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.
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walking in
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walking in
This quiet company
This quiet company
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walking in
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walking in
This quiet company
This quiet company
This quiet company
And I can't fall asleep
Without a little help
It takes a while to settle down
My shivered bones
Until the panic's out
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
Company
This quiet company
This quiet company
But I won't follow you
Into the rabbit hole
I said I would but then I saw
Your shivered bones
They didn't want me to
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walking in
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walking in
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
It's a terrible love and I'm walking in
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walking in
This quiet company
This quiet company
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walking in
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walking in
This quiet company
This quiet company
This quiet company
And I can't fall asleep
Without a little help
It takes a while to settle down
My shivered bones
Until the panic's out
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
Company
This quiet company
This quiet company
But I won't follow you
Into the rabbit hole
I said I would but then I saw
Your shivered bones
They didn't want me to
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walking in
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walking in
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
Lyrics submitted by neah17068, edited by dpf62984, hnavarro, SpankySnail, Pimpimpula, QueensEnglish
Terrible Love Lyrics as written by Aaron Brooking Dessner Matthew Donald Berninger
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Here's my interpretation. Hopefully others can point out flaws in my understanding of the lyrics, or offer other meanings that never occurred to me. I don't think the lyrics are that cryptic to break apart, but it took me a while to give consistent meaning to every single line.
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders, It's a terrible love and I'm walking in, It's quiet company,
The words terrible love, while also alluding to being infatuated and deeply in love, describe the heavy feelings of fear and anxiety from starting and loving a family. Spiders refers to creeping and tingling feelings, and the fear of walking into a web, to be doomed. Walking in refers to committing oneself despite said fears. Quiet company refers to how the feeling isn't really expressed out loud or saying anything; it's just there, lingering, and the future isn't certain. Another meaning I find likely is that quiet company refers keeping oneself composed and together, and not breaking apart from the feelings of fear and anxiety.
And I can't fall asleep without a little help, It takes a while to settle down, my shivered bones, until the panic's out, It takes an ocean not to break,
The meaning here seems clear enough to not need much explanation. There's a terrible amount of stress, and in turn it takes a terrible amount of will and effort not to break under the pressure of it all. Matt mocking himself makes sense sense as well, given his frequent wine drinking--it takes an ocean of alcohol not to break.
But I won't follow you into the rabbit hole, I said I would but then I saw your shivered bones, they didn't want me to,
Rabbit hole is an Alice in Wonderland reference, and describes the feeling of being lost and overwhelmed in a strange new world--i.e. of being a new parent. On a personal level for Matt, "you" refers to his wife. Matt saw that his wife has the same fear and anxiety as he does, and so he wants to be strong for her, to be the help for her as she's been for him. Matt (quietly) resolves not to mess it up and to be a good husband and father.