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.
In my sleep, I?m not your lover anymore
When I wake, I have to remind myself that I?m lying on your shore
Cause I?m a moon-walking cowboy
Dusty riding and I don?t know what?s in store
All I know is in my sleep I?m not your lover anymore
When I?m dreaming, I could be anyone
Yeah a brother or a friend
Or a husband, baby, with a golden touch
Or just another dead end
Yeah I?m a moon-walking cowboy
Dusty riding and I don?t know what?s in store
All I know is in my sleep I?m not your lover anymore
In my sleep I?m not your lover anymore
So if you watch me while I?m sleeping in my bed
Well I?m a million miles away inside
Some other stranger?s head
So put your fingers to my cheek and call my name
But I can?t hear you now my girl
Cause your voice, it don?t sound the same
Cause I?m a moon-walking cowboy
Dusty riding and I don?t know what?s in store
All I know is in my sleep I?m not your lover anymore
When I?m awake, I?m yours and I?m sticking around
Gonna walk on down your shore
But in my sleep I?m not your lover anymore
In my sleep I?m not your lover anymore
When I wake, I have to remind myself that I?m lying on your shore
Cause I?m a moon-walking cowboy
Dusty riding and I don?t know what?s in store
All I know is in my sleep I?m not your lover anymore
When I?m dreaming, I could be anyone
Yeah a brother or a friend
Or a husband, baby, with a golden touch
Or just another dead end
Yeah I?m a moon-walking cowboy
Dusty riding and I don?t know what?s in store
All I know is in my sleep I?m not your lover anymore
In my sleep I?m not your lover anymore
So if you watch me while I?m sleeping in my bed
Well I?m a million miles away inside
Some other stranger?s head
So put your fingers to my cheek and call my name
But I can?t hear you now my girl
Cause your voice, it don?t sound the same
Cause I?m a moon-walking cowboy
Dusty riding and I don?t know what?s in store
All I know is in my sleep I?m not your lover anymore
When I?m awake, I?m yours and I?m sticking around
Gonna walk on down your shore
But in my sleep I?m not your lover anymore
In my sleep I?m not your lover anymore
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i think this song is about how he's with someone but thinks that it's about to end, like there's no real connection. and that through this relationship they've changed, changing the relationship.
I don't know if I quite interpret this song quite as bleakly as rudy 38, but I hear it as the story of two lovers. During wakefulness, our narrator has to contend with all the trappings of a relationship, wearing him down a bit, but his escape is blissful sleep.
Possibly drugged out a bit ("moon-wallkin cowboy") all he wants to do is sleep and like we all know, the sleep state lets us stop thinking about all our issues and problems and escape either to dreamland or to nothingness. Either way in sleep, he's not playing the role as her lover any more.
Doesn't mean that when he wakes up he won't want to be her lover, just that falling asleep is a few hours of lovely escape...
hello all,
hope you all had a good weekend. i did some stuff outside my comfort zone. literally. it was like mid 20s outside. and snowing. and in the distance, you'll see a poor little asian boy sniffling and crying and thinking, "wait a minute, my skin isn't so fried chicken in complexion anymore." soon, i'll be burnt tofu.
anyway, i must say, driving in the snow is FUN. i managed to pull off some crazy drifts in my rental subaru; and look all fresh and brand new with all my layers. i'm like a burrito. perhaps burnt tofu flavored.
well, today's song is quite awesome -- and blitzen trapper are 1 of the only 2 acts i look forward to seeing perform here in the D (the other being tokyo police club). i think today's song is about a person that feels trapped in a relationship -- maybe wishes to be with someone else, wishes to be a perfect mate or even to be a perfect lover. man, that's what scares me.
i was madly in love (is there any other way to be in love?) with a girl for a good 5 year chunk of my life. and i'm not going to take anything away from it but it was over long before it was over, you know what i'm saying? and hearing this song doesn't necessarily frighten or deter me; but it reminds me of how, next time, i want it to be pure and for the sake of love -- not stability or companionship, or even compatibility. just purely, madly, unexplainably "holy fuck i didn't expect this but hello, how bout i fix you a grilled cheese and some tomato soup?"
ok so harmony would be nice also, but maybe i'm too much of a hopeful romantic or watched too many movies with my pops growing up, or heard too many neil sedaka songs in my time, but it's the ones that come in unexpected, the ones that don't make sense, that always resonate with me.
chemistry, schemistry. i'm all about the primal rage pheromones, baby. t-bone steak with ketchup. so with today's song if you find yourself stuck, i don't know what to say, maybe getting married and having kids and stuff will make it all better. keep on climbing up that tree. but maybe, for the brave, listen to this a few times and sit on a rocking chair or something and maybe you'll be the one weilding the axe, ready to chop that shit down. swing with all your might.
love always,
sonnyred
yes, i said neil sedaka; i know it's intimidating