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.
All the pretty boys and girls are out breaking my heart
they all look so cool I can hardly tell them apart
they’re all looking for a little bit of love power and control
but that’s all right
because tonight our heads are going to rock and roll
let’s stay up all night and figure
whose guns are bigger
you can put yours right between my eyes honey
if you promise to pull the trigger
we’re all so damn enlightened
we’re so self aware
we’re all looking at each other
but when we notice
we pretend that we don’t care
and no matter how much we had
we always wanted more
and that’s all right because tonight our heads are going to hit the floor
let’s stay up all night and figure
whose guns are bigger
you can put yours right between my eyes honey
if you promise to pull the trigger
it was a glitter glamourama party of lies
but all that human drama, well it was burning my eyes
and everyone so seriously
danced together
and the reflections
from their diamond encrusted gold plated guns
enhanced the greens and the blues in their peacock feathers
and they looked so beautiful
so red faced and forgetful
and no matter how hard they tried to take the moment in they couldn’t
we’ve got the bottles for the buyers
and the suckers for the liars
all this heat is causing fires
we’re a bunch of real live wires
we’re real live wires
let’s stay up all night and figure
whose guns are bigger
you can put yours right between my eyes honey
if you promise to pull the trigger
they all look so cool I can hardly tell them apart
they’re all looking for a little bit of love power and control
but that’s all right
because tonight our heads are going to rock and roll
let’s stay up all night and figure
whose guns are bigger
you can put yours right between my eyes honey
if you promise to pull the trigger
we’re all so damn enlightened
we’re so self aware
we’re all looking at each other
but when we notice
we pretend that we don’t care
and no matter how much we had
we always wanted more
and that’s all right because tonight our heads are going to hit the floor
let’s stay up all night and figure
whose guns are bigger
you can put yours right between my eyes honey
if you promise to pull the trigger
it was a glitter glamourama party of lies
but all that human drama, well it was burning my eyes
and everyone so seriously
danced together
and the reflections
from their diamond encrusted gold plated guns
enhanced the greens and the blues in their peacock feathers
and they looked so beautiful
so red faced and forgetful
and no matter how hard they tried to take the moment in they couldn’t
we’ve got the bottles for the buyers
and the suckers for the liars
all this heat is causing fires
we’re a bunch of real live wires
we’re real live wires
let’s stay up all night and figure
whose guns are bigger
you can put yours right between my eyes honey
if you promise to pull the trigger
Lyrics submitted by sarcophaga
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Great song. I understand that it's about pretentious people all trying to one-up all the others but I'm not entirely sure about the gun reference.