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.
Hey!
I think I'll go down in flames
Want to ask you to join me
Cause that would be insane but you could warm your hands
Yeah, take up the place right here next to me
They will come from miles away
Cause it's cold outside
And they need a place to rub on their hands and feet
What better time and place than here?
Cause you've become a fire for me
Ever since you turned eighteen, love
And then you said that love was
Just some sort of passing thing
But you've become a fire in me
Ever since you turned eighteen
And the cold ain't so cold when you hold yourself to me
Hey!
And they will come from miles away
In your honor
In their Sunday best of sleeveless shirts and winter coats
Oh they've been waiting for this for years
You can see it in their eyes
There's a fire there
And it's not that I want fire, but it's deep inside
They jump into the fair, fair sky
Cause you've become a fire for me
Ever since you turned eighteen, love
And then you said that love was
Just some sort of passing thing
Cause you've become a fire in me
Ever since you turned eighteen
And the cold ain't so cold when you hold yourself to me
Look, you can see it in their eyes
They're afraid that they'll catch fire
Cause I've told 'em they're filled with gasoline
Cause it's what my heart desires
All these little birds are chirping in their world
Twenty feet above the street where our footprints end
You're wearing it down, you know, when you walk like that
We're not supposed to carry ourselves in the smalls of our backs
Hey!
I think I'll go down in flames
Want to ask you to join me
Cause that would be insane but you could warm your hands
Yeah, take up the place right here next to me
They will come from miles away
Cause it's cold outside
And they need a place to rub on their hands and feet
What better time and place than here?
Cause you've become a fire for me
Ever since you turned eighteen, love
And then you said that love was
Just some sort of passing thing
But you've become a fire in me
Ever since you turned eighteen
And the cold ain't so cold when you hold yourself to me
Hey!
And they will come from miles away
In your honor
In their Sunday best of sleeveless shirts and winter coats
Oh they've been waiting for this for years
You can see it in their eyes
There's a fire there
And it's not that I want fire, but it's deep inside
They jump into the fair, fair sky
Cause you've become a fire for me
Ever since you turned eighteen, love
And then you said that love was
Just some sort of passing thing
Cause you've become a fire in me
Ever since you turned eighteen
And the cold ain't so cold when you hold yourself to me
Look, you can see it in their eyes
They're afraid that they'll catch fire
Cause I've told 'em they're filled with gasoline
Cause it's what my heart desires
All these little birds are chirping in their world
Twenty feet above the street where our footprints end
You're wearing it down, you know, when you walk like that
We're not supposed to carry ourselves in the smalls of our backs
Hey!
Lyrics submitted by toadtws
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looking at the lyrics from the CD case right now, in the first refrain it's: "I wouldn't ask you to join me" "I would stake out your place right here next to me"
2nd refrain (after chorus) it's: "but its not that I'm on fire yeah its deep inside" "they're jumping to the peppered sky"
Jukebox was out signing their CDs at the merchandise table and I had an opportunity to ask Thornewill about the last two lines of this song because I didn't really understand them:
"You're wearing it down, you know, when you walk like that We're not supposed to carry ourselves in the smalls of our backs"
He said that he was out on a nice spring day and observed that a lot of people were hunched over, as if they were carrying the weight of themselves on the smalls of their backs. The "wearing it down" part refers to them wearing the earth out by walking so heavily.
I had previously thought that this was some sort of love song "you've become a fire for me ever since you turned eighteen" . . . some young, hot thing lit a fire deep inside his heart, but I don't know now. I was too sheepish to ask.
I asked about the song in gernal at a CD signing and he said something along the lines of:<br /> "It's about when I was living in DC and during the freezing winters I felt bad for the homeless people. I thought about lighting myself on fire to keep them warm."
It almost sounds like it's about a wedding.
This reminds me of New Moon in major ways.