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.
leveling, graveling, gravelly groans
exude my exhaustion,
canonize all my tomes.
this home is afloat on a yellow black moat
of bile, hate and quile and vile pains in my throat.
let's drown in the basement,
it's filled to the brim.
let's jack up the prices
while the pickings are slim.
do you like my party tricks?
you all washed through me like debris in a stream,
you cut me to ribbons
and left me to bleed.
melting alone, showing off white bone,
you can ring that bell
or you can huck in that stone.
on the phone is the voice i've been dying to hear.
there's nothing for you, better luck next year.
when everything was suddenly, utterly clear.
to shut off these shut outs,
i'll cut off this ear.
can you hear this night?
it's starry, starry.
can you see me mouth out
sorry charlie.
there's no good taste
in this art space.
straight porno and snuff films,
i should be disgraced,
well, i'm titillated.
it's tantalizing,
and as i move to the movement,
i'm self-aggrandizing.
i'm filling with air,
i'll float it up there.
a chairman sitting easy on a big easy chair.
so do you like my party tricks?
i trick out clicking sticks
so do you like my party tricks?
i trick out clicking sticks
to get my kicks.
exude my exhaustion,
canonize all my tomes.
this home is afloat on a yellow black moat
of bile, hate and quile and vile pains in my throat.
let's drown in the basement,
it's filled to the brim.
let's jack up the prices
while the pickings are slim.
do you like my party tricks?
you all washed through me like debris in a stream,
you cut me to ribbons
and left me to bleed.
melting alone, showing off white bone,
you can ring that bell
or you can huck in that stone.
on the phone is the voice i've been dying to hear.
there's nothing for you, better luck next year.
when everything was suddenly, utterly clear.
to shut off these shut outs,
i'll cut off this ear.
can you hear this night?
it's starry, starry.
can you see me mouth out
sorry charlie.
there's no good taste
in this art space.
straight porno and snuff films,
i should be disgraced,
well, i'm titillated.
it's tantalizing,
and as i move to the movement,
i'm self-aggrandizing.
i'm filling with air,
i'll float it up there.
a chairman sitting easy on a big easy chair.
so do you like my party tricks?
i trick out clicking sticks
so do you like my party tricks?
i trick out clicking sticks
to get my kicks.
Lyrics submitted by AllStarMe
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
I really love this song, it's such a great example of the lawrence arms' ability to change tempos quicker. so is brickwall views. I love the little baseball sample, too.
ownage
Another good lawrence arms cept the arms have kinda gone emo
no offense, but isn't that what bad astronaut is about, emo?...like a lagwagon alter ego...
how is this song emo whatsoever? it's not even remotely emotional. and i think most songs ARE emotional, even political ones. some people are so obsessed with calling everything emo, it's such a stupid buzzword. anyway, this song does rock, regardless of its genre (or subgenre, or whatever you assholes call it). brendan kelly has a sick vocabulary.
This song's definitely not emo, but does anyone know what this song is actually about?
drewlerman is right. Stop that shit.
I think this song is the perfect example how brendan can play with words. I loved the use of this words even before I knew what some of them meant (english aint my first language). Has anyone seen the video to the song? Its freaking hilarious
Eat this with a bowl of shit cereals
I once read an interview on a German website. There, Brendan says that this song is about friedship and things connected to it; how some things seem important to the one, but mean shit to the other. But I don't quite get all of the vocabulary; yeah, Brendan uses weird words to describe something. Anyway, thius song really kicks ass. I just submitted "Presenting: The Dancing MAchine" to the lyrics. Check it out and make comments, it's another song I can't completely get.
I once read an interview on a German website. There, Brendan says that this song is about friedship and things connected to it; how some things seem important to the one, but mean shit to the other. But I don't quite get all of the vocabulary; yeah, Brendan uses weird words to describe something. Anyway, thius song really kicks ass. I just submitted "Presenting: The Dancing MAchine" to the lyrics. Check it out and make comments, it's another song I can't completely get.