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.
He could fall and she could weep
But as holy are her feet and hard with mention
But dear they may not speak
We fell tight when there is tension and their eyes could make us weak
And his heart was full of fire at the man he had become
And his soul was seldom higher with the falsities of fun
He could embrace sweet desire as in moments as they pass
But he feared it ever more, when he saw it didn't last
We walk up Holland avenue
and watch the rich as they consume
Their product made our hearts exude emptiness unrivalled by
The hunger that I could control
And he'd pray up to his God that he might save his soul
But the grey in this city is too much to bear
The grey in this city is too much to bear
And I believe you are meant to be seen but not to be understood
And I want to be held those eyes
I want to be held those eyes
You'll work your thumbs till they're sore
And you'll work my heart till it's raw
and you'll call and you'll call but you'll never be told
and I'll fall and I'll fall and I'll fall
and I'll fall and I'll fall and I'll fall
We are basic lies
We are basic lies
It's going to be pretty tough when you leave
You'll help to take a little part of me
To make sure you don't treat yourself mean
And I want to see all that you'll see
And we are basic lies
And we are basic lies
But as holy are her feet and hard with mention
But dear they may not speak
We fell tight when there is tension and their eyes could make us weak
And his heart was full of fire at the man he had become
And his soul was seldom higher with the falsities of fun
He could embrace sweet desire as in moments as they pass
But he feared it ever more, when he saw it didn't last
We walk up Holland avenue
and watch the rich as they consume
Their product made our hearts exude emptiness unrivalled by
The hunger that I could control
And he'd pray up to his God that he might save his soul
But the grey in this city is too much to bear
The grey in this city is too much to bear
And I believe you are meant to be seen but not to be understood
And I want to be held those eyes
I want to be held those eyes
You'll work your thumbs till they're sore
And you'll work my heart till it's raw
and you'll call and you'll call but you'll never be told
and I'll fall and I'll fall and I'll fall
and I'll fall and I'll fall and I'll fall
We are basic lies
We are basic lies
It's going to be pretty tough when you leave
You'll help to take a little part of me
To make sure you don't treat yourself mean
And I want to see all that you'll see
And we are basic lies
And we are basic lies
Lyrics submitted by crumbs, edited by siliconyoda, starvingartist79
Alpha Shallows Lyrics as written by Laura Beatrice Marling
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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.
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Official lyrics from lauramarling.com:
He could fall and shake and weep, By his holy are my feet, And heart with mention the dear that may not speak, We feel tight when there is tension, And our eyes can make us weep.
And his heart was full of fire, At the man he had become, And his soul was seldom higher, With the falsities of fun, Could embrace sweet desires in moments as they pass, but He feared ever more, he saw it didn't last.
We walk up Holland Avenue, And watch the rich as they consume, That product made our hearts exude, an emptiness unrivalled by, The hunger that I could control, He'd pray up to his God that he might save their soul.
The grey in this city is too much to bear, The grey in this city is too much to bear, And I believe we are meant to be seen, And not to be understood.
And I want to be held by those arms, I want to be held by those arms.
You'll work your thumbs `till they're sore, And you'll work my heart until it's raw, And you'll call and you'll call but you'll never be told. And I'll fall and I'll fall and I'll fall, And I'll fall and I'll fall and I'll fall.
We are basic light, we are basic light.
i think it's "i want to be held by those ARMS", not eyes. amazing song, my favourite off the new album.
Such an unbelievably great sound, esp the first half.
Amazing how much she grew since "Alas"
the last two lines are we are basic LIGHT we are basic LIGHT if it was lies it would totally change the meaning of the whole song
My opinion is that the man in the song is troubled by himself and by the world around him and he's trying to find the meaning to his life, while trying to save the rest of the world. A very difficult task when your own faith is shaken raw each morning and each emotion feels like its only a passing phase. The women keeps the mans spirit up. She believes that maybe what he was doing is the answer, to not understand "the rich as they consume" because it is not part of him but to continue in his toils to try and save them. And not be too hard on his self because he has a good heart. My biggest problem is i always believe the songs about a personal experience the writter had but Laura says thats most of the time not the case in plenty of her interviews and some come from stories...
'And I believe you are meant to be seen but not to be UNDERSTOOD.'
isn't it rather "You'll HAVE to take a little part of me" ? and i was thinking it's "and watch the riches they consume" (not rich as), but maybe i want to hear that. ;) wonderful song.
There is so much going on in this song. I'm not sure where to begin. Some of it seems so straightforward, and other parts are more elusive, and I'm not sure how all the pieces fit together.
BRAVE NEW WORLD.
do you think she wrote it based off of the novel? didn't mean for this to be two posts but I suppose the effect's a little more dramatic now. It fits entirely in my opinion and justifies the title... the lyrics can be interpreted to support Lenina's perspective, but deals most heavily with Max and John + such... what do you all think?
john darnielle's alpha couple songs? "alpha negative," "alpha rats nest," etc. that's what i though of. beautiful anyway. i think the twist she puts on the last lines is lovely - even if the official lyrics are "basic light," there's a nice light/lies/life ambiguity there.