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.
There's a lot of tension in this town
I know it's building up inside of me
I've got all the symptoms and the side effects
Of city life anxiety
I could never understand why the urban attitude
Is so superior
In a world of high rise ambition
Most people's motives are ulterior
Sometimes I feel as though I'm running on ice
Paying the price too long
Kind of get the feeling that I'm running on ice
Where did my life go wrong
I'm a cosmopolitan sophisticate
Of culture and intelligence
The culmination of technology
And civilized experience
But I'm carrying the weight of all the useless junk
A modern man accumulates
I'm a statistic in a system
That a civil servant dominates
And all that means is that I'm running on ice
Caught in the vise so strong
I'm slipping and sliding, cause I'm running on ice
Where did my life go wrong
You've got to run
You've got to run
As fast as I can climb
A new disaster every time I turn around
As soon as I get one fire put out
There's another building burning down
They say this highway's going my way
But I don't know where it's taking me
It's a bad waste, a sad case, a rat race
It's breaking me
I get no traction cause I'm running on ice
It's taking me twice as long
I get a bad reaction cause I'm running on ice
Where did my life go wrong
You've got to run
You've got to run
Running on ice
Running on ice
Running on ice
Running on ice
I know it's building up inside of me
I've got all the symptoms and the side effects
Of city life anxiety
I could never understand why the urban attitude
Is so superior
In a world of high rise ambition
Most people's motives are ulterior
Sometimes I feel as though I'm running on ice
Paying the price too long
Kind of get the feeling that I'm running on ice
Where did my life go wrong
I'm a cosmopolitan sophisticate
Of culture and intelligence
The culmination of technology
And civilized experience
But I'm carrying the weight of all the useless junk
A modern man accumulates
I'm a statistic in a system
That a civil servant dominates
And all that means is that I'm running on ice
Caught in the vise so strong
I'm slipping and sliding, cause I'm running on ice
Where did my life go wrong
You've got to run
You've got to run
As fast as I can climb
A new disaster every time I turn around
As soon as I get one fire put out
There's another building burning down
They say this highway's going my way
But I don't know where it's taking me
It's a bad waste, a sad case, a rat race
It's breaking me
I get no traction cause I'm running on ice
It's taking me twice as long
I get a bad reaction cause I'm running on ice
Where did my life go wrong
You've got to run
You've got to run
Running on ice
Running on ice
Running on ice
Running on ice
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someones a little stressed eh? haha I love him
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