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.
On a walk in a fragile state
Weird angles coming over the wire
Back home we got girls in braids and they're on
Roller skates and they roll any way they like
From my town I can always look down
Down from my nose to the fish in the barrels
But in the wiles of human life
There are pity nights and a ray of gentle eyes
So tonight
Dance and cry
You're dead alive
Monuments for awful events
I float by in a daze on the freeway
We can whine about different times
But me, I'm fine with the mirrors far away
For the mills in the valley to function
Rain's gonna fall on the hills where we hide/hike?
And wash the blood and the guts to the ocean
Feed the pike, making everything alright
So tonight
Dance and cry
You're dead alive
You're dead alive
You're dead alive
Weird angles coming over the wire
Back home we got girls in braids and they're on
Roller skates and they roll any way they like
From my town I can always look down
Down from my nose to the fish in the barrels
But in the wiles of human life
There are pity nights and a ray of gentle eyes
So tonight
Dance and cry
You're dead alive
Monuments for awful events
I float by in a daze on the freeway
We can whine about different times
But me, I'm fine with the mirrors far away
For the mills in the valley to function
Rain's gonna fall on the hills where we hide/hike?
And wash the blood and the guts to the ocean
Feed the pike, making everything alright
So tonight
Dance and cry
You're dead alive
You're dead alive
You're dead alive
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Love this song but wtf?
@johnx I don't think these lyrics are quite correct. Check out Genius.com for a better interpretation.
I think these lyrics are correct, but I agree, WTF!? I honestly love this about the shins though. Although, I wish certain things were more clear, it is still so poetic and thought/emotion provoking. The meaning is conveyed more through sound rather than words in my opinion, but that's not to understate how important the words are.
I interpret this song as an expression of an overwhelming state. To me it speaks to the fear of the consequences one has when starting something new. The "figments of imagination" are one's only guidance and that can make one want to "dance or cry."
I really hope someone replies to this! This is my first time on this site.
Thanks,
Sam
This song struck a deep part of me recently and is now my favorite Shins song by a long shot.
To me it simply looks like a song about a bad dream or nightmare that was had falling asleep to the TV. It even reminds me of being in that terrible state of insomnia where you become neither awake or asleep and have trouble distinguishing what you see in either state.
I've recently been in such a state while going through a really rough time personally. There was one night in particular where I had moments of ecstasy followed by tormenting fear of death or the dead. So I love this:
"So tonight Dance and cry The dead alive"
The song was almost fresh off the press when I experienced that feeling. So I'll always tie the two together.