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.
I wake up every evenin'
With a big smile on my face
And it never feels out of place
And you're still probably workin'
At a nine to five pace
I wonder how bad that tastes
When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
Now, where's your picket fence, love?
And where's that shiny car?
And did it ever get you far?
You never seemed so tense, love
I've never seen you fall so hard
Do you know where you are?
And truth be told, I miss you (I miss you)
And truth be told, I'm lyin'
When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
If you find a man that's worth a damn and treats you well
Then he's a fool, you're just as well, hope it gives you hell
Hope it gives you hell
Tomorrow you'll be thinkin' to yourself
Yeah, where'd it all go wrong?
But the list goes on and on
And truth be told, I miss you (I miss you)
And truth be told, I'm lyin'
When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
If you find a man that's worth a damn and treats you well
Then he's a fool, you're just as well, hope it gives you hell
Now, you'll never see what you've done to me
You can take back your memories, they're no good to me
And here's all your lies, you can look me in the eyes
With the sad, sad look that you wear so well
When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
If you find a man that's worth a damn and treats you well
Then he's a fool, you're just as well, hope it gives you hell
When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell (hope it gives you hell)
When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell (hope it gives you hell)
When you hear this song and you sing along, but you never tell (but you never tell)
Then you're the fool, I'm just as well, hope it gives you hell (hope it gives you hell)
When you hear this song, I hope that it will give you hell (hope it gives you hell)
You can sing along, I hope that it puts you through hell
With a big smile on my face
And it never feels out of place
And you're still probably workin'
At a nine to five pace
I wonder how bad that tastes
When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
Now, where's your picket fence, love?
And where's that shiny car?
And did it ever get you far?
You never seemed so tense, love
I've never seen you fall so hard
Do you know where you are?
And truth be told, I miss you (I miss you)
And truth be told, I'm lyin'
When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
If you find a man that's worth a damn and treats you well
Then he's a fool, you're just as well, hope it gives you hell
Hope it gives you hell
Tomorrow you'll be thinkin' to yourself
Yeah, where'd it all go wrong?
But the list goes on and on
And truth be told, I miss you (I miss you)
And truth be told, I'm lyin'
When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
If you find a man that's worth a damn and treats you well
Then he's a fool, you're just as well, hope it gives you hell
Now, you'll never see what you've done to me
You can take back your memories, they're no good to me
And here's all your lies, you can look me in the eyes
With the sad, sad look that you wear so well
When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
If you find a man that's worth a damn and treats you well
Then he's a fool, you're just as well, hope it gives you hell
When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell (hope it gives you hell)
When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell (hope it gives you hell)
When you hear this song and you sing along, but you never tell (but you never tell)
Then you're the fool, I'm just as well, hope it gives you hell (hope it gives you hell)
When you hear this song, I hope that it will give you hell (hope it gives you hell)
You can sing along, I hope that it puts you through hell
Lyrics submitted by thoseguiltyeyes, edited by LaserKiwi
Gives You Hell Lyrics as written by Tyson V. Ritter Nick Don Wheeler
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
A lot of people i talk to mention they totally get the song, but have no idea what the music video has to do with it.
The song is about an ex girlfriend, one he had before he was famous. She probably harped on him about this whole rockstar thing is never gonna happen, you gotta grow up and be a man, i think she dumped his ass for being a slacker.
Then he became famous, i think the way the video ties into it. Is that the neighbors are two different versions of himself, who he became, and who he might have became if he'd have made a different decision. The song is constantly bringing up themes of inner conflict. "But truth be told i miss you, and truth be told i'm lyin'" and this is where i take a litterary leap.
I think the lines "When you hear this song and you sing along but you never tell, you're just a fool, I am as well, hope it gives you hell" Makes you think why he drug himself into the recurring fool rhyme. You could argue that he just needed to make it rhyme. But think that at this point in the song and in the video he's admitting he doesn't really hope she's suffering, and he's just a fool as much as she is.
She made a poor decision but the smart one,trying to get him to come to his senses. And he made a poor decision trying to make it rich, it just happened to work. And to throw it in her face is truely beneath him, because either life he would have chosen would have been a good one.
you are what some people call retarded...ok everybody news flash...the singer in an interview said that the song is about an ex band member who quit the band and is now not famous...your all stupid
@Keldon I agree with this interpretation. I think he's also saying that he hopes she's doing all right because in the last line he says, "When you hear this song I hope that it will give you hell, you could sing along, I hope that it will treat you well."
I love it!!! I like the lines "And truth be told, I miss you, and truth be told, I'm lyin'" the most. The situation's pretty obvious. This guy's probably angry at his ex for cheating on him or something. He smiles as if he's better off without her and hopes that she feels miserable when she sees him. Her life is probably crap and the guy's thinking that she deserves it for what she did to him. But i think he still has feelings for her because why else would he care about her being miserable?
Yeah, awesome song. Can't wait til 11/18
its not about a girl the guy broke up with. for him the songs about a guy he was mad at. but he wrote it so it could be different to anyone who listen to it.
I think it's obviously a direct message to someone who broke his heart at a younger age, probably because she thought he (assuming the song is written from the singers point of view) wasn't going to make it anywhere in life, and left him for someone with a promising future. Now, he hardly has to do anything besides rock out every once in a while, and all in all has an easier life than the uniform, "successful" person with that promising future. The singer wants to rub it in that he's successful, while the heartbreaker lives a mediocre life instead of what she could have had with him. I say it's a direct message because of the line, "When you hear this song, and sing along, but never tell. Hope it gives you hell...etc." I personally picture the "heartbreaker" singing the song with a stressed look on her face with her peers, knowing that the song is directly about her, but everyone around her thinks its just a song, if I said that right haha.
