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.
Well am I making haste or could it be haste is making me
What's time but a thing to kill or keep or buy or lose or live in
I gotta go faster
Keep up the pace
Just to stay in the human race
I could go supersonic
The problem's chronic
Tell me does life exist beyond it
When I need to sate
I just accelerate
Into oblivion
Into oblivi yah yah yah yah yah yah yan
Now here I go again
Everything is alien
How does it feel to be outstripped by the pace of cultural change
My deeds are senseless
And rendered meaningless
When measured in that vein
I could go supersonic
The problem's chronic
Tell me does life exist beyond it
When I need to sate
I just accelerate into oblivion
Into oblivion
I won't lie
It's exciting
When I try
To decide things
I just want to live
Decently
Meaningfully
I'm in misery
I could I go supersonic
The problem's chronic
Tell me does life exist beyond it
When I need to sate
I just accelerate into oblivion
Into oblivi yah yah yah yah yah yah yan
What's time but a thing to kill or keep or buy or lose or live in
I gotta go faster
Keep up the pace
Just to stay in the human race
I could go supersonic
The problem's chronic
Tell me does life exist beyond it
When I need to sate
I just accelerate
Into oblivion
Into oblivi yah yah yah yah yah yah yan
Now here I go again
Everything is alien
How does it feel to be outstripped by the pace of cultural change
My deeds are senseless
And rendered meaningless
When measured in that vein
I could go supersonic
The problem's chronic
Tell me does life exist beyond it
When I need to sate
I just accelerate into oblivion
Into oblivion
I won't lie
It's exciting
When I try
To decide things
I just want to live
Decently
Meaningfully
I'm in misery
I could I go supersonic
The problem's chronic
Tell me does life exist beyond it
When I need to sate
I just accelerate into oblivion
Into oblivi yah yah yah yah yah yah yan
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More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
There is more to life than increasing its speed. - Mahatma Gandhi
i think it's about everyones lives becoming centered around trying to keep up with the society we live in
It's about struggling to maintain one's humanity and authenticity in a modern world.
yeah its about trying to strenously manage your life in the modern technological world we live in today.
The harmony on the bridge pretty much sums up this song.
pace setters, go getters rat racers, forgetters researchers, berserkers strategies to help the workers new time saving devices quick vices, no crisis brevity dependency digital efficiency
I think people are looking at this song too deeply.
Supersonic is a song about a Blue hedgehog collecting all the Chas Emeralds, and becoming... Super Sonic. In the song he mentions how fast he wants to go.
Obviously this song is about Sonic the Hedgehog.
I think the song is about giving into emotions.. be it anger, fear, love, greed. basic strong emotions. To me its about being fully aware of your emotions but not letting them rule your life
I figured it was about an addiction. Like, he gets so used to living so fast he can't slow down again. Also look at the lines Tell me does life exist beyond it and I won't lie it's exciting
im not sure, but the addiction idea might be right. its known brett had a drug problem. "when i need to sate" can be seen as sating your addiction, "...into oblivion" oblivion could be a reference to the high "when measured in the vein" is perhaps a more obvious to IV drug use
personally, i think the song could be about addiction, as a response to the horror of the modern world. "i just want to live decently, meaningfully..." suggests shame at using drugs as an escape. the song isnt an excuse for drug abuse, but just says why people turn to it
Well, chemical halo, I'm here to help!
I saw them at Reading a couple of days ago and they played this song. It rocked very hard.