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.
My exit, observed, my homesickness, absurd, I said "water," expecting a word would satisfy my thirst! talking all about the second and third when I haven't understood the first. jonah, where's that boat going- your ship set with eager sail? there's a swirling storm soon blowing, and no use, fishermen, in rowing from a consecrated wale! just like the clouds bring a darkness and a hard rains gunna fall I felt the crowds bring a loneliness and a hard rain's gonna fall. she always weighed me down, but, afraid I might need her, I dragged her around (it's best to keep close sackcloth and ash in a whitewashed town) she wore that phony smile on her face, I guess I like a bandageon a wounded place while I kept the keys to every old lock just in case, rehearsed indifference tossed aside out narrow arms spread wide, "what unseen pen etched eternal things on the hearts of humankind - but never let them in our minds?" like the clouds bring a darkness and a hard rain's gonna fall and all my laughter ends in emptiness and a hard rain's gonna fall. my every medicine caused more illness and a hard rain's gonna fall but until I let you go I didn't know. you were never mine at all but now I spend my days in ever-increasingly complicated ways convinving myself of the rightness of each word I say my exit. unfair if unobserved! ya sabur subhannallahi a'udhu billahi minash-shaitanir-rajim. al-hamdu lilllah. bismillahir rahmanir rahim
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Light Up The Sky
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Dreamwalker
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Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
I Can't Go To Sleep
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Wu-Tang Clan
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.
Punchline
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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.
way to not stanza.
an Islamic prayer: "O Patient One, geatness belongs to God. In the name of God, I renounce Satan. All praise belongs to God. I begin in the name of God, most compassionate, most merciful."
there you guys go. i love this song so much. it's probably my favourite on the album at the moment.
" Oh Most Patient, Glory be to Thee (you), I seek refuge in you from Satan the accursed. Praise be to Allah (God). In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Compassionate/Merciful."
The quote "what unseen pen etched eternal things on the hearts of humankind, but never let them in our minds?" is another way of phrasing the Biblical passage Ecclesiastes 3:11
I absolutely LOVE this song, but there's one thing about it that bothers me... a "great fish" swallowed jonah, not a whale. just saying, just saying.
im pretty sure aaron knows it was a fish, i would think they just changed it because there is more music in the word "whale" then there is in "fish". . . as the daughter of a poet thats my assessment, but who knows
really good song. does anyone know what the last part means?
i have no idea i really want to know though
i love the way he says.. "when i haven't understood the first" hahah SO GOOD. im so obsessed with this cd. I wanna see em' live.
I just saw mwY last night in Cleveland. Before they played this song Aaron mentioned that it is about his mom.
aaron weiss and josh scogin are possibly the two best lyricists in music today. well, they are in my opinion, and, mine is the only one that counts for me.