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.
Mm mm mm
Yeah
Whoa
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Somebody tell me
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
Somebody please tell me
What's going wrong
They say them ladies broke
And my baby's gone
Listen
It's been a couple of days
And real dark nights
I miss my only child
I ain't seen her since that night
She left home about eight
And never to return
Our body's floatin'
Floatin' into that river
I gotta know
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
Somebody please tell me
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
I been searching all around
Day and day and night
Somebody please tell me
I need to feel somebody
So many souls crying
How could it be?
'Cause every step I take
I can't think
?
Somebody tell me
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
Somebody please tell me
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
Please somebody tell me
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
Somebody please tell me
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
Please somebody tell me
Yeah-ah
Please somebody tell me
Yeah-ah
Please somebody tell me
Yeah-ah
Please somebody tell me
Please somebody tell me!
Tell me
Please somebody tell me!
Tell me
Please somebody tell me!
Tell me
Please somebody tell me!
(Somebody tell me)
Please somebody tell me!
Come on and tell me
Please somebody tell me!
Just tell me
Please somebody tell me!
I got to know
Please somebody tell me!
I know you know
(Somebody tell me)
Somebody tell me
Oh my God
Somebody Tell me
Oh my God
Yeah
Whoa
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Somebody tell me
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
Somebody please tell me
What's going wrong
They say them ladies broke
And my baby's gone
Listen
It's been a couple of days
And real dark nights
I miss my only child
I ain't seen her since that night
She left home about eight
And never to return
Our body's floatin'
Floatin' into that river
I gotta know
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
Somebody please tell me
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
I been searching all around
Day and day and night
Somebody please tell me
I need to feel somebody
So many souls crying
How could it be?
'Cause every step I take
I can't think
?
Somebody tell me
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
Somebody please tell me
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
Please somebody tell me
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
Somebody please tell me
What's going wrong
I ain't seen my baby
In far too long
Please somebody tell me
Yeah-ah
Please somebody tell me
Yeah-ah
Please somebody tell me
Yeah-ah
Please somebody tell me
Please somebody tell me!
Tell me
Please somebody tell me!
Tell me
Please somebody tell me!
Tell me
Please somebody tell me!
(Somebody tell me)
Please somebody tell me!
Come on and tell me
Please somebody tell me!
Just tell me
Please somebody tell me!
I got to know
Please somebody tell me!
I know you know
(Somebody tell me)
Somebody tell me
Oh my God
Somebody Tell me
Oh my God
Big Easy (feat. The Infamous Young Spodie & The Rebirth Brass Band) song meanings
Add Your Thoughts
1 Comment
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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
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.
I think this song is about someone who has lost their daughter during the hurricane Katrina tragedy, hence the lyrics about the levees breaking and body floating in the river.
@TheNza Just seems such an up beat song though with the tempo and vocals ... although your interpretation sounds pretty spot on looking at the lyrics alone.