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.
The river of doubt gave birth to a beautiful stone
And in my hands I held it and I knew I was on my own
So I picked it up and held it to the sky
And in my reflection I knew I was all alone
Yeah (yeah)
Then I saw this girl with the most beautiful hair
She had it wrapped around her, for clothes she did not wear
I asked her for a lock and she complied, after leaving
Gorgeous footsteps in the sand as if she didn't care
Well, she was the prettiest girl I ever saw
The stone lay still without a flaw
The feelings I had defied the law
As I came to, I went to
And I took a look, a look down the road
To see a badger and a one-eyed toad
They didn't say a word they just looked at me
With that wise old look of the old
(Yeah wise old look of the old)
Yeah
Then I went down to town
To my favorite merry-go-round
To the place where magic hoses fly
And you seldom see a frown
But then I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
(It's all rusty)
You see 'cause that stone fell though my pocket
And that lock of hair flew away with the wind
If you chance to meet upon either
Well you know where they've been
But don't pick them up or try to find me
They're much happier to be on their own
Beauty like that knows no home
And if you take a look, a look down the road
You'll see a badger and a one-eyed toad
They won't say a word they'll just look at you
With that wise old look of the old
(Hey yeah, wise old look of the old, hey yeah)
Yeah but then I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And in my hands I held it and I knew I was on my own
So I picked it up and held it to the sky
And in my reflection I knew I was all alone
Yeah (yeah)
Then I saw this girl with the most beautiful hair
She had it wrapped around her, for clothes she did not wear
I asked her for a lock and she complied, after leaving
Gorgeous footsteps in the sand as if she didn't care
Well, she was the prettiest girl I ever saw
The stone lay still without a flaw
The feelings I had defied the law
As I came to, I went to
And I took a look, a look down the road
To see a badger and a one-eyed toad
They didn't say a word they just looked at me
With that wise old look of the old
(Yeah wise old look of the old)
Yeah
Then I went down to town
To my favorite merry-go-round
To the place where magic hoses fly
And you seldom see a frown
But then I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
(It's all rusty)
You see 'cause that stone fell though my pocket
And that lock of hair flew away with the wind
If you chance to meet upon either
Well you know where they've been
But don't pick them up or try to find me
They're much happier to be on their own
Beauty like that knows no home
And if you take a look, a look down the road
You'll see a badger and a one-eyed toad
They won't say a word they'll just look at you
With that wise old look of the old
(Hey yeah, wise old look of the old, hey yeah)
Yeah but then I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And it's all rusty now
I stole a ring from the flying horses
And I can't begin to explain how
I stole a ring from the flying horses
Lyrics submitted by dragonflower44
Flying Horses Lyrics as written by Charles Stokes Urmston Bradley Corrigan,
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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All u guys are right: --Literally, the song's based on the MerryGoRound, and the beach area --Metaphorically, it speaks of love, beauty, and loss I love this song because once i hear the "badger, and the one-eyed toad" part, it always makes the song feel like a fairy tale like the books and stories we all heard when we were kids.... nostalgia, basically. Also, this song's just a small example of how amazing Dispatch is at song-writing [plus ALL other things!] because this song just mixes so many aspects of what can be in a song's lyrics- like extensive literal, metaphorical meanings- together to make an amazing piece of art! So it was very neat to read a recent interview with Chad [for 'State Radio'] where he said that "Flying Horses" was the first song he wrote that he actually truly liked, and was happy with the end-product.