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.
As I was walkin' down rub-a-dub square
Not a chill to the window but a little to the air
From another direction she was calling my eye
It could be an illusion but I might as well try
Might as well try
She had rings on her fingers and bells on her shoes
And I knew without asking she was into the blues
She wore scarlet begonias tucked into her curls
I knew right away she was not like other girls, like other girls
Well I ain't never been right as I ain't never been wrong
As everything works out the way it does in this song
'Cause once in a while you get shown in the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right
It was the summer of love and I thank the stars above
Because the women took a lovin' over me
And just to gain her trust, I bought a microbus
Because I sold off all my personal property
A tie-tie-dyed dress, she was a psychedelic mess
We toured to the north, south, east and west
We sold some mushroom tea,
We sold some ecstasy,
We sold nitrous, opium, acid, heroin and PCP
And now I hear the police coming after me
Yes now I hear the police coming after me
The one scarlet with the flowers in her hair
She's got the police coming after me
Well there ain't nothing wrong with the way she moves
All scarlet begonias and a touch of the blues
And there ain't nothin' wrong with the love that's in her eyes
I had to learn the hard way just to let her pass by, let her pass by
Oh just let her pass by
Not a chill to the window but a little to the air
From another direction she was calling my eye
It could be an illusion but I might as well try
Might as well try
She had rings on her fingers and bells on her shoes
And I knew without asking she was into the blues
She wore scarlet begonias tucked into her curls
I knew right away she was not like other girls, like other girls
Well I ain't never been right as I ain't never been wrong
As everything works out the way it does in this song
'Cause once in a while you get shown in the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right
It was the summer of love and I thank the stars above
Because the women took a lovin' over me
And just to gain her trust, I bought a microbus
Because I sold off all my personal property
A tie-tie-dyed dress, she was a psychedelic mess
We toured to the north, south, east and west
We sold some mushroom tea,
We sold some ecstasy,
We sold nitrous, opium, acid, heroin and PCP
And now I hear the police coming after me
Yes now I hear the police coming after me
The one scarlet with the flowers in her hair
She's got the police coming after me
Well there ain't nothing wrong with the way she moves
All scarlet begonias and a touch of the blues
And there ain't nothin' wrong with the love that's in her eyes
I had to learn the hard way just to let her pass by, let her pass by
Oh just let her pass by
Lyrics submitted by The Big Andowski
Scarlet Begonias Lyrics as written by Robert C. Christie Hunter Jerome J. Garcia
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is such a great song....I like it better than the original...it makes me think of summer.
yeah!!!!!
thats what im talkin about
definately a summer song and i love it
I love sublime; and this song is way better than the original, I agree.. RIP brad
i love sublime, almost as much as i love the grateful dead. but in any case, as great as their version is, it cannot even touch the original. do your homework on the music of that time.
yeah, grateful dead's is better. this is definatley my fave sublime song, even if it's not their own. i just got kinda annoyed that they changed the beginning. heh....my friends and i try to sing the little "It was the summer of love..." part, but we suck....
I love this song but The Greatful Dead do in fact suck Donkey Balls. Sublime will always be the greatest.
donkey balls badfish? how articulate...
This song is sublimes, some of the lyrics are simalar but hte experience was different because this bitch sold bradley out and had him locked up the grateful dead song is just about heartbreak.