On a side note, LOVE this song. It's that song every guy wants to sing to that one &*#$% from their teen years. Catchy, and that rock out feeling to it. :D
"And you're still probably workin' At a 9 to 5 pace I wonder how bad that tastes
When you see my face Hope it gives you hell"
one thing i kind of get from this song is that maybe this was his girlfriend before he ever became famous, but she didn't believe in him and left him. now she's the one working a boring deskjob while he's a rich rockstar, and when she "sees his face" on mtv or something he hopes she realizes her mistake!
Minus one, they aren't a rock band, but good comment.
Maybe I'm just an anomaly, but I got an ENTIRELY different meaning from this song than "a girl". In the video we see the singer playing TWO roles, the Rocker, and the Square. This is a VERY important detail.
Firstly I was raised EXTREMELY religious. I'll shorten the story a TON and just say that I eventually left the faith. I was raised my entire life to become this perfect little Mormon. To go on a mission, go to college, get a wife, a quaint little job, nice little suburban home, boring, boring, boring (The Square). I even used to look down upon people who lived "out there" (The Rocker) and didn't adhere to the perfect little cookie cutter lifestyle I was on track for.
When your raised a particular way, when you stray, it will always haunt you to some degree. Even now I'll sometimes think about "What ifs". What if I stayed Mormon, what if I married my HS love, etc... I'll prolly always wonder what life would have been like if I stayed down that path.
But like they say; "The grass is always greener on the other side". When I was younger, I used to always imagine what it'd be like to just have fun, to party, get drunk, stay up all night and sleep all day... to just have fun and enjoy my own pursuit to happiness. I was always at some level somewhat envious of those that could.
Its like that scene from the Simpsons Movie where at the end of the world, all the church goers run into the bar while the bar folk rush to the church. Everyone wants what the other side has.
Also, pay attention to who sings/is shown though each line, the rocker or the square, everything syncs up. Then there is also the Chorus, "Hope it gives you hell", almost as though the two sides are taunting each other and, you guessed it, giving each other hell. When coming from the Square I often even see this as a religious 'hell' for the Rockers lifestyle, and from the rocker, its more a "I hope this tortures you seeing us like this". Also, at the very end, the two sides of himself get to switch over and you see just how happy they are.
Anyways, its really hard to put all into words especially since I'm about 1/2 way through a Hookah atm... So watch it for yourself, and try and view it through those eyes, its deep.
Oh, and to counter my entire arguement is the line in the chorus that fits the cheating Ex theory... "When you find a man That's worth a damn And treats you well" But that's the great thing about music and music videos, so many people can take so vastly differing impressions and meanings from it. :)
/cheers
This song totally reminds me of my ex. He did a lot of lying and hurting me while we were together, but most of it didn't come to light until after we had broken up. Thankfully, I left him for the boy who became my fiance. So all's good. I'm pretty sure every girl/guy wants this regarding an ex. "When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell."
Anyway, I think AAR did really great with this song.
For me, the picket fence reflects on the idealistic life. When you think of a perfect home, you may think of a well kept lawn, large house, and lovely garden. When I think of a lovely garden, I think of flower beds and a white picket fence around the front of the property.
I think he is basically saying that she hasn't got that idealistic life now. She hasn't settled down and she isn't living in a secure relationship.
I feel that they want you to focus on the 1950s home as a reference to the idealistic American life. But then, if you notice, the white picket fence is surrounding the Rocker's house.<br /> <br /> The video shows his inner duality - he wants both. He wants to live the life of the rock star and the family man. If only she believed in him.
It sounds like this is a song to one of his ex's before he got famous...and now everytime she sees his face (especially now in this song) he's hoping that she's regretting having dumped somebody as big as him.
Ok judging from the video i would say that this song is about his ex girlfriend finishing him for a man with money and a flash car, he's interpreting both sides (lower class and higher class) to people who have been through the same situation including myself, even the seperate beds, The video then shows that his ex isnt truly happy even tho she now has all the things she always wanted with the different lifestyle of living, showing that just because you dont have stacks of money, your own house or your own car, doesnt mean that a person with all tho's things that you cant provide is any better or nicer of a person then you.., hence at the end of the video when she gets back with her ex because she knows she made a mistake and still loves him even tho he has nothing better to offer.
See money isnt the route to happiness, Just being yourself and taking people for who or what they are is..
Its a great song, it makes me think of just how my ex must being feeling now when she found that out herself.., finishing me for my ambition and my job...
The way I see it, Hes talking about an ex girlfriend from before he got bit and famous. She told him he wasn't going to get anywhere, and they should just start planning on their future (hence picket fence). Hw didn't want to, so she broke up with him for someone else who would. Later, she sees him in papers on TV and relizes, she made a mistake. (When you see my face hope it gives you hell) and he knows she didnt want to stick with him so she's still got her desk job (9-5 pace) and then at the end, it makes it even more clear because he talks about her singing along to the song, and she hates it because she knows she was wrong and gave up something good and she wants back to him.
However, if you interpret it the way the video shows it, it pretty much says he didnt know which way he wanted, weather he wanted to calm home life, or the tour life, and in the end he relizes he can be both people. Thats just the way I see it, and his girlfriend could be the same way. you knpw?