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.
Me and Fat Joe were riding in the back
Of an industrial-strength delivery van
I couldn't catch a clear view of the driver's face
But I could tell it wasn't a feminine friend
The ground plans for battle were all laid
We were just taking some time to kick it with grapes and parlay
It was just him and me in a van with the gate and gay
We taste the grapes and spit the seeds in the street
The highway was a scalpel splicing the sands an impressive impression
Of man's demand for the connection of lands
I look back at Joe and laugh
I give the grapes a puff and a pass spitting another seed out of the back
Joe squints his eyes
Lets out a sound that can only be described as a laughter and a sad goodbye
His pale olive fingers pry another one of the fruits off the vine
"We should return here in ten years time." I ask him why
"So we can drink the wine from the orchard that is grown from the seeds we alone cast aside."
As the sun sunk lower on the sand, dust sprayed from the tires that picked up the grains
Displayed them in spirals
And I held the last grape up to eclipse the sun
The breeze plucked it from my fingers and the lunch was done
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Me and Tupac Shakur sat inside a donut shop
Sharing a dozen and watching the coffee cool
One by one the box slowly emptied
From the cakes to the crullers and at last the fancies
Pac sighed aloud so I could hear him
"Donuts are communism"
I asked him why, he said,
"Better in theory"
We laughed and scratched the sleep from our eyes
He said, "This is ridiculous, 12 is too much, half a dozen wastes our time
But every time we order twelve thinking we can handle it
And every time we end up pissed because we made our stomachs sick"
We both laugh a bit and gingerly sip our coffee
His fingers scrape the tabletop and he digs in softly
And I watch him there, carving, scraping, both sitting in silence
As he engraves his name with the word "West side" beside it
And underneath the orange veneer of the donut shop gear
There's an earthy brown flesh that excavation makes appear
And year after year Pac and I return there
To the table that he claimed with the matching bench chairs
Chug the last of our coffee and stand to leave
Wave to the clerk, she says goodbye in Chinese
Clutching our sick stomachs we both struggle to speak
Shake our heads, split our waists, and say, "See you next week"
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Of an industrial-strength delivery van
I couldn't catch a clear view of the driver's face
But I could tell it wasn't a feminine friend
The ground plans for battle were all laid
We were just taking some time to kick it with grapes and parlay
It was just him and me in a van with the gate and gay
We taste the grapes and spit the seeds in the street
The highway was a scalpel splicing the sands an impressive impression
Of man's demand for the connection of lands
I look back at Joe and laugh
I give the grapes a puff and a pass spitting another seed out of the back
Joe squints his eyes
Lets out a sound that can only be described as a laughter and a sad goodbye
His pale olive fingers pry another one of the fruits off the vine
"We should return here in ten years time." I ask him why
"So we can drink the wine from the orchard that is grown from the seeds we alone cast aside."
As the sun sunk lower on the sand, dust sprayed from the tires that picked up the grains
Displayed them in spirals
And I held the last grape up to eclipse the sun
The breeze plucked it from my fingers and the lunch was done
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Me and Tupac Shakur sat inside a donut shop
Sharing a dozen and watching the coffee cool
One by one the box slowly emptied
From the cakes to the crullers and at last the fancies
Pac sighed aloud so I could hear him
"Donuts are communism"
I asked him why, he said,
"Better in theory"
We laughed and scratched the sleep from our eyes
He said, "This is ridiculous, 12 is too much, half a dozen wastes our time
But every time we order twelve thinking we can handle it
And every time we end up pissed because we made our stomachs sick"
We both laugh a bit and gingerly sip our coffee
His fingers scrape the tabletop and he digs in softly
And I watch him there, carving, scraping, both sitting in silence
As he engraves his name with the word "West side" beside it
And underneath the orange veneer of the donut shop gear
There's an earthy brown flesh that excavation makes appear
And year after year Pac and I return there
To the table that he claimed with the matching bench chairs
Chug the last of our coffee and stand to leave
Wave to the clerk, she says goodbye in Chinese
Clutching our sick stomachs we both struggle to speak
Shake our heads, split our waists, and say, "See you next week"
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Father was an engine driver
Grandpa fought the war
Hope that I can maybe size up
Leave my mark at all
Lyrics submitted by shecky
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