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.
The smile of dawn arrived early May
She carried a gift from her home
The night shed a tear to tell her of fear
and of sorrow and pain she'll never outgrow
Death is the first dance, eternal
There's no more freedom
The both of you will be confined to this mind
I was told there's a miracle
for each day that I try
I was told there's a new love that's born
for each one that has died
I was told there'd be no one to call on
when I feel alone and afraid
I was told if you dream of the next world,
you'll find yourself swimming in a lake of fire
As a child, I thought I could live without pain, without sorrow
As a man, I've found it's all caught up with me
I'm asleep, yet I'm so afraid
Somewhere, like a scene from a memory,
there's a picture worth a thousand words
Eluding stares from faces before me
It hides away and will never be heard of again
Deceit is the second without end
The city's cold blood teaches us to survive
Just keep my heart in your eyes and we'll stay alive
The third arrives...
Before the leaves have fallen
Before we lock the doors
There must be the third and last dance
This one will last forever
Metropolis watches and thoughtfully smiles
She's taken you to your home
It can only take place
when the struggle between our children has ended
Now the Miracle and the Sleeper know
that the third is love
Love is the Dance of Eternity
She carried a gift from her home
The night shed a tear to tell her of fear
and of sorrow and pain she'll never outgrow
Death is the first dance, eternal
There's no more freedom
The both of you will be confined to this mind
I was told there's a miracle
for each day that I try
I was told there's a new love that's born
for each one that has died
I was told there'd be no one to call on
when I feel alone and afraid
I was told if you dream of the next world,
you'll find yourself swimming in a lake of fire
As a child, I thought I could live without pain, without sorrow
As a man, I've found it's all caught up with me
I'm asleep, yet I'm so afraid
Somewhere, like a scene from a memory,
there's a picture worth a thousand words
Eluding stares from faces before me
It hides away and will never be heard of again
Deceit is the second without end
The city's cold blood teaches us to survive
Just keep my heart in your eyes and we'll stay alive
The third arrives...
Before the leaves have fallen
Before we lock the doors
There must be the third and last dance
This one will last forever
Metropolis watches and thoughtfully smiles
She's taken you to your home
It can only take place
when the struggle between our children has ended
Now the Miracle and the Sleeper know
that the third is love
Love is the Dance of Eternity
Lyrics submitted by rainstorm
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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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.
Magical
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How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Blue
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“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
My interpretation (keep in mind, this is MY OWN, not Petrucci's or DT's) (And yes, I know of the connection to Scenes From A Memory; I'm just saying, if this was a stand-alone, this is what it could be):
Two people, a boy and a girl, are telepathically connected; they are in two distant regions, but they know in their hearts that hey can't live without one another.
Enter the three dances: Death, Deceit, and Love.
The first dance, Death, could signify the death of the girl's parents, or of a close loved one. The girl feels extremely distraught, and somehow becomes linked to a boy in a far-off region.
The boy is also living life alone, with no one to watch over him, and becomes so attached to this connection, he can't live life without this mysterious person by his side.
That is when he decides to forsake all that he has known and search for this mysterious girl.
This is the second dance: Deceit.
The girl knows of this, and decides to find him, as well. He then tells her, "Just keep my heart in your eyes and we'll stay alive..."
And so, the journey begins.
Throughout the instrumental break, the two are hectically searching for each other, and when the break is over, the two find each other. Realizing this, they find out that their struggles' end can mean that they can now live the life they have pursued - a life together.
This is the third dance: Love, also known as the Dance Of Eternity.
@mitalca35 <br /> Nice idea <br /> but " to tell her of fear<br /> and of sorrow and pain she'll never outgrow"<br /> i think, i feel that the girl is the one, who will die (very young) so this not fit me to your explanations. <br /> <br /> But very nice idea, thinking about your idea, sentences "Before the leaves have fallen<br /> Before we lock the doors<br /> There must be the third and last dance<br /> This one will last forever"<br /> sounds more bueatifull to me :) <br /> <br /> So I disagreee with you, but i love your idea, thank you