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.
Had a dream
Had a drowning dream I was in a river of pain
Only difference this time
I wasn't calling out your name yeah!
Has it ended before it's begun
You hold on
And I try to run but
Anybody heading in my direction
Away from the city
Anybody want to change the way they feel
step inside
Doesn't really matter where you want to take me
Away from the city
I want to start again
I want to start again
A want to take it back
I want to start again
Start again
Funny how those friends forget you when you tired of their games
You miss a show or a party that blows
And they've forgotten your name, yeah
And you wonder what you've become
They pull you back when you try to run
Well anybody heading in my direction
Away from the city
Anybody want to change the way they feel
Step inside
Doesn't really matter where you want to take me
Away from the city
I want to start again
I want to start again
A want to take it back
I want to start again
Start again
I left the me I used to be
I want to see this through
Left the me I used to be
If only you'd see it too
Well I wonder what you've become
You pull me back when I try to run
Well anybody heading in my direction
Away from the city
Anybody want to change the way they feel
Step inside
Doesn't really matter where you want to take me
Away from the city
I want to start again
I want to start again
A want to take it back
I want to start again
Start again
Had a drowning dream I was in a river of pain
Only difference this time
I wasn't calling out your name yeah!
Has it ended before it's begun
You hold on
And I try to run but
Anybody heading in my direction
Away from the city
Anybody want to change the way they feel
step inside
Doesn't really matter where you want to take me
Away from the city
I want to start again
I want to start again
A want to take it back
I want to start again
Start again
Funny how those friends forget you when you tired of their games
You miss a show or a party that blows
And they've forgotten your name, yeah
And you wonder what you've become
They pull you back when you try to run
Well anybody heading in my direction
Away from the city
Anybody want to change the way they feel
Step inside
Doesn't really matter where you want to take me
Away from the city
I want to start again
I want to start again
A want to take it back
I want to start again
Start again
I left the me I used to be
I want to see this through
Left the me I used to be
If only you'd see it too
Well I wonder what you've become
You pull me back when I try to run
Well anybody heading in my direction
Away from the city
Anybody want to change the way they feel
Step inside
Doesn't really matter where you want to take me
Away from the city
I want to start again
I want to start again
A want to take it back
I want to start again
Start again
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More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
The city is too much for her, the polution activates her bad allergies, therefore she's stayin she'd take neway she can go get out of the cities. She's a Hickkkkkkk :-)
Natalie Is expressing her views on people. And how they can change, i feel in this song. When she says Funny how those friends forget you when you tire of their games its as if her once, "friends" are using her, once she "tires of their games"they drop her. They hold her back when she tries to run... they're holding her back, from whatever it is she is trying to achieve. Throughout the song, the line "they pull you back as you try to run" changes to "you pull me back as i try to run"...suggesting how the person whom she thought was, no longer is. The entire song, in my opinion is talking about city people in general, and her attitude towards them.
Lou xXx
She's tired of the superficiality of the city and how her friends drag her down. She's over the guy and is leaving. The chorus is like she's calling out to others who feel the same way that they can all get out before it's too late, before their sucked into that crap.
Again this follows the dominant theme of the album of bad relationships. I saw this kind of thing happen to a friend of mine and to some extent something similar happened to me.
The relationship has run its course and gone bad and is at its end, but everyone you know is connected in some way to your former partner and has turned against you or has become bothersome and it gets to the point where you are just fed up with everyone you know in the city and the only escape from the turmoil is to leave town and start over with a new life, putting your old life behind you.
I have to admit I miss this friend who left town to start fresh, but I don't blame her for going. I have had similar problems with our former friends playing their games. I haven't left town, but I did cut myself off from those people and started a new life with my new wife who also had problems with that same bunch before I met her. We are now happy and free from those toxic "friends" so yeah getting back to the point. This song is about her starting fresh after having a bad time with a guy and some bad friends.