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.
There were moments of dreams
I was offered to save.
I lived less like a workhorse,
More like a slave.
I thought that one quick moment
That was noble or brave
Would be worth the most of my life.
So I pointed my fingers
And shouted few quotes I knew,
As if something that's written
Should be taken as true.
But every path I had taken
And conclusion I drew
Would put truth back under the knife.
And now the only piece of advice that continues to help
Is anyone that's making anything new only breaks something else.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
So I took what I wanted
And put it out of my reach.
I wanted to pay for my successes
With all my defeats.
And if Heaven was all
That was promised to me
Why don't I pray for death?
Now it seems like the unravelling
Started too soon.
Now I'm sleeping in hallways
And I'm drinking perfume,
And I'm speaking to mirrors,
And I'm howling at moons,
While the worse and the
Worse that it gets.
Oh you can judge the whole world on the sparkle that you think it lacks.
Yes, you can stare into the abyss, but it's starin' right back.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
Well you can judge the whole world on the sparkle that you think it lacks.
Yes, you can stare into the abyss, but it's starin' right back.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
I was offered to save.
I lived less like a workhorse,
More like a slave.
I thought that one quick moment
That was noble or brave
Would be worth the most of my life.
So I pointed my fingers
And shouted few quotes I knew,
As if something that's written
Should be taken as true.
But every path I had taken
And conclusion I drew
Would put truth back under the knife.
And now the only piece of advice that continues to help
Is anyone that's making anything new only breaks something else.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
So I took what I wanted
And put it out of my reach.
I wanted to pay for my successes
With all my defeats.
And if Heaven was all
That was promised to me
Why don't I pray for death?
Now it seems like the unravelling
Started too soon.
Now I'm sleeping in hallways
And I'm drinking perfume,
And I'm speaking to mirrors,
And I'm howling at moons,
While the worse and the
Worse that it gets.
Oh you can judge the whole world on the sparkle that you think it lacks.
Yes, you can stare into the abyss, but it's starin' right back.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
Well you can judge the whole world on the sparkle that you think it lacks.
Yes, you can stare into the abyss, but it's starin' right back.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
When my time comes,
Oh oh oh oh.
Lyrics submitted by blueisthecolor8, edited by rathyrye
When My Time Comes Lyrics as written by Taylor Goldsmith
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
When We Were Young
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This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
This song is somewhat about death but really it is a commentary on what logical people deal with when they comtemplate religion.
The author starts to realize that he has been mislead into believing in religion and possibly God, and has been wasting much of his life doing and believing what he was told instead of what you want to be doing.
"As if something that's written should be taken as true" is a reference to the Bible. People take everything within the Bible literally, even though many of the stories were intended to be a model to teach people how to be good, not necessarily a history textbook.
The reference to Heaven poses a question - if heaven is all that the Church can promise to its followers, why not just die now so we can go there? hence "Pray for death"
"My time" is probably a reference to death or one's "Judgement Day". Is this a real thing, he asks? If Heaven exists and there is a gate with Peter deciding who gets in and who goes to hell, Will he be judged differently if he strays from the path set forth for him by his religion? Or perhaps is straying part of his intended path?
"Pay for my successes with all my defeats" relates to atonement / karma, and "took what i wanted and put it out of my reach" is a form of asceticism, a religious practice.
"Staring into the abyss" and seeing something that isn't there is definitely a comment on Faith and religion - Faith is the belief that something does exist even though it is impossible to know for sure whether it actually exists. If you look hard enough for order in chaos, if you look hard enough for God in the world and universe, you will probably find it. But just because you think you see order in the chaos, that doesn't make it true.
"But every path I have taken and conclusion I drew / Would put truth back under the knife." This is what a lot of intelligent people wrestle with about religion - Science and Truth tend to disprove the tenents of Faith and God and the stories of the Bible. When the writer of this song thinks about God or blind faith, it doesn't make sense. Faith is illogical. Religion tries to disprove science, and science tries to disprove religion.
I think the lyrics are about a person who has lost religion, or is at least doubting what he was raised/brainwashed to believe. He wonders if God is real, if he will ever find out if it is real, and struggles with internal conflicts related to "believing" vs. "not believing".
@meowza <br /> <br /> Yeah, this was almost 10 years ago, but here's a few thoughts.<br /> <br />