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.
From the forest itself comes the hand for the ax
Split this wilderness listen up this ain't where it's at
Clear a path so that you could find your way back
Chop 'em down, chop 'em down; chop 'em down, chop 'em down
Time flies by like clouds passing in the sky lifetimes hear and gone like the blink of an eye
March through this desert one-step at a time, march through the desert one step at a time
From the forest itself comes the handle for the ax,
Drop the staff Moshe rabbainu split the ocean in half,
March through the desert this ain't where it's at
Chop 'em down, Chop 'em down
Patterns engraved not so easily erased, still wandering trying to find your place
Playing the game I see pain on your face now a day's the yiddin like children sold as slaves
Strange ways running through the maze, strange ways always lost in the desert trying to
Find to find your place lost in the desert trying to find your place
From the forest itself comes the handle for the ax,
Drop the staff Moshe rabbainu split the ocean in half,
March through the desert this ain't where it's at
Chop 'em down, Chop 'em down
Joseph descended sold as a slave,
Thrown into a dungeon cause he wouldn't be swayed
Interpreted pharaoh's dreams and Egypt was saved
Stock piled food for seven years of rain
Then sold to all the nations when the drought came
Joseph rose to power and the yiddin stayed
They started to build and success was made
Pharos getting worried let's make them pay bound in chains
First born was sent down to their graves
Moshe was saved and a prince he was raised
Hashem spoke to him hears a message to relay
Take my Nation from Mitzrayim (Egypt) I see the suffering
Hard hearts ego breaks take sparks and make way
Trail blaze through the wasteland breaking the chains
Last generation just the ruminants
March through the desert leaving footprints
Peel off the lid this is just plastic, get into it, get into it
Heavy hitter stepping solid never quitter jump into the ocean before it split got a jump into it
Rip through Egypt rip through it,
Get into it, 600,000 witnessed it, no you didn't forget
In the spiritual desert things are not what they seem
Snakes camouflaged just fit the scene
Put your faith in a mirage it's just a smoke screen
The king is sitting on his thrown of glory
Split this wilderness listen up this ain't where it's at
Clear a path so that you could find your way back
Chop 'em down, chop 'em down; chop 'em down, chop 'em down
Time flies by like clouds passing in the sky lifetimes hear and gone like the blink of an eye
March through this desert one-step at a time, march through the desert one step at a time
From the forest itself comes the handle for the ax,
Drop the staff Moshe rabbainu split the ocean in half,
March through the desert this ain't where it's at
Chop 'em down, Chop 'em down
Patterns engraved not so easily erased, still wandering trying to find your place
Playing the game I see pain on your face now a day's the yiddin like children sold as slaves
Strange ways running through the maze, strange ways always lost in the desert trying to
Find to find your place lost in the desert trying to find your place
From the forest itself comes the handle for the ax,
Drop the staff Moshe rabbainu split the ocean in half,
March through the desert this ain't where it's at
Chop 'em down, Chop 'em down
Joseph descended sold as a slave,
Thrown into a dungeon cause he wouldn't be swayed
Interpreted pharaoh's dreams and Egypt was saved
Stock piled food for seven years of rain
Then sold to all the nations when the drought came
Joseph rose to power and the yiddin stayed
They started to build and success was made
Pharos getting worried let's make them pay bound in chains
First born was sent down to their graves
Moshe was saved and a prince he was raised
Hashem spoke to him hears a message to relay
Take my Nation from Mitzrayim (Egypt) I see the suffering
Hard hearts ego breaks take sparks and make way
Trail blaze through the wasteland breaking the chains
Last generation just the ruminants
March through the desert leaving footprints
Peel off the lid this is just plastic, get into it, get into it
Heavy hitter stepping solid never quitter jump into the ocean before it split got a jump into it
Rip through Egypt rip through it,
Get into it, 600,000 witnessed it, no you didn't forget
In the spiritual desert things are not what they seem
Snakes camouflaged just fit the scene
Put your faith in a mirage it's just a smoke screen
The king is sitting on his thrown of glory
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Chop 'Em Down Dub Lyrics as written by Matthew Miller Joshua Werner
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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:
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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
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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.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,