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'm a street-walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm
I'm a runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb
I am a world's forgotten boy
The one who searches and destroys
Honey, gotta help me, please
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby, detonate for me, ow
Look out, honey, 'cause I'm using technology
Ain't got time to make no apology
Solar radiation in the dead of night
Love in the middle of a fire fight
Honey, gotta strike me blind
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby, penetrate my mind
And I'm the world's forgotten boy
The one who's searchin', searchin' to destroy
And, honey, I'm the world's forgotten boy
The one who's searchin' only to destroy, hey
Hey, hey
Hey, hey
Look out, honey, 'cause I'm using technology
Ain't got time to make no apology
Solar radiation in the dead of night
Love in the middle of a fire fight
Honey, gotta strike me blind
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby, penetrate my mind
And I'm the world's forgotten boy
The one who's searchin', searchin' to destroy
And, honey, I'm the world's forgotten boy
The one who's searchin', searchin' to destroy
Forgotten boy, forgotten boy
Forgotten boy said, uh
Hey, forgotten boy, said
Hey, hey, hey, hey
I'm a runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb
I am a world's forgotten boy
The one who searches and destroys
Honey, gotta help me, please
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby, detonate for me, ow
Look out, honey, 'cause I'm using technology
Ain't got time to make no apology
Solar radiation in the dead of night
Love in the middle of a fire fight
Honey, gotta strike me blind
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby, penetrate my mind
And I'm the world's forgotten boy
The one who's searchin', searchin' to destroy
And, honey, I'm the world's forgotten boy
The one who's searchin' only to destroy, hey
Hey, hey
Hey, hey
Look out, honey, 'cause I'm using technology
Ain't got time to make no apology
Solar radiation in the dead of night
Love in the middle of a fire fight
Honey, gotta strike me blind
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby, penetrate my mind
And I'm the world's forgotten boy
The one who's searchin', searchin' to destroy
And, honey, I'm the world's forgotten boy
The one who's searchin', searchin' to destroy
Forgotten boy, forgotten boy
Forgotten boy said, uh
Hey, forgotten boy, said
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Lyrics submitted by AngelDust20, edited by losttomusicDAC
Search and Destroy Lyrics as written by James Williamson James Osterberg
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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"
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This is indeed a great song. As one who was born in 1955, we saw the Viet Nam war constantly on TV in the late 60s and early 70s. The phrase “search and destroy” describes a routine type of Viet Nam mission for US troops, which we heard about over and over again. The phrase “fire fight” was also used extensively in media coverage of the war. The lyric “love in the middle of a fire fight” is probably my favorite of any song, ever. It says “fuck you” to misguided authority in a very positive way.
I can't believe no one has commented on this song. I'd say it's probably the greatest song of the punk era. It's destruction/alienation theme seems to forshadow "Fight Club" by 25 years. Truely, this is what rock is meant to be.
"I am the world's forgotten boy"--now that's a fucking good line.
Not only is it probably the greatest punk song ever but in my opinion one of the most powerful and moving songs recorded in any genre. As it stands now, Search & Destroy is my favorite song of all time.
there's amazing power contained in this song. the stooges were way before their time. this is better than most shit made before and after it.
as butterboy said, one of the best songs of punk
Not only one of the best songs of punk but one of the first ever punk songs. Iggy was doing punk before there ever was such a thing. He had a sound that would be used a decade later by bands like the Ramones.
This was the first Iggy/ Stooges song I heard. My boyfriend made me listen to it and I fell in love with it :) Really great song Favorite lines: "The one who searches and destroys Honey gotta help me please Somebody gotta save my soul"
This song's great. The guitar solo/intro bit rocks. I'm not too sure about what the lyrics mean. The thing about Veitnam makes sense, though.
fav line:
Look out honey, 'cause I'm using technology
easily their best song. There's also a You Am I live version of it too.
Personally i think its about the alienation of youth by warmongering governments and the pointlessness of it all.
iggy says in the raw power liner notes that "heart full of napalm" was intended as a direct reference to heroin. Song is definitly about embracing nihilism.