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.
Someone told me you'd be here
Whispering these familiar things
Talking to my little pet, smoking the same old cigarettes
I would have laughed
I saw you last in summertime
You said you hated long goodbyes
You said, "There's nothing to explain, in every life a little rain"
Etcetera
And a long-forgotten fairytale is in your eyes again
And I'm caught inside a dream world where the colors are too intense
And nothing is making sense
There's a floating town of ire down in a mist of mystery
There's an old enchanted castle and the princess there is me
Decked-out like a Christmas tree
I guess you've had your little joke
But I have lost my sense of humor
My medication's wearing off, for it's just not strong enough
To cover this
Then you kissed me like before
I found myself wanting more
And you tell that little lie that kept me hypnotized
Another kiss
And a long-forgotten fairytale is in your eyes again
And I'm caught inside a dream world where the colors are too intense
And nothing is making sense
There's a floating town of ire down in a mist of mystery
There's an old enchanted castle and the princess there is me
Decked-out like a Christmas tree
If somebody told me I'd succumb
If someone said I'd be so dumb
After all the sleepless nights, when I turned on all the lights
I would have hit them
But I have turned the other cheek
My voice trembles, my knees are weak
And you beat me once again
And I know what happens then
You raise the ante
And a long-forgotten fairytale is in your eyes again
And I'm caught inside a dream world where the colors are too intense
And nothing is making sense
Whispering these familiar things
Talking to my little pet, smoking the same old cigarettes
I would have laughed
I saw you last in summertime
You said you hated long goodbyes
You said, "There's nothing to explain, in every life a little rain"
Etcetera
And a long-forgotten fairytale is in your eyes again
And I'm caught inside a dream world where the colors are too intense
And nothing is making sense
There's a floating town of ire down in a mist of mystery
There's an old enchanted castle and the princess there is me
Decked-out like a Christmas tree
I guess you've had your little joke
But I have lost my sense of humor
My medication's wearing off, for it's just not strong enough
To cover this
Then you kissed me like before
I found myself wanting more
And you tell that little lie that kept me hypnotized
Another kiss
And a long-forgotten fairytale is in your eyes again
And I'm caught inside a dream world where the colors are too intense
And nothing is making sense
There's a floating town of ire down in a mist of mystery
There's an old enchanted castle and the princess there is me
Decked-out like a Christmas tree
If somebody told me I'd succumb
If someone said I'd be so dumb
After all the sleepless nights, when I turned on all the lights
I would have hit them
But I have turned the other cheek
My voice trembles, my knees are weak
And you beat me once again
And I know what happens then
You raise the ante
And a long-forgotten fairytale is in your eyes again
And I'm caught inside a dream world where the colors are too intense
And nothing is making sense
Lyrics submitted by Anne Arbour, edited by goodbyemisery
Long-Forgotten Fairytale Lyrics as written by Stephen Raymond Merritt
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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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This songis brilliant. I heard this song before knnowing Meritt was gay and just thought 'I must be going insane, but I can swear he's singing about a man'. It's so cool the way he can talk about a man without actually using any words specifically.I mean, I read the lyrics and tried to imagine it about a woman, but it sounded so wrong in my head. Prolly because it sounded so right the other way around. Beautiful song, so much feeling disguised, it's almost painful. How he makes everything sound so unimportant...