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.
Hey, na na na na na na
There in the pale moonlight
That's where you and I were walking
I said looking in your eyes
I'm feeling like the sky is falling
You said you gotta be free
But a love like this is everlasting
I said I gotta be me
But I move my feet and nothing happens
True love is a funny thing
'Cause no one else does what you do to me
I'm chasing my tail, spinning my wheels
Got your heart hot on my heels
I'm all dressed up but I swear
Without your love I'm going nowhere
Fast or slow
You can say I told you so
I've done that, I've been there
But without your love I'm going nowhere
Time I've got a lot of that
Day and night baby I've been thinking
How soon do I want you back?
Sooner than you can say you need me
True love is a funny thing
'Cause no one else does what you do to me
I'm chasing my tail, spinning my wheels
I got your heart hot on my heels
I'm all dressed up but I swear
Without your love I'm going nowhere
Fast or slow
You can say I told you so
I've done that, I've been there
But without your love I'm going nowhere
Oh, what you do to me
Now I just can't get away from what used to be
Your love is all I can dream about
Oh, baby you got my head spinning 'round, yeah
I'm chasing my tail, spinning my wheels
Got your heart hot on my heels
I'm all dressed up but I swear
Without your love I'm going nowhere
Fast or slow
You can say I told you so
I've done that, I've been there
But without your love I'm going nowhere
I'm chasing my tail, spinning my wheels
Got your heart hot on my heels
I'm all dressed up but I swear
Without your love I'm going nowhere
Fast or slow
You can say I told you so
I've done that, I've been there
But without your love I'm going nowhere
Without your love I'm going nowhere
But without your love I'm going nowhere
Without your love I'm going nowhere
But without your love I'm going nowhere
Without your love I'm going nowhere
But without your love I'm going nowhere
There in the pale moonlight
That's where you and I were walking
I said looking in your eyes
I'm feeling like the sky is falling
You said you gotta be free
But a love like this is everlasting
I said I gotta be me
But I move my feet and nothing happens
True love is a funny thing
'Cause no one else does what you do to me
I'm chasing my tail, spinning my wheels
Got your heart hot on my heels
I'm all dressed up but I swear
Without your love I'm going nowhere
Fast or slow
You can say I told you so
I've done that, I've been there
But without your love I'm going nowhere
Time I've got a lot of that
Day and night baby I've been thinking
How soon do I want you back?
Sooner than you can say you need me
True love is a funny thing
'Cause no one else does what you do to me
I'm chasing my tail, spinning my wheels
I got your heart hot on my heels
I'm all dressed up but I swear
Without your love I'm going nowhere
Fast or slow
You can say I told you so
I've done that, I've been there
But without your love I'm going nowhere
Oh, what you do to me
Now I just can't get away from what used to be
Your love is all I can dream about
Oh, baby you got my head spinning 'round, yeah
I'm chasing my tail, spinning my wheels
Got your heart hot on my heels
I'm all dressed up but I swear
Without your love I'm going nowhere
Fast or slow
You can say I told you so
I've done that, I've been there
But without your love I'm going nowhere
I'm chasing my tail, spinning my wheels
Got your heart hot on my heels
I'm all dressed up but I swear
Without your love I'm going nowhere
Fast or slow
You can say I told you so
I've done that, I've been there
But without your love I'm going nowhere
Without your love I'm going nowhere
But without your love I'm going nowhere
Without your love I'm going nowhere
But without your love I'm going nowhere
Without your love I'm going nowhere
But without your love I'm going nowhere
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Going Nowhere Lyrics as written by Rhonda Kye Fleming Paul Justin Begaud
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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