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.
We've been in fire
Went down in the flames
We sailed the ocean
And drowned in the waves
Built a cathedral
But we never prayed
We had it all, yeah
And we walked away
Point of no return and now
It's just too late to turn around
I try to forgive you
But I struggle 'cause I don't know how
We built it up so high and now I'm fallin'
It's a long way down
It's a long way down, from here
We had a mountain
But took it for granted
We had a spaceship
But we couldn't land it
We found an island
But we got stranded
We had it all
Who could've planned it?
Point of no return and now
It's just too late to turn around
I try to forgive you
But I'm struggling 'cause I don't know how
We built it up so high and now I'm fallin'
It's a long way down, from you
It's such a long way down, from here
It's a long way down
It's a long way down
It's such a long way down
It's a long way down
It's a long way down
Went down in the flames
We sailed the ocean
And drowned in the waves
Built a cathedral
But we never prayed
We had it all, yeah
And we walked away
Point of no return and now
It's just too late to turn around
I try to forgive you
But I struggle 'cause I don't know how
We built it up so high and now I'm fallin'
It's a long way down
It's a long way down, from here
We had a mountain
But took it for granted
We had a spaceship
But we couldn't land it
We found an island
But we got stranded
We had it all
Who could've planned it?
Point of no return and now
It's just too late to turn around
I try to forgive you
But I'm struggling 'cause I don't know how
We built it up so high and now I'm fallin'
It's a long way down, from you
It's such a long way down, from here
It's a long way down
It's a long way down
It's such a long way down
It's a long way down
It's a long way down
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There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
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Blue
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“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
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Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
We've been in fire Went down in the flames We sailed the ocean And drowned in the waves Built a cathedral But we never prayed We had it all, yeah And we walked away
In this verse, the narrator tells about how much they built together and they threw it all away. It all drift away like it was nothing.
Point of no return and now It's just too late to turn around I try to forgive you But I struggle 'cause I don't know how We built it up so high and now I'm fallin' It's a long way down It's a long way down, from here
He is saying that there is no way that they could get back together again. He doesn't know how to forgive the other person because she hurted him so badly and he just can't get over it. Again, he tells how "high" they were and now they have just fell apart. It was a long way down.
We had a mountain But took it for granted We had a spaceship But we couldn't land it We found an island But we got stranded We had it all Who could've planned it?
He returns to say about how much they built together and they threw it all away. And he just didn't see it coming.
liam said himself that the song is about 1D's career. it's their anxieties about the future of the band, since they were so successful they fear they can't get any bigger and thus, everything just might collapse. they're reflecting on what they could've done instead to ensure a more clear future for themselves.
I think this is about the band and all they did they built this friendship and family now it's ending so fast it's kinda ironic and in the song all the things that happens end in a ironic way "we sailed a ocean went drowning away" it's like their career it came and fell and to see it all go made it feel like a long way down