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.
He bears a weight of great love upon his shoulder
Wears the scars of our love across his chest
Hides the shadows of love lost in his heartbeat,
In his footsteps
And I will bear his weight upon my shoulders
Operate the scars he's caused me 'cross my breast
Yeah the love I'm losin' him
The flutter of his heartbeat in my footsteps
Build him a coffin with a door on two sides
Build him a coffin with two doors when he dies
Build him a coffin which could open two ways
'Cause the world is round and he might come back again
And though I had known when the rag and bone lines come together
It's not for who his bell tolls
Because I tell it tolls for you
All the photographs that could also turn to ashes
Just like me and you
And those keepsakes that I
Keep safe beneath my pillow
And the memories we are told
Will keep us safe
Do not mesh well with the flesh and blood on my body
Cannot fill the hole he makes
Build him a coffin with a door on two sides
Build him a coffin with two doors when he dies
Build him a coffin which could open two ways
'Cause the world is round and he might come back again
Whoah oh oh oh oh oh oh oh-oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh (x3)
Forgive him his sins and return him (x4)
Make him Lazarus
Name him Lazarus (x4)
Wears the scars of our love across his chest
Hides the shadows of love lost in his heartbeat,
In his footsteps
And I will bear his weight upon my shoulders
Operate the scars he's caused me 'cross my breast
Yeah the love I'm losin' him
The flutter of his heartbeat in my footsteps
Build him a coffin with a door on two sides
Build him a coffin with two doors when he dies
Build him a coffin which could open two ways
'Cause the world is round and he might come back again
And though I had known when the rag and bone lines come together
It's not for who his bell tolls
Because I tell it tolls for you
All the photographs that could also turn to ashes
Just like me and you
And those keepsakes that I
Keep safe beneath my pillow
And the memories we are told
Will keep us safe
Do not mesh well with the flesh and blood on my body
Cannot fill the hole he makes
Build him a coffin with a door on two sides
Build him a coffin with two doors when he dies
Build him a coffin which could open two ways
'Cause the world is round and he might come back again
Whoah oh oh oh oh oh oh oh-oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh (x3)
Forgive him his sins and return him (x4)
Make him Lazarus
Name him Lazarus (x4)
Lyrics submitted by Avavavavaaa
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
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.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.