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've been dreaming such a long time
And I've been waiting for the sunshine
But all my friends they say I'm getting by with sleeping in
They say I'm sleeping in
You know whenever I try I want to get it right
But I distract my focus and blur my own sight
'Cause I've convinced myself that my best can only come in the moonlight
And I keep sleeping in
I keep on sleeping in
And missing something
(Close your eyes before daylight breaks)
There are things about me I just can't ignore
I know I want to change and I see that door
On the other side daylight decides there will be war with sleeping in
Oh, I know there'll be no more sleeping in
I wait, I wait, I wait only in jest
I wait, I wait, I wait with no need to rest I wait
"The day, the day, the day will come again," I say
A ray of light can only get in if I say
I've been putting off this purification a rebirth and a regeneration inside of me
And I've been saying "no" for far too long even though something brand new is coming out of me
I'm going to wake up, wake up every morning and then decide
I'm going to wake up, wake up every morning and make it mine
Rain or shine
I wake, I wake, I wake and greet the day
The light is on the change is made I can see my way
The day, the day, this day has come again
Each ray of light will make its way into the core of me
I always knew that I was missing something I know this time that I will leave nothing up to chance
And in the wake of this brand new day I see the light and I feel the sun and I'll do it all again tomorrow
I'm going to wake up, wake up every morning and then decide
I'm going to wake up, wake up every morning and make it mine
And I've been waiting for the sunshine
But all my friends they say I'm getting by with sleeping in
They say I'm sleeping in
You know whenever I try I want to get it right
But I distract my focus and blur my own sight
'Cause I've convinced myself that my best can only come in the moonlight
And I keep sleeping in
I keep on sleeping in
And missing something
(Close your eyes before daylight breaks)
There are things about me I just can't ignore
I know I want to change and I see that door
On the other side daylight decides there will be war with sleeping in
Oh, I know there'll be no more sleeping in
I wait, I wait, I wait only in jest
I wait, I wait, I wait with no need to rest I wait
"The day, the day, the day will come again," I say
A ray of light can only get in if I say
I've been putting off this purification a rebirth and a regeneration inside of me
And I've been saying "no" for far too long even though something brand new is coming out of me
I'm going to wake up, wake up every morning and then decide
I'm going to wake up, wake up every morning and make it mine
Rain or shine
I wake, I wake, I wake and greet the day
The light is on the change is made I can see my way
The day, the day, this day has come again
Each ray of light will make its way into the core of me
I always knew that I was missing something I know this time that I will leave nothing up to chance
And in the wake of this brand new day I see the light and I feel the sun and I'll do it all again tomorrow
I'm going to wake up, wake up every morning and then decide
I'm going to wake up, wake up every morning and make it mine
Lyrics submitted by betaLyrae
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"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"
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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.
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Mae writes, "As we move forward from the beginning of the year into the summer and eventually the fall, we will see our hard work turn into something that can be seen more and more. It will turn into something that will affect peoples' lives for the better. That is exactly what "Night/Day" is about. The song is a focus on the moment that is the transition from resignation to motivation; from the darkness of indolence to the new light of action." (From the "Read This" file from the digital download.)
I love this song. It's now my pick-me-up song on a bad day when things go wrong. What it means to me is that we have to start every day new by taking control and moving forward. There is always progress to be made if we take the opportunities and chances to change.
GO DONATE AND DOWNLOAD THE SONG from whatismae.com! :) The digital booklet that comes with is so beautiful. The lyrics are split up into night and day (starting at "I wait, I wait, I wait only in jest") so very cleverly, and the artwork is beautiful. Truly a Multisensory Aesthetic Experience. :)
yep, all the digital songs they released are worth donating for. this song totally caught me by surprise, dave's voice really has gotten so much better and this is one of my favorites so far from the (m)orning releases.
betaLyrae basically already wrote what mae means this song to be, but since music is universal, to me this song signifies when someone has tried and tried but doesn't succeed, so they give in to the fact that they just can't achieve what they wanted to. but as the song goes on they realize that they've been putting it off too long, and they get up and try again, and make it their own.
This song is a good example of how their music can evolve in a different style while still maintaining their original sound and insightful lyrics which make them truly awesome. Unfortunately many of the other songs on this album feel like a complete departure from this. And I agree with the others about the meaning of this song.
Actually I take back my comment a little bit--I like the direction they're going in with several of their new songs on this album. I just wish songs like "Boomerang" wouldn't make the cut (maybe b-side).
It means that they support and partake in homosexual activities.