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.
Born, a human life into this world
Dead, the sad result from disease
A century of sacrifice is lost in greed
In a time of massive wealth, where not one sees
Chemical children are raised in the streets
Their whoring mothers begging beside
In prisons the riots are breeding resistance
The starving all seek to be fed
A shit-city built on the backs of the poor
where the real world is buried beneath
While tourists and business, partners in greed
devour the fruit of the land
Starving and dying, assassins surround to kill them
Praying for something or someone to set them free
Life in Babylon, post-A.D
defined in terms of what can you do for me
The world outside is full of rot
so walls divide the burn of acid air, and black-cloud skies
Death squads are crawling the city
in search of the worthless to fill up mass graves
Corrupted and careless, degrading all life
these cops are the killers, well-trained
Millions of people stand dead at their feet
begging for mercy denied
Breathing pollution and slaving to eat
they're humans, but empty inside
Starving and dying, assassins surround to kill them
Praying for something or someone to set them free
Rise, out of the slums, they seek to fight, fight to defend
Nothing is left but a future of death
Awaiting the poor, who starve just to breathe
Breathe in the air, now they shall be reborn
How can you think that our world is so good
The red, white and blue blinds your eyes
When everything's fine in your white neighborhood
who cares for the dying outside
Forced to rebellion, uprising
they're tearing through the walls of confinement, uprooted
The promise of a third world resistance
the power is overtaken
Nightfall in Sodom, it's burning
It's time to bring it down
Now the time has come at last
to give back what they demand
Just a chance for life, and peace far away
from famine and disease
Power has changed across the world now
It's just the money that rules in Sodom today
And the bastards that run the corporate plan
will be choking on their blood when the masses make them pay
Dead, the sad result from disease
A century of sacrifice is lost in greed
In a time of massive wealth, where not one sees
Chemical children are raised in the streets
Their whoring mothers begging beside
In prisons the riots are breeding resistance
The starving all seek to be fed
A shit-city built on the backs of the poor
where the real world is buried beneath
While tourists and business, partners in greed
devour the fruit of the land
Starving and dying, assassins surround to kill them
Praying for something or someone to set them free
Life in Babylon, post-A.D
defined in terms of what can you do for me
The world outside is full of rot
so walls divide the burn of acid air, and black-cloud skies
Death squads are crawling the city
in search of the worthless to fill up mass graves
Corrupted and careless, degrading all life
these cops are the killers, well-trained
Millions of people stand dead at their feet
begging for mercy denied
Breathing pollution and slaving to eat
they're humans, but empty inside
Starving and dying, assassins surround to kill them
Praying for something or someone to set them free
Rise, out of the slums, they seek to fight, fight to defend
Nothing is left but a future of death
Awaiting the poor, who starve just to breathe
Breathe in the air, now they shall be reborn
How can you think that our world is so good
The red, white and blue blinds your eyes
When everything's fine in your white neighborhood
who cares for the dying outside
Forced to rebellion, uprising
they're tearing through the walls of confinement, uprooted
The promise of a third world resistance
the power is overtaken
Nightfall in Sodom, it's burning
It's time to bring it down
Now the time has come at last
to give back what they demand
Just a chance for life, and peace far away
from famine and disease
Power has changed across the world now
It's just the money that rules in Sodom today
And the bastards that run the corporate plan
will be choking on their blood when the masses make them pay
Lyrics submitted by Tobes
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