for and care about are no longer there, it's just memories of times lost. He is in a bad place but insists it isn't himself that needs to change, but everything else, where he lives, who he spends times with and what he does with himself. So instead of really dealing with his problems and fixing his own life he attempts to be someone else entirely. He is a drag queen, trying to be something on the outside that he really isn't. This can't work, this never works. Instead he has to keep a positive attitude, remember the pain and use it to better himself. It won't happen overnight, it will be a long and painful process. But in the end, he will be much better off. He just needs to cast off his demons and move on.
I think this song is a very smartly written for the audiance bayside are reaching these days the average (born to take 10th place out of 20 in a field) high school emo/scene kid full of the classic cliche's about growing up too many to quote but you can see them all there. I also think that "you search for months for something else" could be "you searched the halls" like school halls, or malls as someone else suggested but I dont know, dont have the lyric book. But while keeping the fans happy I think theres a slight contempt here that they are just copy other peoples styles "you cover up your bedroom walls with who you want to be" and the direction that the fashion is heading to "Oh, you're dressed to impress but you look like a drag queen". and maybe even that there scene is become too mainstreme "you read magazines and watch MTV" but maybe I'm miles off and it really is just a classic tortured teenager tune. that was a little bit of alliteration for you there, enjoy.