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.
Sometimes, sometimes you don't say goodbye once
You say goodbye over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Sometimes, sometimes you don’t say goodbye once
You say goodbye over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
It was a month since he passed, maybe less
And no one knew what to do, we were such a mess
We were texting, we were calling, we were checking in
We said we ought to play a show in honor of our friend
Well now that show's finally here, it's tonight
Supposed to go to the bowl, get on stage, dim the lights
With our friends and our family, in his name, celebrate
There's no way that I'll be ready to get back up on that stage
Can't remember if I've cancelled any show
But I think about what I'm supposed to do and I don't know
Cause I think about not doing it the same way as before
And it makes me wanna puke my fucking guts out on the floor
We rehearsed it for a month, I'm not worried about the set
I get tackled by the grief at times that I would least expect
I know what I should be doing when I'm singing but instead
We'll be playing through a song and I'd remember in my head
Sometimes, sometimes you don't say goodbye once
You say goodbye over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Sometimes, sometimes you don’t say goodbye once
You say goodbye over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
What (are) they saying, I'm not raw?
What the fuck you take me for?
All the sudden you hear what I've said a hundred ways before?
I been pushed, I been trapped
Drug myself through hell and back and
Fallen flat and had the balls to start it all again from scratch
How do you feel, how you doing, how'd the show go?
Am I insane to say the truth is that I don’t know
My body aches head's spinning this is all wrong
I almost lost it in middle of a couple songs
And everybody that I talk to is like, “wow
Must be really hard to figure what to do now”
Well thank you genius, you think it'll be a challenge
Only my life's work hanging in the fucking balance
And all I wanted was to get a little bit of closure
And every step I took I looked and wasn't any closer
'Cause sometimes when you say goodbye, yeah you say it
Over and over and over and over
Sometimes, sometimes you don't say goodbye once
You say goodbye over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Sometimes, sometimes you don’t say goodbye once
You say goodbye over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
(Over and over and over again)
(Over and over and over again)
You say goodbye over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Sometimes, sometimes you don’t say goodbye once
You say goodbye over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
It was a month since he passed, maybe less
And no one knew what to do, we were such a mess
We were texting, we were calling, we were checking in
We said we ought to play a show in honor of our friend
Well now that show's finally here, it's tonight
Supposed to go to the bowl, get on stage, dim the lights
With our friends and our family, in his name, celebrate
There's no way that I'll be ready to get back up on that stage
Can't remember if I've cancelled any show
But I think about what I'm supposed to do and I don't know
Cause I think about not doing it the same way as before
And it makes me wanna puke my fucking guts out on the floor
We rehearsed it for a month, I'm not worried about the set
I get tackled by the grief at times that I would least expect
I know what I should be doing when I'm singing but instead
We'll be playing through a song and I'd remember in my head
Sometimes, sometimes you don't say goodbye once
You say goodbye over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Sometimes, sometimes you don’t say goodbye once
You say goodbye over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
What (are) they saying, I'm not raw?
What the fuck you take me for?
All the sudden you hear what I've said a hundred ways before?
I been pushed, I been trapped
Drug myself through hell and back and
Fallen flat and had the balls to start it all again from scratch
How do you feel, how you doing, how'd the show go?
Am I insane to say the truth is that I don’t know
My body aches head's spinning this is all wrong
I almost lost it in middle of a couple songs
And everybody that I talk to is like, “wow
Must be really hard to figure what to do now”
Well thank you genius, you think it'll be a challenge
Only my life's work hanging in the fucking balance
And all I wanted was to get a little bit of closure
And every step I took I looked and wasn't any closer
'Cause sometimes when you say goodbye, yeah you say it
Over and over and over and over
Sometimes, sometimes you don't say goodbye once
You say goodbye over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Sometimes, sometimes you don’t say goodbye once
You say goodbye over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
Over and over and over again
(Over and over and over again)
(Over and over and over again)
Lyrics submitted by EternalTearsOfSorrow
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