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.
How have you been Caroline?
Living okay? Home in PA
See how the color left from our faces
From when, when we were younger
Just yesterday I was making the reach
Went for a swim in lover's beach
And there I met friends and I neared the bay
Until I felt sick
But you were my friend
Don't you know how I needed you then
I felt nervous when you shook and cried
The circles under your eyes
Made love till you reached the clouds
Through the ceilings and walls that surround
One time you drove through heat and hard rain
Three hundred miles in the roots of your pain
Things get so far back in your mind
That we don't connect
But you were my friend
At the turn of my life's events
I felt weak in the hold of your soul
And your blood-red eyes even more
But the feelings that stay with you now
Get lost over time somehow
Living okay? Home in PA
See how the color left from our faces
From when, when we were younger
Just yesterday I was making the reach
Went for a swim in lover's beach
And there I met friends and I neared the bay
Until I felt sick
But you were my friend
Don't you know how I needed you then
I felt nervous when you shook and cried
The circles under your eyes
Made love till you reached the clouds
Through the ceilings and walls that surround
One time you drove through heat and hard rain
Three hundred miles in the roots of your pain
Things get so far back in your mind
That we don't connect
But you were my friend
At the turn of my life's events
I felt weak in the hold of your soul
And your blood-red eyes even more
But the feelings that stay with you now
Get lost over time somehow
Lyrics submitted by ThreeMilesDown
Trailways Lyrics as written by Mark Edward Kozelek
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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the most beautiful song... ever.
I agree. My personal favorite on the album, shame that not too many other people are familiar with RHP. Oh well, a truly beautiful song
sometimes i think the feedback outro is more beautiful than even the lyrics. kozelek truly captured the essence of memories, the past, regret, unrequited love, depressive nostalgic, yearning, and so forth; he captured in a few minutes what nick drake might have required an album to be able to say.
I second that bit about the feedback, fourameuphoria. So much emotion in that, it makes me want to cry!!
Yeah, they're so good at this. This song and the Vanilla Sky version of Have you Forgotten is the same way, with that emotional feedback guitar solo. Really an incredible song, sometimes, all I can listen to.
This song kills me. I get the feeling like it's one person seeing so much emotion in someone else, and just being in awe of the feelings they get from that person and wanting to reach out to them and make them not feel alone... but they knew just by being there it was enough. And maybe in a way, for the person seeing this all happen, they were overtaken by the other person and whatever they were going through. Eh... the feedback is amazing- it pulls it together. Perfection. Such a great song.