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.
A thousand nights once succored Me
In the shadow of Miss Anne Thropy
Sat gargoyle-limbed amid My licking flame
A cruel tongue at work in Her secret vaults
Sent Rebellion's embers into revolt
The coming of extinction
Synced to whimpers of my name
Legion I arose, a flood of inhumanity
An acid reign to purify the world
The Asp at Pharaoh's breast
The Atom split under duress
A sniper at the gates of spattered pearl
My heart, torn apart, left a rifled grave
Save for an unfurled flag of hate
To enthrall a mindless zombie race
All hail, all hail, all hail the serpentine's gift
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
Black bibles I inscribed,
The words "Damnation through design"
Seemed a bitter truth far better for the lie
For as hope was felled by reason
Forlorn became the season
And Death was swift to swallow on the hells of life
Lowered souls, growing cold, tendered easy prey
When heaven's flock, a fair game, dropped
I bored of war with God with greater thrones to claim
All hail, all hail, all hail the Libertine's wish
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
(There was not a prayer left in this wretched world)
Then between the past and the ravening dark
A sly Messiah came
In the thick of treaty with obligatory greed
She stole the soul hate had sold away
An ancient chill blew down the centuries
That night atonement's eyes
Lit a burning man in Me
When love lay bleeding
And Fates sate feeding
From wounds gored 'neath
Those cherubic wings
She of kindred light
Gladly sacrificed
Eternity
Just to be
With Me
As the moon whose silvered fingers play
On words and dreams too cursed for day
She led my hand to lands I'd not accrued
Where the Faun Dawn bathed Her golden hair
And faith renewed, leapt joyous there
I praised their worth, then planned their conquest too
All hail, all hail, all hail the serpentine's gift
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
All hail, all hail, all hail the Libertine's wish
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
And ignorance is truly bliss
In the shadow of Miss Anne Thropy
Sat gargoyle-limbed amid My licking flame
A cruel tongue at work in Her secret vaults
Sent Rebellion's embers into revolt
The coming of extinction
Synced to whimpers of my name
Legion I arose, a flood of inhumanity
An acid reign to purify the world
The Asp at Pharaoh's breast
The Atom split under duress
A sniper at the gates of spattered pearl
My heart, torn apart, left a rifled grave
Save for an unfurled flag of hate
To enthrall a mindless zombie race
All hail, all hail, all hail the serpentine's gift
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
Black bibles I inscribed,
The words "Damnation through design"
Seemed a bitter truth far better for the lie
For as hope was felled by reason
Forlorn became the season
And Death was swift to swallow on the hells of life
Lowered souls, growing cold, tendered easy prey
When heaven's flock, a fair game, dropped
I bored of war with God with greater thrones to claim
All hail, all hail, all hail the Libertine's wish
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
(There was not a prayer left in this wretched world)
Then between the past and the ravening dark
A sly Messiah came
In the thick of treaty with obligatory greed
She stole the soul hate had sold away
An ancient chill blew down the centuries
That night atonement's eyes
Lit a burning man in Me
When love lay bleeding
And Fates sate feeding
From wounds gored 'neath
Those cherubic wings
She of kindred light
Gladly sacrificed
Eternity
Just to be
With Me
As the moon whose silvered fingers play
On words and dreams too cursed for day
She led my hand to lands I'd not accrued
Where the Faun Dawn bathed Her golden hair
And faith renewed, leapt joyous there
I praised their worth, then planned their conquest too
All hail, all hail, all hail the serpentine's gift
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
All hail, all hail, all hail the Libertine's wish
All hail, love fails, all hope lies in eclipse
And ignorance is truly bliss
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
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
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"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
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.
Sat gargoyle-limbed amid My licking flame
A cruel tongue at work in Her secret vaults
I think this is a clever metaphor for cunnilingus
and again:
Synched to whimpers of my name...
this refers to vocalisation during the sex act...
She led my hand to lands I'd not accrued Where the Faun Dawn bathed Her golden hair And faith renewed, leapt joyous there I praised their worth, then planned their conquest too...
This again could be interpreted as being about experiencing new sex acts...
No idea if I'm reading too much into the lyrics or weather this song is about succumbing to forbidden carnal acts and thereby loosing innocence and the promise of heaven...