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.
She says forget what you have to do
Pretend there is nothing
Outside this room
And like an idea she came to me
But she came too late
Or maybe too soon
I said please try not to love me
Close your eyes, I'm turning on the light
You know I have no vacancy
And it's awfully cold outside tonight
The rain stains the brick a darker red
Slowly I'm rolling out of her bed
The rain stains the streets a darker black
I dress my face in stone
Because I can't go back
I feel her eyes watching me
From behind the curtain of her hair
And she says I'm sorry
I didn't mean to stare
I say I think I really have to go now
But oh baby, maybe someday
Maybe somehow.
Pretend there is nothing
Outside this room
And like an idea she came to me
But she came too late
Or maybe too soon
I said please try not to love me
Close your eyes, I'm turning on the light
You know I have no vacancy
And it's awfully cold outside tonight
The rain stains the brick a darker red
Slowly I'm rolling out of her bed
The rain stains the streets a darker black
I dress my face in stone
Because I can't go back
I feel her eyes watching me
From behind the curtain of her hair
And she says I'm sorry
I didn't mean to stare
I say I think I really have to go now
But oh baby, maybe someday
Maybe somehow.
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
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
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.
The song is about someone who is unable to enter a loving relationship despite desperately wanting to (exact reason is left unsaid).
There are a few ways to interpret specific lines and metaphors, but I'll present one options here.
The singer is with a woman ("she" in "She Says") who wants to protect the singer from some sort of dark past or other pain ("Forget what you have to do / Pretend there is nothing / Outside this room"). The singer is deeply compelled by the safety offered, but realizes that she (singer) would be unable to change enough to embrace it ("And like an idea she came to me / But she came too late / Or maybe too soon"). The woman is like an idea in that she represents a new way of being for the singer (i.e. a happier one); a new paradigm, if you will. Sadly, the woman comes after some past event that makes it impossible for the singer to feel at ease being happy (came too late), or at least not yet (or maybe too soon).
The singer realizes she must break things off and tries to have a moment of complete honesty ("I said please try not to love me / Close your eyes, I'm turning on the light / You know I have no vacancy"). "Turning on the light" means complete openness, but often hurts (i.e. since eyes are adjusted to the dark).
The singer leaves the woman's bed and faces the cold outside ("It's awfully cold outside tonight"). The rain here serves to emphasize that the singer is drawn to an outside where things are not improving, the bricks and street are being stained "darker shades" rather than becoming brighter.
The singer's pain at leaving happiness behind and her resolve are emphasized when she must "dress her face in stone / Because [she] can't go back." She must purge herself of feeling, lest those feelings prevent her from doing what she must do.
The woman is clearly hurt by the singer's departure and there is now a distance between them. The woman watches the singer "from the curtain of her hair," implying that the singer can no longer see her face (i.e. is no longer as connected to her). The moment is awkward and the woman breaks off the limited contact, saying "I'm sorry / I didn't mean to stare." The singer leaves.
The last lines (before the repeats) talk about the singer's regret and potentially unrealizable hope for a better future. "Oh baby, maybe someday / Maybe somehow."