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.
And I take you down to the burning ground
And you change me up and you turned it around
In the wind and rain I'm gonna see you again
In the morning sun and when the day is done
And you take my hand and you walk with me
Sometimes it feels like eternity
And I turn the tide I get back my pride
And I make you proud won't you say it out loud
When I take you down to the burning ground
To the burning ground, to the burning ground
To the burning ground, to the burning ground
And I take you down by the factory
And I show you like it has to be
And you understand how the work is done
And I pick up the sack in the midday sun
And I pull you through by the skin of your teeth
And I lift the veil, I see what's underneath
And you return to me and you sit on your throne
And you make me feel that I'm not alone
And I take you down to the burning ground
To the burning ground, to the burning ground
To the burning ground
Hey man, what's that you're carrying?
Feels like lead
It weighs a ton, let's see if we can dump it by the side of the hill
Hey wait up, why don't you dump it on the burning ground
Dump it down there
Yeh man, dump the Jute
Hey man dump the Jute on the burning ground
Dump the Jute?
Yeh you know, dump the Jute
Dump the Jute!
On the burning ground
On the burning ground
And you make me think what it's all about
Sometimes I know gonna work it out
And I watch you run in the crimson sun
Tear my shirt apart open up my heart
And I watch you run
Down on your bended knees
By the burnt out well
Can you tell me please
Between heaven and hell
Won't you take me down
To the burning ground, to the burning ground
To the burning ground, to the burning ground
And you fall and pray, when you hear that sound
As we're walking back to the burial mound
And you shake your head and you turn it around
And you see the flames from the burning ground
And you get down on your knees and pray
And I catch my breath as we're running away
And I take the Jute and I throw him down
On the burning ground, on the burning ground
On the burning ground, it's on the burning ground.
And you change me up and you turned it around
In the wind and rain I'm gonna see you again
In the morning sun and when the day is done
And you take my hand and you walk with me
Sometimes it feels like eternity
And I turn the tide I get back my pride
And I make you proud won't you say it out loud
When I take you down to the burning ground
To the burning ground, to the burning ground
To the burning ground, to the burning ground
And I take you down by the factory
And I show you like it has to be
And you understand how the work is done
And I pick up the sack in the midday sun
And I pull you through by the skin of your teeth
And I lift the veil, I see what's underneath
And you return to me and you sit on your throne
And you make me feel that I'm not alone
And I take you down to the burning ground
To the burning ground, to the burning ground
To the burning ground
Hey man, what's that you're carrying?
Feels like lead
It weighs a ton, let's see if we can dump it by the side of the hill
Hey wait up, why don't you dump it on the burning ground
Dump it down there
Yeh man, dump the Jute
Hey man dump the Jute on the burning ground
Dump the Jute?
Yeh you know, dump the Jute
Dump the Jute!
On the burning ground
On the burning ground
And you make me think what it's all about
Sometimes I know gonna work it out
And I watch you run in the crimson sun
Tear my shirt apart open up my heart
And I watch you run
Down on your bended knees
By the burnt out well
Can you tell me please
Between heaven and hell
Won't you take me down
To the burning ground, to the burning ground
To the burning ground, to the burning ground
And you fall and pray, when you hear that sound
As we're walking back to the burial mound
And you shake your head and you turn it around
And you see the flames from the burning ground
And you get down on your knees and pray
And I catch my breath as we're running away
And I take the Jute and I throw him down
On the burning ground, on the burning ground
On the burning ground, it's on the burning ground.
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira
Burning Ground Lyrics as written by Van Morrison
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Jute is a fiber they use to make like burlap sacks and stuff. I think the burning ground is a place (in your head) where you can destroy things - old memories, things that are weighing you down, etc. I think this song is about struggling with a breakup.
You're right about burning ground but notice toward the end of the song he refers to "the Jute" as "him" (And I take the Jute and I throw him down). That makes me think he is referring to the the Mutt and Jute episode in Finnegan's Wake. Being quite possibly the most cryptic book written, it's hard to give easy analysis of what this means but you could argue the Jute represents confusion (particularly about identity) and frustration (particularly frustrated understanding).
@OntheHeath<br /> <br /> Irish doesn't have the word "it", so the Irish may use he or she instead of "it" when speaking English, see here bitesize.irish/blog/i-me-he-him/<br /> <br /> Similarly, people of Irish descent (including some Liverpudlian English folk) use "yous" to refer to the second person plural.<br />