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.
Take all the goods from all the bads
And tell the people that you've gone away
Now lift your head up to the sky
And now you can tell apart the black from the white
We waste the time they treasure dear
My only thought is that they could be right
Oh look there goes another year,
About as distant as a satellite
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe
The world's a small child in the dark
And my mind's a safe place that its always been
The monsters seem to fade so fast
Upon the waking of another dream
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, I feel so brave
I'm not afraid of anything they've got to say
And you're okay because you're tucked away
Don't go astray you've got to be just who you are
Who you are
When I was young things didn't last
My only care stemmed to the the price of sweets
Now that I'm older I can laugh
A dolly mixed up man of rotten teeth
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe,
So safe
And tell the people that you've gone away
Now lift your head up to the sky
And now you can tell apart the black from the white
We waste the time they treasure dear
My only thought is that they could be right
Oh look there goes another year,
About as distant as a satellite
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe
The world's a small child in the dark
And my mind's a safe place that its always been
The monsters seem to fade so fast
Upon the waking of another dream
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, I feel so brave
I'm not afraid of anything they've got to say
And you're okay because you're tucked away
Don't go astray you've got to be just who you are
Who you are
When I was young things didn't last
My only care stemmed to the the price of sweets
Now that I'm older I can laugh
A dolly mixed up man of rotten teeth
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe
And I feel safe, so safe,
So safe
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
This song is brilliant,I love how all the instruments are introduced at different times and their introductions are staggered through the song,they don't come in all at once.I like it how he talks about being a kid and then uses the phrase "dolly mixtures", as in the sweets,to describe how he's now messed up. The world is a small child in the dark is a reference to the fact that the world as a whole is afraid of things that aren't even there.Like what are produced from big scare stories in the media.Just as a child can't see what's in the dark so it becomes scared.Could also be about the future,people worrying about their lives. He says about looking at the sky and taking the black from the white.When you look at the sky everything just seems so simple and you realise how complicated we make life for ourselves. Then he talks about time,older people look back and treasure time,he didn't then,but now looking back thinks that what they said was true.As time moves quickly and is as distant as a satalite.