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.
(Uh, uh, uh)
Ooh-ooh (uh)
Ooh-ooh, ooh (uh uh uh)
Ooh-oh no, ooh (say what?)
Ooh-ooh no-no (verse one)
The day you pissed me off, I told Mike to pick me up (uh)
I told him you was buggin' and I don't like to fuss (uh)
He said he would look out for me if I needed a friend (uh)
He took me to his house and then he invited me in (say what?)
Then we sat on the couch, he put his arms around my waist (uh)
Knowin' I need lovin', then he gently grabbed my face (uh)
He kissed me like a guy could never kiss a girl before
So, you know what happened, baby, I need to say no more
I'm just confessing (confessing)
'Bout the things I did (oh yeah)
I might as well come clean (yeah, yeah)
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just confessing (yeah)
'Bout the things I did (whoa-oh, oh-oh)
I might as well come clean (come clean)
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just guessing (guessing, yeah)
That you're through with me
'Cause I just came clean (please don't be through with me)
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just guessing
Are you through with me? (Are you through with me?)
'Cause I just came clean (yeah)
What you feel about that? (Verse two)
Remember the time you wondered where your money went? (Uh-huh)
I called my friends and bought some clothes and took them on a trip
I met a dude that had a Jeep and we talked all the time
He asked me 'bout my man and you know that I had to lie
He thought I had no man and I was chillin' by myself
Don't get mad, 'cause I felt sad, that's why I must confess
Too many times I wanted to let you know my dirt
But every time you said you loved me,
I knew it would hurt
I'm just confessing (Confessing, yeah)
'Bout the things I did (Oh-whoa)
I might as well come clean (Come clean)
What you feel about that, baby? (Oh-ooh)
I'm just confessing (Confessing)
'Bout the things I did (Yeah)
I might as well come clean (Come clean, hey)
What you feel about that, baby? (Come clean, hey-yeah)
I'm just guessing
That you're through with me (are you through with me?)
'Cause I just came clean (came clean)
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just guessing (guessing)
Are you through with me? (Are you through with me?)
'Cause I just came clean
What you feel about that? (Ooh, hey le-le-le-le-looh)
I was mad, what was I to do? (Hey)
I never had it in mind to play on you (oh-ooh)
But look at all the hurt you put me through (whoa)
I can't tell a lie, so I'm tellin' the truth (oh-ooh)
I was mad, what was I to do? (Say what?)
I never had it in mind to play on you (uh)
But look at all the hurt you put me through
You know, you know (you know You know)
I was mad, what was I to do? (I to do)
I never had it in mind to play on you (play on you)
But look at all the hurt you put me through (oh-ooh)
I can't tell a lie, so I'm tellin' the truth (No no, no-ooh)
I was mad, what was I to do? (Oh-ooh)
I never had it in mind to play on you (hey)
But look at all the hurt you put me through (oh)
You know, you know (oh-ooh, oh-ooh)
I'm just confessing (confessing)
'Bout the things I did (things I did)
I might as well come clean (come clean)
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just confessing (confessing)
'Bout the things I did (things I did)
I might as well come clean (oh-ooh, oh)
What you feel about that, baby? (Hey-yeah)
I'm just guessing
That you're through with me (are you through with me, oh?)
'Cause I just came clean (came clean)
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just guessing (guessing)
Are you through with me?
'Cause I just came clean (oh)
What you feel about that? (ooh-yeah)
Confess
Come clean, boo
Yo, what you feel about that?
What you feel about, uh
What you feel about that?
Huh, confessin', baby
Misdemeanor, Destiny, uh-uh-uh
I'm just guessing
That you're through with me
'Cause I just came clean
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just guessing
Are you through with me?
Thou shall not bug
Ooh-ooh (uh)
Ooh-ooh, ooh (uh uh uh)
Ooh-oh no, ooh (say what?)
Ooh-ooh no-no (verse one)
The day you pissed me off, I told Mike to pick me up (uh)
I told him you was buggin' and I don't like to fuss (uh)
He said he would look out for me if I needed a friend (uh)
He took me to his house and then he invited me in (say what?)
Then we sat on the couch, he put his arms around my waist (uh)
Knowin' I need lovin', then he gently grabbed my face (uh)
He kissed me like a guy could never kiss a girl before
So, you know what happened, baby, I need to say no more
I'm just confessing (confessing)
'Bout the things I did (oh yeah)
I might as well come clean (yeah, yeah)
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just confessing (yeah)
'Bout the things I did (whoa-oh, oh-oh)
I might as well come clean (come clean)
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just guessing (guessing, yeah)
That you're through with me
'Cause I just came clean (please don't be through with me)
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just guessing
Are you through with me? (Are you through with me?)
'Cause I just came clean (yeah)
What you feel about that? (Verse two)
Remember the time you wondered where your money went? (Uh-huh)
I called my friends and bought some clothes and took them on a trip
I met a dude that had a Jeep and we talked all the time
He asked me 'bout my man and you know that I had to lie
He thought I had no man and I was chillin' by myself
Don't get mad, 'cause I felt sad, that's why I must confess
Too many times I wanted to let you know my dirt
But every time you said you loved me,
I knew it would hurt
I'm just confessing (Confessing, yeah)
'Bout the things I did (Oh-whoa)
I might as well come clean (Come clean)
What you feel about that, baby? (Oh-ooh)
I'm just confessing (Confessing)
'Bout the things I did (Yeah)
I might as well come clean (Come clean, hey)
What you feel about that, baby? (Come clean, hey-yeah)
I'm just guessing
That you're through with me (are you through with me?)
'Cause I just came clean (came clean)
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just guessing (guessing)
Are you through with me? (Are you through with me?)
'Cause I just came clean
What you feel about that? (Ooh, hey le-le-le-le-looh)
I was mad, what was I to do? (Hey)
I never had it in mind to play on you (oh-ooh)
But look at all the hurt you put me through (whoa)
I can't tell a lie, so I'm tellin' the truth (oh-ooh)
I was mad, what was I to do? (Say what?)
I never had it in mind to play on you (uh)
But look at all the hurt you put me through
You know, you know (you know You know)
I was mad, what was I to do? (I to do)
I never had it in mind to play on you (play on you)
But look at all the hurt you put me through (oh-ooh)
I can't tell a lie, so I'm tellin' the truth (No no, no-ooh)
I was mad, what was I to do? (Oh-ooh)
I never had it in mind to play on you (hey)
But look at all the hurt you put me through (oh)
You know, you know (oh-ooh, oh-ooh)
I'm just confessing (confessing)
'Bout the things I did (things I did)
I might as well come clean (come clean)
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just confessing (confessing)
'Bout the things I did (things I did)
I might as well come clean (oh-ooh, oh)
What you feel about that, baby? (Hey-yeah)
I'm just guessing
That you're through with me (are you through with me, oh?)
'Cause I just came clean (came clean)
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just guessing (guessing)
Are you through with me?
'Cause I just came clean (oh)
What you feel about that? (ooh-yeah)
Confess
Come clean, boo
Yo, what you feel about that?
What you feel about, uh
What you feel about that?
Huh, confessin', baby
Misdemeanor, Destiny, uh-uh-uh
I'm just guessing
That you're through with me
'Cause I just came clean
What you feel about that, baby?
I'm just guessing
Are you through with me?
Thou shall not bug
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Confessions Lyrics as written by Donald Holmes Melissa A. Elliott
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
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:
"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"
Mental Istid
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
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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.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,