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.
Cap off kneelin' at the back of the church
Feelin' water on your brow
With its' heal and it hurts
At first a sharpish pain that returns as a thought
That the needle in your skin won't bring you closer to god
As I watch
As your head
Turns full circle
All hopeless with old coffee and a medical text
It's too easy knowin' nothin' blowin' off the rest
And the riddles in the pages leavin' too much to guess
And the worry cracks a fracture from your hip to your chest
And I watch
As your head
Turns full circle
You got lost in your travels and a spiritual book
Mistook beaches for nirvana in the way that they look
And the crooks that run the island are killing to keep earning
They're burning seven tons of plastic and it seems to be working
Is that the best
That I
Can do?
As I watch
As your head
Turns full circle
You appear even-tempered though your looks will deceive
And the sparks are always flying cuz you drink for relief
With the heart of a child and the wit of a fool
It's a wonder why I don't try to build a wall around you
As I watch
As your head
Turns full circle
As I watch
As your head
Turns full circle
Yea I watch
As your head
Turns full circle
Feelin' water on your brow
With its' heal and it hurts
At first a sharpish pain that returns as a thought
That the needle in your skin won't bring you closer to god
As I watch
As your head
Turns full circle
All hopeless with old coffee and a medical text
It's too easy knowin' nothin' blowin' off the rest
And the riddles in the pages leavin' too much to guess
And the worry cracks a fracture from your hip to your chest
And I watch
As your head
Turns full circle
You got lost in your travels and a spiritual book
Mistook beaches for nirvana in the way that they look
And the crooks that run the island are killing to keep earning
They're burning seven tons of plastic and it seems to be working
Is that the best
That I
Can do?
As I watch
As your head
Turns full circle
You appear even-tempered though your looks will deceive
And the sparks are always flying cuz you drink for relief
With the heart of a child and the wit of a fool
It's a wonder why I don't try to build a wall around you
As I watch
As your head
Turns full circle
As I watch
As your head
Turns full circle
Yea I watch
As your head
Turns full circle
Lyrics submitted by actoroutofwork, edited by ggbm, AaronIMK, sokorny
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"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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Just A Little Lovin'
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No interpretations yet?!
Well... Here's my ramble, then!
To me it seems to be about drug/alcohol addiction and/or general confusion and delusion.
"At first a sharpish pain that returns as a thought That the needle in your skin won't bring you closer to god" "And the sparks are always flying cause you drink for relief"
The person is struggling, trying to find relief in their addiction, but still conscious enough to realize that they're not doing fine.
"All hopeless with old coffee and a medical text It’s too easy knowing nothing blowing off the rest And the riddles in the pages leaving too much to guess And the worry cracks a fracture from your hip to your chest"
I think it's as if the person is overanalyzing everything. They get anxious about not having an answer to everything. The riddles is the pages seem to me as mysteries of life, ore problems that one can't resolve, no matter how much time and energy they spend trying to do so... And this very incapacity to find answers to these riddles creates an important worry to an already anxious mind. Perhaps that's what leads to the person addiction (or maybe what the addiction leads to, in fact.)
"I watch as your head turns full circle"
I see this as a metaphor of something cyclical. A never ending vicious circle, hard to get out of. Hence I think my previous paragraph goes along with this cycle. The person is lost ("lost in your travels and a spiritual book") and anxious, leading them to use more drugs/alcohol to try to find relief, to ease their mind. But the effect of the drugs/alcohol creates even more confusion and delusion, more anxiety... Then it starts over again.
Finally, despite this person's habits and addiction, despite their behaviour, he still has got support from the narrator of the song:
"Is that the best that I can do? As I watch as your head turns full circle"
"With the heart of a child and the wit of a fool It’s a wonder why I don’t try to build a wall around you"
The narrator recognizes the struggling person's good nature, good heart, but knows their mind and wit are not clean. He knows the person needs help, he wants to provide them help, but yet knows he's helpless. He's wondering if it's the best he can do, if there's anything more he could do to help, as his friend is stuck in this never ending cycle.
The narrator sees that no matter he does, his friend is not doing any better, not changing, hence he wonders why he "doesn't try to build a wall around them"...
I think it's a rather sad song. Trying to help someone out of such a situation, or trying to help clearing their mind a little, but not achieving it.
I might be wayyyyy off, but that's how I personnally understand the lyrics!