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.
When will I start to learn
I'm bleeding in this game
Cause she uses boys like bandages
But the wounds remain the same
And I hope you find it through this endless wandering
I'm missing you for so long
You're a question mark and a scar
You twist me up like a tourniquet
Till I don't know who we are
Chasing after you won't change a thing
And I hope you make it through this endless wandering
Change everything I know, but she won't let me come
And she won't let me go
Let me come inside
I was late and my face was wet, toe up on a private jet
Spiraling down with a cigarette, where we going now cause I forget
Cause I gotta get it all but it takes a toll
Well I guess you'll have to grow a soul
Dark side giving me such a pull, such a pull and if its a
Water landing
Then its a water landing
Put on your life vest only if told to do so
Well I'm telling you now
Strap it across your chest
Prepare yourself for impending death
You and me are nose-diving
At the speed of whiplash, life passes by
In an endless plane crash
Muffled I love you through an oxygen mask
On my face, brace, brace
And the cabin erupts with religious conversions
God's sick joke as we lose the engines
Some people scream and some people are gracious
And the reason's the same
Cause the sky outside is so spacious
So if it's a water landing
Then it's a water landing
And it's coming inside
I'm bleeding in this game
Cause she uses boys like bandages
But the wounds remain the same
And I hope you find it through this endless wandering
I'm missing you for so long
You're a question mark and a scar
You twist me up like a tourniquet
Till I don't know who we are
Chasing after you won't change a thing
And I hope you make it through this endless wandering
Change everything I know, but she won't let me come
And she won't let me go
Let me come inside
I was late and my face was wet, toe up on a private jet
Spiraling down with a cigarette, where we going now cause I forget
Cause I gotta get it all but it takes a toll
Well I guess you'll have to grow a soul
Dark side giving me such a pull, such a pull and if its a
Water landing
Then its a water landing
Put on your life vest only if told to do so
Well I'm telling you now
Strap it across your chest
Prepare yourself for impending death
You and me are nose-diving
At the speed of whiplash, life passes by
In an endless plane crash
Muffled I love you through an oxygen mask
On my face, brace, brace
And the cabin erupts with religious conversions
God's sick joke as we lose the engines
Some people scream and some people are gracious
And the reason's the same
Cause the sky outside is so spacious
So if it's a water landing
Then it's a water landing
And it's coming inside
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.
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"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.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
And I'm missing you for so long You're a question mark and a scar
These are the most powerful Lyrics I have heard in a long time, they struck me like a lightning bolt the first time I heard the song, gave me shivers.
It's like Stephan took every girl that every crushed a guys heart and made him wonder "What if?" for the rest of his life and put all those messed up feelings in two short phrases.
I've been a huge 3EB fan since the very begining. Thank Stephan for all your amazing music.