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.
Hands on the radio.
We left too soon.
We left you in the afternoon.
I hurt somebody.
I love you too.
I love you underneath the moon.
I love you underneath the moon.
This town is my favorite and I promise I'll come back.
Girls, I promise you.
Boys, I promise you too.
With hands on the radio, we'll get there soon.
We'll get there in the afternoon.
Fans in the stadium, they leave too soon.
They always leave in the afternoon.
They always leave in the afternoon.
This town is my favorite and I promise I'll come back.
Girls, I promise you.
Boys, I promise you too.
This town is my favorite and I promise I'll come back.
Girls, I promise you and boys, I promise you too.
We left too soon.
We left you in the afternoon.
I hurt somebody.
I love you too.
I love you underneath the moon.
I love you underneath the moon.
This town is my favorite and I promise I'll come back.
Girls, I promise you.
Boys, I promise you too.
With hands on the radio, we'll get there soon.
We'll get there in the afternoon.
Fans in the stadium, they leave too soon.
They always leave in the afternoon.
They always leave in the afternoon.
This town is my favorite and I promise I'll come back.
Girls, I promise you.
Boys, I promise you too.
This town is my favorite and I promise I'll come back.
Girls, I promise you and boys, I promise you too.
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I really like all of his songs and this piece is great. To me the song is about leaving something or somebody behind and going out into the world. You promise that you'll come back, but you're not sure if you ever really will.
The line, "I love you underneath the moon" reminded me of a children's song I heard when I was a kid by Sharon, Lois & Bram- that one Skinnamarinkey song or what'cha call it. It kinda put the song into a childish setting in my mind. But over all, I do agree with bdolls. Its about leaving, possibly growing up and promising you'll come back- even though you're not sure if you will be able to. I sure can relate to this now.
I think this song is about something that happens during a performance tour. He's promising the "boys and girls" that he will "come back" because "this town in [his] favourite." His performance is a form of love ("I loved you underneath the moon") but he must continue on to another town and must leave "in the afternoon" even though he knows it's "too soon." The title of the song suggests that "the radio" (the popularity of his music?) is a kind of vehicle for moving from town to town: "With hands on the radio, we'll get there soon..." I love all of Garneau's songs and this one is a favourite. I'm sure that when he performs this, each "town" thinks he's singing to them. It would be a great song to sing at the end of a performance.
There rarely exists a perfect parting. This song depicts how between humans, emotions and lives come out of sync, leaving behind complications and trials. However, I think that this song is most applicable to death. We are never ready to say goodbye to our loved ones, they always leave too soon. Thus, the narrator hurt somebody by dying, but loved those he left behind while he/she was alive. Additionally, he loved them "under the moon" in the past tense, because now he loves them from above the moon, in heaven.