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.
Thirteen times you fucked with my karma
And thirteen times I fucked on your dogma
You've taught me to hate
You've taught me to crawl
You raised your hand as you waved the bottle
You knocked me down, but it made me stronger
The harder you hit
The harder you fall
And this one's for my mother
What will I do without her?
Don't look back
Don't even bother
And this one's for the father
Who loves his middle daughter
Well, here I am
Don't even bother
You can freak out to doubt me
But you'll lose your mind without me
You thought you could see right through me
But it made no difference to me anyway
Anyway
Anyway
A free reign gave you ammunition
To play the game and fuck other women
And something just snapped
And cracked in my brain
Thirteen times I sucked up inside me
The different ways that you tried to harm me
You did it once
You'll do it again
And this one's for my sister
Who dared to denigrate it
Don't look back
Don't even bother
And this one's for my lover
The one who had to suffer
Here I am
Don't even bother
You can freak out to doubt me
But you'll lose your mind without me
You thought you could see right through me
But it made no difference to me anyway
Anyway
Anyway
Anyway
Thirteen times (one)
Thirteen times (two)
Thirteen times (three)
Thirteen times (four)
Thirteen times (five)
Thirteen times (six)
Thirteen times (seven)
Thirteen times (eight)
And thirteen times I fucked on your dogma
You've taught me to hate
You've taught me to crawl
You raised your hand as you waved the bottle
You knocked me down, but it made me stronger
The harder you hit
The harder you fall
And this one's for my mother
What will I do without her?
Don't look back
Don't even bother
And this one's for the father
Who loves his middle daughter
Well, here I am
Don't even bother
You can freak out to doubt me
But you'll lose your mind without me
You thought you could see right through me
But it made no difference to me anyway
Anyway
Anyway
A free reign gave you ammunition
To play the game and fuck other women
And something just snapped
And cracked in my brain
Thirteen times I sucked up inside me
The different ways that you tried to harm me
You did it once
You'll do it again
And this one's for my sister
Who dared to denigrate it
Don't look back
Don't even bother
And this one's for my lover
The one who had to suffer
Here I am
Don't even bother
You can freak out to doubt me
But you'll lose your mind without me
You thought you could see right through me
But it made no difference to me anyway
Anyway
Anyway
Anyway
Thirteen times (one)
Thirteen times (two)
Thirteen times (three)
Thirteen times (four)
Thirteen times (five)
Thirteen times (six)
Thirteen times (seven)
Thirteen times (eight)
Lyrics submitted by merchantpierce
13 X Forever Lyrics as written by Shirley Ann Manson Douglas Elwin Erickson
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The title and over-use of the number 13 makes me lean towards the theory that she's singing about being that horrible age in which nothing makes any sense.. but that her boyfriend is playing the field doesn't make any sence. To what I see, if we don't get too deep, is that she had a boyfriend who stole her from whoever she loved with his seductive ways. Apparently he's an alchoholic, and beats her around. She got fed up of him going off with other women, and fed up with being smacked around, and she just.. cracked.
Wow...can't you just see every neurotic fantasy book tragic heroine in this song? It reminds me of a lot of the plots in books I've read...of a girl driven so past beyond her breaking point she just snaps. Really quite a sad song..
i'm pretty sure the lyrics are:
Thirteen times you fucked with my karma. And thirteen times I Sucked on your dogma.
Does anyone know what record this is on? Great lyrics!
It's not on a record. This song is a b-side. One of their best b-sides, as a matter of fact. Hell, ALL their b-sides are the shit!! Just as good as the other songs. OMG, I love this band to death!!!
13xForever is on the UK, European and Australian singles for Special.
As a long standing Garbage fan this is one of my favourite b-sides of theirs - vulnerable yet aggressive lyrics are so powerful. Words cannot describe how much this band means to me
I'm surprised nobody's connected this to sexual abuse by a father. That's what I hear every time I listen to this song.
@Aquarius121 Oh c'mon. Here we go again.