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.
She had such tiny tears
Just like a Barbie doll
She likes to shop at Sears
And visit shopping malls
Now she's a big mamma
Tell poppa
Cry, cry, cry, cry
Old money
Your old money doesn't matter now
Have mercy
Mercy, mercy, daddy's going fishing now
He put the bait onto his line
He's winding out his reel
Fish are swimming in the pond
Gonna let 'em sail away
He's got his eye on you
He knows just what she wants
The fish is gonna bite
She is his latest catch
'Cause he's Big Daddy
Oh, mammy
Cry, cry, cry, cry
Big Daddy
Oh, daddy's scraping bottom now
Oh, momma
Daddy, daddy, daddy does the talking now
Mesmerized like horny toads
By shiny things like jewels and gold
Throwing all their pearls to swing
Let 'em sail away
You lucky dog
You'll be on Easy Street
Drinking champagne
She gets all that she wants
His heart's desire
No more worries anymore
Like a fairy tale
Anything that she likes
I seen you do the dog
I seen you getting down
A swimming back and forth
When daddy's not around
Big Daddy
Oh, she's pretty as a picture now
Oh, momma
Oh, what a little martyr now
He knows how to drive 'em wild
One day you'd think she'd see
Saying "This is mine and this is her.
Now take that stuff away"
It's best left unspoken
One and one is two
The velvet lies sing softly
Each with a golden spoon
And she passed her time in the wind and the rain
Got a one way ticket on a Southbound train
Said baby, baby, wants to have a good time
And Big Daddy laughed
And Big Daddy smiled
Like dynamite
One fine day she'll explode
Who's laughing now?
No one sees anymore
Sneak in and out
Don't get caught running 'round
Swim back and forth
Bubbles float to the top
Just like a Barbie doll
She likes to shop at Sears
And visit shopping malls
Now she's a big mamma
Tell poppa
Cry, cry, cry, cry
Old money
Your old money doesn't matter now
Have mercy
Mercy, mercy, daddy's going fishing now
He put the bait onto his line
He's winding out his reel
Fish are swimming in the pond
Gonna let 'em sail away
He's got his eye on you
He knows just what she wants
The fish is gonna bite
She is his latest catch
'Cause he's Big Daddy
Oh, mammy
Cry, cry, cry, cry
Big Daddy
Oh, daddy's scraping bottom now
Oh, momma
Daddy, daddy, daddy does the talking now
Mesmerized like horny toads
By shiny things like jewels and gold
Throwing all their pearls to swing
Let 'em sail away
You lucky dog
You'll be on Easy Street
Drinking champagne
She gets all that she wants
His heart's desire
No more worries anymore
Like a fairy tale
Anything that she likes
I seen you do the dog
I seen you getting down
A swimming back and forth
When daddy's not around
Big Daddy
Oh, she's pretty as a picture now
Oh, momma
Oh, what a little martyr now
He knows how to drive 'em wild
One day you'd think she'd see
Saying "This is mine and this is her.
Now take that stuff away"
It's best left unspoken
One and one is two
The velvet lies sing softly
Each with a golden spoon
And she passed her time in the wind and the rain
Got a one way ticket on a Southbound train
Said baby, baby, wants to have a good time
And Big Daddy laughed
And Big Daddy smiled
Like dynamite
One fine day she'll explode
Who's laughing now?
No one sees anymore
Sneak in and out
Don't get caught running 'round
Swim back and forth
Bubbles float to the top
Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery
Big Daddy Lyrics as written by David Byrne Chris Frantz
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Magical
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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.
Cf "Bill"
Fake love doesn't work and true love is dangerous.
An alternate theory:
The entire Naked album follows Bill and Ruby Jones - at least tracks 2 ('Mr. Jones'), 4 ('Ruby Dear'), 9 ('Big daddy), and 10 ('Bill).
Bıll is Mr. Jones is Big Daddy. Ruby is 'mamma' (in Bıg Daddy) and the 'cute little girl' in Bill. Bill is also formerly square Mr. Jones, who has become a hard-partying busınessman - and has 'gone too far'.
'Bill was a man who grew too big . . .' could be showing that he is the same character in 'Big Daddy'. Which explains why he bought a gun and she fixed her hair - she took a ride 'on a southbound train' to cheat on him, he followed her, and shot her. In this version, you see the relationship once from her cynical perspective in Big Daddy, and again, more idealistically, in Bill, where it lists the things they used to do: '...makin' up religions, dropping out of school/laughing through the summertime . . .'. But he becomes rich, ımportant, and possessive -shown in 'mr Jones' and 'Big Daddy'. She rebels, 'does the dog . . . swimming back and forth when Daddy's not around:' 'One fine day she,ll explode - dont get caught runnıng round, bubbles rise to the top' ends Big Daddy with a warnıng. The other half of this is the cryptic secret about guns in Bill, the lethal consequence of infidelity.
And 'Angels and prostitutes might look the same/and if to Hell we're going, I'll see you there' ties Ruby Dear into this narrative - fitting alongside the 'Angel of God' invoked in 'Bill'.
He wants her for sex [she is his latest catch] She wants him for money [he's a "sugar daddy", she likes to visit shopping malls] Everything is "fine" for a bit [she gets all that she wants, his hearts desire] But then she cheats on him [swimming back and forth when daddy's not around] Possibly because he's abusive/domineering [daddy does the talking now] And he never loved her, he just wanted her for sex [daddy's scraping bottom now] He finds out and sends her away [they get divorced? take that stuff away, one way ticket on a subway train] She wants to kill him [one fine day she'll explode] Maybe she does? Or he kills her? [bubbles float to the top]
(So I don't think these are the young lovers in "Bill" grown older.)