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.
Broke down, thought that I would drown
Hope that I've been found, 'fore I hit the ground
Sun rays out the corner of my eye, hey
Saw you weeping, saw you creeping
Saw you sneaking in the shadow's dawn
I feel so strong
Saw you out the corner of my eye
Don't come for me today
I'm feeling good
I'mma savor it
Don't come for me today
I'm feeling good
I remember when
(Reaper)
You came to take me away
So close I was to heaven's gates
But no baby, no baby, not today
Oh, you tried to track me down
You followed me like the darkest cloud
But no baby, no baby, not today
(Reaper) oh reaper
(Reaper) oh no baby, no baby, not today
(Reaper) oh reaper
(Reaper) oh no baby, no baby, not today
So come back when I'm good to go
I got drinks to drink, and men to hold
I got good things to do with my life, yeah
Oh, I wanna dance in the open breeze
Feel the wind in my hair, hear the ocean sing
I got good things to feel in my life, yeah
Don't come for me today
I'm feeling good
I'mma savor it
Don't come for me today
I'm feeling good
I remember when
(Reaper)
You came to take me away
So close I was to heaven's gates
But no baby, no baby, not today
Oh, you tried to track me down
You followed me like the darkest cloud
But no baby, no baby, not today
(Reaper) Oh reaper
Oh no baby, no baby, not today
(Reaper) Oh reaper
Oh no baby, no baby, not today
Reaper
Reaper
Reaper
Reaper
Hope that I've been found, 'fore I hit the ground
Sun rays out the corner of my eye, hey
Saw you weeping, saw you creeping
Saw you sneaking in the shadow's dawn
I feel so strong
Saw you out the corner of my eye
Don't come for me today
I'm feeling good
I'mma savor it
Don't come for me today
I'm feeling good
I remember when
(Reaper)
You came to take me away
So close I was to heaven's gates
But no baby, no baby, not today
Oh, you tried to track me down
You followed me like the darkest cloud
But no baby, no baby, not today
(Reaper) oh reaper
(Reaper) oh no baby, no baby, not today
(Reaper) oh reaper
(Reaper) oh no baby, no baby, not today
So come back when I'm good to go
I got drinks to drink, and men to hold
I got good things to do with my life, yeah
Oh, I wanna dance in the open breeze
Feel the wind in my hair, hear the ocean sing
I got good things to feel in my life, yeah
Don't come for me today
I'm feeling good
I'mma savor it
Don't come for me today
I'm feeling good
I remember when
(Reaper)
You came to take me away
So close I was to heaven's gates
But no baby, no baby, not today
Oh, you tried to track me down
You followed me like the darkest cloud
But no baby, no baby, not today
(Reaper) Oh reaper
Oh no baby, no baby, not today
(Reaper) Oh reaper
Oh no baby, no baby, not today
Reaper
Reaper
Reaper
Reaper
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
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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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.
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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,
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
For me, this song is about depression 'talking' you into committing suicide. But no, she's feeling good and she Has a lot more to see, do and feels still! She's not ready to die, even though her depression says she is. I absolutely love this song, because at first it just sounds like a nice pop song but when you listen to it closely, you find the meaning behind it.
If I were on my left mind I would think this song talks about being young but afraid of death, the fear of dying too young, almost like Sia is looking back at all the possibilities of death and looking at that shadow and just telling it not today I still wanna do more in my life, she doesn't want to die alone and doing nothing she would rather be with a man in her arms or a drink in her hand, anything besides dying alone, where she also keeps saying you tried to track me down and followed me like the darkest cloud.
but in my own thinking looking at how no one knew who Sia was and who she is, the media became so obsessed with her and wanting to see her, she wanted a private life so much almost as though she was afraid of being reaped apart by the world and the media. That could be the reason why she wrote the song and now she opens up about how they become so obsessed with her and she probably regards them as reapers who came to take her away. But I could be wrong.