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.
Nobody feels any pain
Tonight as I stand inside the rain
Everybody knows
That baby's got new clothes
But lately I see her ribbons and her bows
Have fallen from her curls
She takes just like a woman, yeah, she does
She makes love just like a woman, yeah, she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl
Queen Mary
She's my friend
Yes, I believe I'll go see her again
Nobody has to guess
That baby can't be blessed
'Til she finally sees that she's like all the rest
With her fog, her amphetamine and her pearls
She takes just like a woman, yes
She makes love just like a woman, yeah, she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl
Yeah, it was raining from the first
And I was dying there of thirst
So I came in here
And your long-time curse hurts
But what's worse
Is this pain in here
I can't stay in here
Ain't it clear that
I just can't fit
Yes, I believe it's time for us to quit
But when we meet again
Introduced as friends
Please don't let on that you knew me when
I was hungry and it was your world
Ah, you fake just like a woman, yes, you do
You make love just like a woman, yes, you do
Then you ache just like a woman
But you break just like a little girl
Tonight as I stand inside the rain
Everybody knows
That baby's got new clothes
But lately I see her ribbons and her bows
Have fallen from her curls
She takes just like a woman, yeah, she does
She makes love just like a woman, yeah, she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl
Queen Mary
She's my friend
Yes, I believe I'll go see her again
Nobody has to guess
That baby can't be blessed
'Til she finally sees that she's like all the rest
With her fog, her amphetamine and her pearls
She takes just like a woman, yes
She makes love just like a woman, yeah, she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl
Yeah, it was raining from the first
And I was dying there of thirst
So I came in here
And your long-time curse hurts
But what's worse
Is this pain in here
I can't stay in here
Ain't it clear that
I just can't fit
Yes, I believe it's time for us to quit
But when we meet again
Introduced as friends
Please don't let on that you knew me when
I was hungry and it was your world
Ah, you fake just like a woman, yes, you do
You make love just like a woman, yes, you do
Then you ache just like a woman
But you break just like a little girl
Lyrics submitted by Kitten_61, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Just Like a Woman Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Mountain Song
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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."
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Plastic Bag
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“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.
Alright. I have three theories -- either she's underaged and/or a virgin, she's a prostitute, or she's the daughter of someone he knows. Maybe two of the three of those.
Is it at all possible that this song might be about having sex with a virgin, who is trying to pass herself off as experienced? Queen Mary was the Bloody Queen - maybe this is a connection with the blood sometimes present during a woman's first vaginal penetration? Notice, he's not talking about Queen Elizabeth I (the Virgin Queen), since he's talking about already having had sex with her.
My other thought is that this could be an underage girl. At first, I thought maybe a hooker - and I'm still not unconvinced of that, since he talks about going to see her again. Also, the meaning of fog, amphetamines, and pearls is probably drug related - at least, as I see it... "Fog" might be marijuana smoke, but more likely refers to freebasing, "amphetamines" is just that - uppers, and "pearl" is slang for Cocaine. So, maybe she's a crack (free-based coke) and crystal-meth (free-based amphetamine) junkie. That's another reason I'd wonder if maybe she's a hooker, though I do realize that those drugs are not limited to streetwalkers.
Though, the hooker theory isn't ironclad - the familiarity with which he knows her -- "introduce us as friends" would imply that he knows he'll see her under a social setting in the future. Maybe she's the daughter of a friend or associate? He doesn't want her to acknowldge the "affair." His "hunger" is maybe his desire, while her "world" could be her vagina (allowing him to have sex with her). Could her "pain" be caused by physically being too small to accomodate him? He says at one point that he can't fit, and then follows that by saying that maybe they should just quit. The frustration of causing her pain is too much for him.
Thoughts?