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.
We come spinning out of nothingness
scattering stars
All CREATION bears the MOLECULAR MEMORY of a TERRIBLE
EXPLOSION OF ELECTRICITY, ENERGY, MATTER AND MOTION.
A VIOLENT ERUPTION OF WHITE LIGHT WHITE HEAT.
CHAOS IS THE LAW OF NATURE.
Do you really believe that before us,
nothing existed here?
No one?
That we are totally alone here?
That we are unique, dreadfully unique?
You think more of what has been than of what will be
But no one has lived in the past,
and no one will live in the future
The present is the form of all life
The present is terrifying
because it is irreversible
because it has a will of iron
The past represents its future,
it advances in a straight line,
yet it ends by coming full circle
Time the endless circle
one long slow deep breath that goes on forever
one long slow deep breath that stinks of sulfer
Everything has been said provided words do not change their meanings,
and meanings their words. Is it not obvious that someone, who customarily
lives in a state of suffering, requires a different sort of religion?
from a person habitually living in a state of well-being?
The acts of men, carried over from past centuries
will gradually destroy them, logically.
Man as pariah, piranha, a parasite
an all-consuming ravenous beast
who devours every other creature,
wreaking havoc upon a female planet
who bears the scars of his insatiable hunger
her body pitted by deep wounds gauged into her flesh
as he leeches her natural elements
to power his infernal machines.
Machines which spew black bile
poisoning everything
as man gluts on the Earths' sacred fluids and precious minerals
until Nature herself stages a hostile insurrection
against mans' gluttony and greed.
I felt that my existence here
was becoming a distorted, twilight memory
of an awesome destiny
Time is the substance of which I am made
Time is a river which carries me along.
We come spinning out of nothingness
scattering stars.
scattering stars
All CREATION bears the MOLECULAR MEMORY of a TERRIBLE
EXPLOSION OF ELECTRICITY, ENERGY, MATTER AND MOTION.
A VIOLENT ERUPTION OF WHITE LIGHT WHITE HEAT.
CHAOS IS THE LAW OF NATURE.
Do you really believe that before us,
nothing existed here?
No one?
That we are totally alone here?
That we are unique, dreadfully unique?
You think more of what has been than of what will be
But no one has lived in the past,
and no one will live in the future
The present is the form of all life
The present is terrifying
because it is irreversible
because it has a will of iron
The past represents its future,
it advances in a straight line,
yet it ends by coming full circle
Time the endless circle
one long slow deep breath that goes on forever
one long slow deep breath that stinks of sulfer
Everything has been said provided words do not change their meanings,
and meanings their words. Is it not obvious that someone, who customarily
lives in a state of suffering, requires a different sort of religion?
from a person habitually living in a state of well-being?
The acts of men, carried over from past centuries
will gradually destroy them, logically.
Man as pariah, piranha, a parasite
an all-consuming ravenous beast
who devours every other creature,
wreaking havoc upon a female planet
who bears the scars of his insatiable hunger
her body pitted by deep wounds gauged into her flesh
as he leeches her natural elements
to power his infernal machines.
Machines which spew black bile
poisoning everything
as man gluts on the Earths' sacred fluids and precious minerals
until Nature herself stages a hostile insurrection
against mans' gluttony and greed.
I felt that my existence here
was becoming a distorted, twilight memory
of an awesome destiny
Time is the substance of which I am made
Time is a river which carries me along.
We come spinning out of nothingness
scattering stars.
Lyrics submitted by Aprophisthe1
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