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.
Down with your back against the bottom/
There's something about these days that got you caught up/
Toss another empty bottle into the bay/
What did you say?
What did you do?
When life came crashing down on you/
I should've seen it when you broke down/
Stop and listen, and stop acting like you don't have a position/
Cause I could see it from the jump when I kissed you/
And feel it through the walls that you constantly put your fist through/
You're pissed, but you aint got to fight like this/
Life isn't worth a dime with a knife sliced wrist/
Spent a whole bunch of time trying to write your list/
Of the last things alive that make you bite your lip/
Yeah, little girl, little love/
Little hold my head to the ground in the mud/
Little I'm not coming back up until the whole sky falls down on me and breaks my trust/
Now run, and think about it all, think about the last chance given and the first round fall/
And if that can't get you back to where you start just call/
And meet me in the place where we always are/
Down with your back against the bottom/
There's something about these days that got you caught up/
Toss another empty bottle into the bay/
What did you say?
What did you do?
When life came crashing down on you/
I shoulda seen it when I came back, yep, I shoulda/
Cause you don't see the things that I really wish that you would have/
And you don't make the effort I really thought that you could have/
To unlock the cage where you put us, and take another stab at it/
Fly fishing for the catch, with my heart tied onto the only line that you cast/
And if I don't sink this raft right now I'm gonna float down the river until my last breath's gasp/
Yeah, little lock, little key/
Little drop my boxes of thoughts into the sea/
Little I'm not coming back out until the whole world stops in its tracks and admits its defeat for good/
Back to the shackles, back to the comfort of the things that attack you and make you cold/
I'm over trying to make this home, so just go/
And leave me in the place that we'll always know
Down with your back against the bottom/
There's something about these days that got you caught up/
Toss another empty bottle into the bay/
What did you say?
What did you do?
When life came crashing down on you/
There's something about these days that got you caught up/
Toss another empty bottle into the bay/
What did you say?
What did you do?
When life came crashing down on you/
I should've seen it when you broke down/
Stop and listen, and stop acting like you don't have a position/
Cause I could see it from the jump when I kissed you/
And feel it through the walls that you constantly put your fist through/
You're pissed, but you aint got to fight like this/
Life isn't worth a dime with a knife sliced wrist/
Spent a whole bunch of time trying to write your list/
Of the last things alive that make you bite your lip/
Yeah, little girl, little love/
Little hold my head to the ground in the mud/
Little I'm not coming back up until the whole sky falls down on me and breaks my trust/
Now run, and think about it all, think about the last chance given and the first round fall/
And if that can't get you back to where you start just call/
And meet me in the place where we always are/
Down with your back against the bottom/
There's something about these days that got you caught up/
Toss another empty bottle into the bay/
What did you say?
What did you do?
When life came crashing down on you/
I shoulda seen it when I came back, yep, I shoulda/
Cause you don't see the things that I really wish that you would have/
And you don't make the effort I really thought that you could have/
To unlock the cage where you put us, and take another stab at it/
Fly fishing for the catch, with my heart tied onto the only line that you cast/
And if I don't sink this raft right now I'm gonna float down the river until my last breath's gasp/
Yeah, little lock, little key/
Little drop my boxes of thoughts into the sea/
Little I'm not coming back out until the whole world stops in its tracks and admits its defeat for good/
Back to the shackles, back to the comfort of the things that attack you and make you cold/
I'm over trying to make this home, so just go/
And leave me in the place that we'll always know
Down with your back against the bottom/
There's something about these days that got you caught up/
Toss another empty bottle into the bay/
What did you say?
What did you do?
When life came crashing down on you/
Lyrics submitted by Mainsteve66
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"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"
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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.
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Essentially, weebles wobble but they don't fall down. To me, this is a peaceful song to listen to when i'm feeling down. We all hit rock bottom, and take it our own ways. "What did you do? When life came crashing down on you." Even though he may be speaking to someone, it's honestly something we've all gone to. Life sinks in eventually, but the fact is we're not alone. When it happens we just have to live day to day, and find someone to lean on, "and meet me in the place that we always were."
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I believe he's talking about his sister. There is a song on one of his older albums called Rebecca, and he talks about his older sister and her addiction, its pretty deep. He has mentions her in other many other songs, as he mentions in "Rebecca" that he will do. This is another one.