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.
Call it what you want
I said just call it what you want
Call it what you want
Yeah we're locked up in ideas
We like to label everything
Well I'm just gonna do here what I gotta do here
'Cause I gotta keep myself free
You're ducking and moving just to hide your bruising from all your enemies
And I'm in the crossfire dodging bullets from you expectancies
We've got nothing to lose
You better run and hide
Yeah you've crossed the line
I've got a knife behind my back (just sayin')
We've got nothing to prove
Your social guides give you swollen eyes
But what I've got can't be bought so you can just
Call it what you want, yeah yeah call it what you want
Yeah yeah I said just call it what you want, yeah yeah call it what you want
You've taken your words and you take your judgments
And stick them onto everything
If it don't conform to what you were born into,
Then you run the other way
You say, "now what's your style and who do you listen to?" who cares?
Well that rat race ladder-climbing fake-face smile's got nothing on me
We've got nothing to lose
You better run and hide
Yeah you've crossed the line
I've got a knife behind my back (just sayin')
We've got nothing to prove
Your social guides give you swollen eyes
But what I've got can't be bought so you can just
Call it what you want, yeah yeah call it what you want
Yeah yeah I said just call it what you want, yeah yeah call it what you want
Call it what you want
Call it what you want
Call it what you want, yeah yeah call it what you want
Yeah yeah I said just call it what you want, yeah yeah call it what you want
I said just call it what you want
Call it what you want
Yeah we're locked up in ideas
We like to label everything
Well I'm just gonna do here what I gotta do here
'Cause I gotta keep myself free
You're ducking and moving just to hide your bruising from all your enemies
And I'm in the crossfire dodging bullets from you expectancies
We've got nothing to lose
You better run and hide
Yeah you've crossed the line
I've got a knife behind my back (just sayin')
We've got nothing to prove
Your social guides give you swollen eyes
But what I've got can't be bought so you can just
Call it what you want, yeah yeah call it what you want
Yeah yeah I said just call it what you want, yeah yeah call it what you want
You've taken your words and you take your judgments
And stick them onto everything
If it don't conform to what you were born into,
Then you run the other way
You say, "now what's your style and who do you listen to?" who cares?
Well that rat race ladder-climbing fake-face smile's got nothing on me
We've got nothing to lose
You better run and hide
Yeah you've crossed the line
I've got a knife behind my back (just sayin')
We've got nothing to prove
Your social guides give you swollen eyes
But what I've got can't be bought so you can just
Call it what you want, yeah yeah call it what you want
Yeah yeah I said just call it what you want, yeah yeah call it what you want
Call it what you want
Call it what you want
Call it what you want, yeah yeah call it what you want
Yeah yeah I said just call it what you want, yeah yeah call it what you want
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More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
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.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Not too sure about the lyrics, but I'm fairly certain the video talks about the danger of idleness. The beginning of the video starts out with scrolling words that say: "Idle minds are the devil's workshop.". Then, it shows the band members all idle, doing nothing, and then later shows what that can lead to. The video shows examples of: Lust, Mark Foster punching a hole to look at some snazzy women. Gluttony, It shows Mark eating and eating and dirty plates stacking up and down. Violence, when Mark is sitting all alone on a balcony, doing nothing, some "Foster the People" fans with the words "FOSTER" on their shirts dance up and down in joy. Mark then lifts up his hand and his fingers form the shape of a pistol. He "shoots" and blue liquid comes out of the fans. But, the fans still jump around in joy. (Not sure what that's about). Isolation, it shows one of the other band members naked in a bathtub filled with red liquid. Later it shows him get up with his hands around his head, like he is going through a spiritually and or rough time. (Nothing objectionable is shown at all)
Sorry, at that end part I meant, "Spiritually and / or mentally rough time"
I never noticed the symbolism behind the video! Awesome interpretation
I really think they're Christians. :D thank you for this :D
I really think they're Christians. :D thank you for this :D