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.
Stay away from the dark river
It's cold outside tonight
And his name feels like a shiver down my spine
Shut all the windows, because God knows
Deep in the shadows of the moonlight
Someone's watching us
Filling our lungs with feelings unfelt
When you spin around
To a different sound
It's the sound of the violent violin
Written just to move you
The song you're bound to, it is making you blind
Don't look behind
A boy with music mainly on his mind
Is not hard to find
-A single note is all I need to fold him blind
I am higher than the sky
I want to fly
Never felt so alive
So, show me how to play
And I'll surrender to you now
I don't know why
I wanna cry
I'm so happy that I could die
Show me how to play
And I'll stay right here with you
They are crystal clear
The very last notes he will hear
Are the wailings from the king
Of the whitewater pouring in
A mourning mother in her kitchen
Lies crying on the floor
Not knowing if it's real or fiction any more
A lifetime she'd trade for
Just one more story on the side of his bed
And when she is running through the shadows
A familiar melody is playing in her head
When you spin around
To a different sound
It's the sound of the violent violin
Written just to move you
The song you're bound to, it is making you blind
Don't look behind
A woman hurt with vengeance on her mind
Is not hard to find
-A single note is all I need to fold her blind
I am higher than the sky
I want to fly
Never felt so alive
So, show me how to play
And I'll surrender to you now
I don't know why
I wanna cry
I'm so happy that I could die
Show me how to play
And I'll stay right here with you
They are crystal clear
The very last notes he will hear
Are the wailings from the king
Of the whitewater pouring in
You are higher than the sky
You want to fly
Never felt so alive
He'll show you how to play
Make you surrender to him now
You don't know why
You wanna cry
You're so happy that you could die
He'll show you how to play
Make you stay right there with him
They are crystal clear
The very last notes he will hear
Are the wailings from the king
Of the whitewater pouring in
It's cold outside tonight
And his name feels like a shiver down my spine
Shut all the windows, because God knows
Deep in the shadows of the moonlight
Someone's watching us
Filling our lungs with feelings unfelt
When you spin around
To a different sound
It's the sound of the violent violin
Written just to move you
The song you're bound to, it is making you blind
Don't look behind
A boy with music mainly on his mind
Is not hard to find
-A single note is all I need to fold him blind
I am higher than the sky
I want to fly
Never felt so alive
So, show me how to play
And I'll surrender to you now
I don't know why
I wanna cry
I'm so happy that I could die
Show me how to play
And I'll stay right here with you
They are crystal clear
The very last notes he will hear
Are the wailings from the king
Of the whitewater pouring in
A mourning mother in her kitchen
Lies crying on the floor
Not knowing if it's real or fiction any more
A lifetime she'd trade for
Just one more story on the side of his bed
And when she is running through the shadows
A familiar melody is playing in her head
When you spin around
To a different sound
It's the sound of the violent violin
Written just to move you
The song you're bound to, it is making you blind
Don't look behind
A woman hurt with vengeance on her mind
Is not hard to find
-A single note is all I need to fold her blind
I am higher than the sky
I want to fly
Never felt so alive
So, show me how to play
And I'll surrender to you now
I don't know why
I wanna cry
I'm so happy that I could die
Show me how to play
And I'll stay right here with you
They are crystal clear
The very last notes he will hear
Are the wailings from the king
Of the whitewater pouring in
You are higher than the sky
You want to fly
Never felt so alive
He'll show you how to play
Make you surrender to him now
You don't know why
You wanna cry
You're so happy that you could die
He'll show you how to play
Make you stay right there with him
They are crystal clear
The very last notes he will hear
Are the wailings from the king
Of the whitewater pouring in
Lyrics submitted by Chrissal1x
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.