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.
On a long and lonesome highway
East of Omaha
You can listen to the engine
Moanin' out his one note song
You can think about the woman
Or the girl you knew the night before
But your thoughts will soon be wandering
The way they always do
When you're ridin' sixteen hours
And there's nothin' much to do
And you don't feel much like ridin'
You just wish the trip was through
See here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Well you walk into a restaurant
Strung out from the road
And you feel the eyes upon you
As you're shakin' off the cold
You pretend it doesn't bother you
But you just want to explode
Most times you can't hear 'em talk
Other times you can
All the same old cliches
"Is that a woman or a man?"
And you always seem outnumbered
You don't dare make a stand
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Out there in the spotlight
You're a million miles away
Every ounce of energy
You try to give away
As the sweat pours out your body
Like the music that you play
Later in the evening
As you lie awake in bed
With the echoes from the amplifiers
Ringin' in your head
You smoke the day's last cigarette
Rememberin' what she said
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
There I go
East of Omaha
You can listen to the engine
Moanin' out his one note song
You can think about the woman
Or the girl you knew the night before
But your thoughts will soon be wandering
The way they always do
When you're ridin' sixteen hours
And there's nothin' much to do
And you don't feel much like ridin'
You just wish the trip was through
See here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Well you walk into a restaurant
Strung out from the road
And you feel the eyes upon you
As you're shakin' off the cold
You pretend it doesn't bother you
But you just want to explode
Most times you can't hear 'em talk
Other times you can
All the same old cliches
"Is that a woman or a man?"
And you always seem outnumbered
You don't dare make a stand
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Out there in the spotlight
You're a million miles away
Every ounce of energy
You try to give away
As the sweat pours out your body
Like the music that you play
Later in the evening
As you lie awake in bed
With the echoes from the amplifiers
Ringin' in your head
You smoke the day's last cigarette
Rememberin' what she said
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
There I go
Lyrics submitted by kevin, edited by mitchell7448
Turn The Page Lyrics as written by Bob Seger
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"'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."
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Although this song does have many literal implications about being on the road I believe the deeper meaning of this is referring to a past relationship with being "on the road again" referring to Seger trying to find himself and trying to "turn the page" from the past into the future.
"You can think about the woman or the girl you knew the night before" Directly refers to this past love or relationship
"But your thoughts will soon be wandering the way they always do" This line refers to "what-if" thoughts which always run through his mind when theres not much to do
And you don't feel much like ridin', you just wish the trip was through" This line references his "ride" of finding himself and wishing the pain and inconveniences of being "on the road" would just be over.
I believe the whole verse about walking into a restaurant and hearing the people talk about him may refer to him taking a break from the "road" only to hear the people in his life criticizing him about his lifestyle choices which makes him feel like he wants to "explode" and that it is not worth "making a stand" to defend himself since he feels "outnumbered"
"Out there in the spotlight you're a million miles away" Seger is finally "up on the stage and playing the star again" and has finally reached his goal of finding himself and the girl is now finally a distant part of his life"
"Later in the evening as you lie awake in bed, With the echoes from the amplifiers ringin' in your head. You smoke the days last cigarette, rememberin what she said" The final line in my opinion is the most defining of the song. He is trying to say at the end of the day that even after being "on the road" for so long and finally reaching the "stage" (trying to finding himself and finally reaching a place where he belongs) the thought of the women he loved will always be on his mind.