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.
Are you given vision
Are you second sight
Are you older than your life
Eighty days of sorrow
Endless more in sight
Still you child burn bright
And you see me crying again
And you hold out your little hand
Lead me shaking to his room
I thought I'd never see again
Close the door behind you
Turning out the light
Press a flashlight up against the wall
You say this is how we knew him, in a little egg
It opened up and this is daddy now
Now you're stepping back towards me
Til the room is bathing in light
And the answer there before me
There's no ending when we die
Are you sleeping here beside me
Are you shining bright as the sky
Are you breathing now inside me
There's no ending when we die
Are you second sight
Are you older than your life
Eighty days of sorrow
Endless more in sight
Still you child burn bright
And you see me crying again
And you hold out your little hand
Lead me shaking to his room
I thought I'd never see again
Close the door behind you
Turning out the light
Press a flashlight up against the wall
You say this is how we knew him, in a little egg
It opened up and this is daddy now
Now you're stepping back towards me
Til the room is bathing in light
And the answer there before me
There's no ending when we die
Are you sleeping here beside me
Are you shining bright as the sky
Are you breathing now inside me
There's no ending when we die
Lyrics submitted by rabidpenguin
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Great version of a great song,
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This song is about a little boy showing an adult that his father is all around them even though he died.
"Are you older than your life Eighty days of sorrow Endless more in sight Still you child burn bright" -- I think this means that the boy has dealt faster than the adult.
"Press a flashlight up against the wall You say this is how we knew him, in a little egg It opened up and this is daddy now" -- The boy uses a metaphor showing his father has gone from being human to being all around.
"And the answer there before me There's no ending when we die" -- People will remember you even after you die. The adult realizes this and it's a sort of new perspective.
the eternalness of life ... he's in a deep depression and someone shows him a flashlight held close to a wall. It's only a spot as the person is alive. When they die, though, they go everywhere. The person backs the flashlight away from the wall so that the beam of light spreads. I get the impression it's about a child showing this to him.
ditto- matter and life are neverending. this song is a mother trying to explain to her child where daddy is. touching.
Actually, I read some quote from Glen explaining that this is a true story of a girl (not a boy) dealing with her father's death...but told from the perspective of the mother.
Regardless of what the song actually means I believe an artist leaves the final interpretation up to the person to figure out. I created an video for the song Begin and it's on YouTube, if you look under my username on YouTube you will find it, my username on there is orgyfanx (username is in reference to the band: orgy).
My interpretation as you can see by the video I made is the narrator of the song is a father who has visions of his own father who has passed away, shown through by his own son. His son leads him into the room, as the lyrics entail and through him, he sees visions of his own father in some form of afterlife, whether it be light flooding the room and such...more specificall one can argue his father who has passed is using his sons body as a host for his spirit who has come back in the the afterlife. If you believe in reincarnation, than infact the son could be a host for his dead fathers spirit. There's no ending when we die, seals the deal for me even more. Are you given vision, are you second sight, are you older than your life (references the fact that his son appears young ofcourse but since his body (unknown to the son himself) is hosting the spirit of his father who has passed away) he seems much older than his life.
In his more recent solo work Glen has written a song titled "In My Darkest Hour" which I understand is about the death of his father. Perhaps this song is also a reference to his father's death?
Beautiful song.