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.
Still it came passing by
The pieces weaved together rose the sun
And fooled me with another day
The knocking message called for my life
Sealed the spell of my scrawny body
Soil to skin, my next of kin
Damp air grasped, stole the words
And greeted me with a hiss
This is forgiveness, so I know
Once I repent I seal the lid
I slither for you and I´m dying
I find trust in hate
They wear white for me
Seemingly jaded and lost
I forge myself into your dreams
And here I am your life
Hangman, clutching at his tools
I will come for you
The noose is tied
Murmur through the crowd
Plunging into anywhere but here
Cloak-captured sighs of relief
As the primal touch brought me back
And the last sight I did see is still here
Beckoning right behind me
The pieces weaved together rose the sun
And fooled me with another day
The knocking message called for my life
Sealed the spell of my scrawny body
Soil to skin, my next of kin
Damp air grasped, stole the words
And greeted me with a hiss
This is forgiveness, so I know
Once I repent I seal the lid
I slither for you and I´m dying
I find trust in hate
They wear white for me
Seemingly jaded and lost
I forge myself into your dreams
And here I am your life
Hangman, clutching at his tools
I will come for you
The noose is tied
Murmur through the crowd
Plunging into anywhere but here
Cloak-captured sighs of relief
As the primal touch brought me back
And the last sight I did see is still here
Beckoning right behind me
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More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
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.
Moments in a man's cell, possibly during his final confession, night passes and he has a dream, until finally, he has hanged in public.
Blindwish has it all right, and to expand on his explanation, this is the final chapter of "Still Life". (Track 7) In case you don't know yet, "Still Life" by Opeth is a concept album that tells a story and each track is a chapter. They are:
1) The Moor 2) Godhead's Lament 3) Benighted 4) Moonlapse Vertigo 5) The Face of Melinda 6) Serenity Painted Death 7) White Cluster
Read my explanations on "The Moor" and "Serenity Painted Death" to get an idea of what I am talking about. Anyway, on to the final chapter...
The narrator has been sentenced to die by the village that hates him, probably due to his revengeful acts hinted at in "Serenity Painted Death". And this song describes his final moments, and then the album ends. It's as simple as that.
And also an utterly fantastic song that alone eclipses the rest of the album, despite the brilliance of the other "chapters". How many other bands can sound like Immortal and later Anathema in the same song without sounding ridiculous? Genius. As for the lyrics, well they're pretty literal...except for the final verse...maybe it's hinting that even in the afterlife, the consequences of his rage and actions will be visible to him...
The final verse means that the last thing he saw before they killed him was Melinda, the love interest in the album, calling behind him.
Maybe being clad in white represents a disrespect for the person in question who is being hanged.
Beautiful song, topping off what I believe to be the greatest album of the greatest artists in existence. The concept really drags you in until you seem to be in entrapped in the story. It's like after any good book: you seem to just sit there and indulge in awe at the beauty of it all. Hail Opeth.
They wear white for me Seemingly jaded and lost I forge myself into your dreams And here I am your life
Didn't people usally wear black to hangings?
hes not black gosh people look way into the white thing too much
if he was a black slave there'd be some mention of slavery or bondage or anything, read my other posts on the album. they think he's a monster, a "godless freak". he was probably born deformed and kicked out.
Or maybe he was in fact of another ethnicity, perhaps a moorish muslim.
.....NOT
I believe the song title is a reference to the large amount of people gathered to witness his execution.
Heresy is one of the main themes of Still Life. He is banished from the village because he is a "godless ... defiler", and he is despised because he tries to lead Melinda away from her life as a nun. Finally he is hanged.