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.
I've been out walking
I don't do too much talking
These days, these days
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do
And all the times I had the chance to.
I've stopped my rambling
I don't do too much gambling
These days, these days
These days I seem to think about
How all the changes came about my ways
And I wonder if I'd see another highway
I had a lover
I don't think I'll risk another
These days, these days
And if I seem to be afraid
To live the life that I have made in song
It's just that I've been losing so long
I've stopped my dreaming
I won't do too much scheming
These days, these days
These days I sit on corner stones
And count the time in quarter tones to ten
Please don't confront me with my failures
I had not forgotten them
I don't do too much talking
These days, these days
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do
And all the times I had the chance to.
I've stopped my rambling
I don't do too much gambling
These days, these days
These days I seem to think about
How all the changes came about my ways
And I wonder if I'd see another highway
I had a lover
I don't think I'll risk another
These days, these days
And if I seem to be afraid
To live the life that I have made in song
It's just that I've been losing so long
I've stopped my dreaming
I won't do too much scheming
These days, these days
These days I sit on corner stones
And count the time in quarter tones to ten
Please don't confront me with my failures
I had not forgotten them
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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
This has been one my favorite Nico songs since I first started listening to her epic voice croon some years ago. She was truly one of a kind. To me this song is about giving up and feeling as though you have failed so much in life...how could you bare to go on and interact with others..it's about the fear of pain that she had become so familiar with.
"Please don't confront me with my failures I have not forgotten them " <3
Most of you are wrong, Jackson Browne wrote this alone when he was sixteen, and released it on his first album, before he and Nico had collaborated. If you listen closely to the lyrics, it's an introspective poem about a kid who's life doesn't seem to be going the right way.
"These days I tend to think a lot about the things that i forgot to do... and all the times I had the chance to."
"don't confront me with my failures"
"And if I seem to be afraid to live the life that I have made and sob Its just that I've been losing so long"
thats my life in a nutshell lately... i love this song and the royal tenenbaums.
check out elliot smith and also the velvet underground... both are awesome.
This song to me, is this person telling someone they havnt seen in along time, and telling them how they've changed and not to bring up the past, and ya I found this song from the Royal Tenenbaums too ^^ I can relate alot with this song
I love this song.. I will always think about Gwenyth getting off the bus in slow motion, when i hear this song. That was a great scene.
This is actually a Jackson Browne song, but ya know whatever.
I first heard it in the Royal Tenenbaums movie too, and that soundtrack is by for one of the best soundtracks ever.
good song, great movie...really let's you feel the connection ritchie has with margot, wes anderson puts scenes and songs together beautifully, if you get a chance check out elliot smith "needle in the hay" it's from the suicide scene. elliot puts out a lot of good music, check out "between the bars" too while your at it
without a doubt! i like that you mentioned between the bars even though its not in the movie... its one of my favorites.
Who hasn't felt this way? My favorite part is the very last "Please don't confront me with my failures, I've not forgotten them"
"these days" was on jackson browne's album "for everyman", released in 1973. "these days" was originally released on nico's "chelsea girl" album in 1968.
paul morrissey arranged for nico to sing in a small bar underneath the dom called stanley's. after a few weeks of nico singing alone unknown folk singer tim buckley was hired to accompany her. later he was replaced with an unknown jackson browne who morrissey discovered sitting at the bar - jackson browne having come there to hear tim buckley. browne ended up writing some of the tracks on nico's first solo album, chelsea girl as well as performing on it. jackson browne then lived with nico for a bit.
Well Jackson Browne wrote it but Nico's version was the original. It's a great song about someone relaxing in life and learning to not take slow down.