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.
We were talking
About the space between us all
And the people
Who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth
Then it's far too late
When they pass away
We were talking
About the love we all could share
When we find it
To try our best to hold it there
With our love, with our love
We could save the world
If they only knew
Try to realize it's all within yourself
No one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small
And life flows on within you and without you
We were talking
About the love that's gone so cold
And the people
Who gain the world and lose their soul
They don't know
They can't see
Are you one of them?
When you've seen beyond yourself then you may find
Peace of mind is waiting there
And the time will come when you see we're all one
And life flows on within you and without you
About the space between us all
And the people
Who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth
Then it's far too late
When they pass away
We were talking
About the love we all could share
When we find it
To try our best to hold it there
With our love, with our love
We could save the world
If they only knew
Try to realize it's all within yourself
No one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small
And life flows on within you and without you
We were talking
About the love that's gone so cold
And the people
Who gain the world and lose their soul
They don't know
They can't see
Are you one of them?
When you've seen beyond yourself then you may find
Peace of mind is waiting there
And the time will come when you see we're all one
And life flows on within you and without you
Lyrics submitted by Ice, edited by MrBigChees
Within You Without You Lyrics as written by George Harrison
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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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"
I Can't Go To Sleep
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
No Surprises
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Just A Little Lovin'
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
I really like this song, and maybe I'm one of the few, but I think George Harrison was just as brilliant as John Lennon, in his own way.
""When you’ve seen beyond yourself - Then you may find peace of mind, is waiting there - And the time will come when you see we’re all one, And life flows on within you and without you."
perfect metaphor for an LSD/shroom trip. "
Not everything is about drugs. It pisses me off how people always relate everything to drugs, sure this album has a lot to do with drugs, but i find that verse to be totally spiritual, actually i think this whole song is. it's just an enlightening song, and it's brilliant. it's one of my 2 all time favorite songs. my other favorite song is Occapella by Van Dyke Parks
I'm in the same boat, people like that piss me off to no fucking end.
Song interpretation is up to the individual. If someone reads it like its about drugs, then that's what it means to THEM. Don't knock someone for interpreting art. Anyway, great song. I think that it does incorporate some references about drugs or religion. If you have taken psychedelics than you can definitely relate to lines like, "And to see your really only very small/and life flows within you and without you" or "and the time will come when you see we're all one" and others. However I think it is more of a calling out to the world. "with our love, with our love we could save the world/if they only knew" Man that line is so powerful, made even so much better by how it is delivered. I think that lyric and the song totally encompasses the feeling of the hippie counterculture movement at that time. Love was the mantra for the whole movement and they truly believed that it could and will save the world from the pitfalls of humanity; war, violence, racism, hatred, etc. Sadly drug abuse kinda killed the movement. Great message, beautiful song; definitely one of my favorites.
The music here is very ..shall I say.. eastern, and most people can't stand it...
I didn't like any of George's Sitar experiments except for this one. Mainly, he sings directly from the heart, not just the music, but the worlds, the expression..
"If they only knew"... I think he must have known that his utopia would not catch on in the world.. But this song expresses that utopia, and it's a great place to go, in the hussle and bussle of everyday life, it can be an antibiotic against machinism. But please, do not take too much of this antibiotic.
a note on the conversation about hallucinogens:
lsd and shrooms do help some people to realize some of the concepts mentioned in this song. however, these are not the only ways of consciousness expansion. deeply spiritual people know this. this song may not be about drugs, but it parallels some of the things some people experience when they take certain drugs.
This song indeed does decribe an LSD or shrrom trip in the sense that we as the world are one, and if we all come together to realize this our co-existence withh be more peaceful. "When you�ve seen beyond yourself - Then you may find peace of mind, is waiting there - And the time will come when you see we�re all one, And life flows on within you and without you. "
If you do trip with the sole intent of discovering yourself, the meaning of life, the universe, whatever, You will understand this song in its entirety. The song can be proven to be about a trip and i can not be abouot one, its all how you loook at it. I personally have had a mind blowing shroom trip, and this song describes whan my friend and I discussed word for word. So in conclusion, its not dierectly about tripping, it can be about the experience from tripping as well as a way to view the world and how we coexist.
Let me correct myself again. George does play the sitar. I shuld research before I say stupid things.
yeah george is playin the sitar part. he learned to play sitar from Pt. Ravi Shankar. he visited India for six weeks to study sitar under Shankar
wow, i really screwed up how i wanted to say that.
it blew my mind. i love it a lot. and i love the indian style it has.
there we go, forgive me, i haven't had an adequate amount of sleep.
this is a perfect example of how george was just as much of a musical genious as john and paul. This song speaks to everyone who has ever experienced a trip. i wish everyone could just have 1 good trip, everything would be put into perspective for you, and you would have a much more satisfied and fulfilling life. and the world would be a better place because of it
This song amazingly exemplifies pure musical genious. The sitar in this is awesome. Not only is the music great, but the lyrics are too. You can fit so many meanings into this. This is just an awesome song! I've been a fan of it since the summer of '02.
I love this song so much.