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.
Despite everything you've heard
You still get what you deserve
The world just can't find the words
To tell you what they think about you
The bus comes every morning
Under long lists of reasons
Everyday you're still sleeping
And everyday it leaves without you
Now you're talking on the phone with all your angry friends
It really doesn't matter what you say to them
Because when you hang up
Everything will feel just like a dream
But until you do
Let's keep it between you and me
Despite everything you heard
From the bumblebees and the mockingbirds
There still aren't any words
To all the songs they wrote about you
The bus comes early in the morning
You are forever sleeping
And even with your reasons
It's still gonna leave without you
Now I see you going out with all your useless friends
You know it doesn't matter what you do with them
Because when you come home
Everything will just have been a dream
But until you do
Let's keep it between you and me
I hear your conversations with your boring friends
It really doesn't matter what you're telling them
Cause you'll be sleeping over when the party ends
And we'll wake up tomorrow and we'll start again
And anything outside of that is just pretend
And if you tell them different then you're lyin'
The things that people say don't make no difference
Now we can talk it over or just go to bed
Or we can go to all the places where the money's spent
And buy whatever new distraction that the suits invent
They know the demographic that we represent
Because they heard all of our secrets through the heating vent
So write another song about your discontent
And wax nostalgic for a time less turbulent
With metaphors like closet doors that won't open
And you can use your list of words that rhyme with 'opulent'
Now someone said that you should throw in 'malcontent'
Maybe somebody can tell us where the liquor went
And we can raise our glasses while they raise our rent
And search for a solution that's more permanent
But there isn't any doctor or a medicine
That's gonna make you feel less insignificant
Another bunch of words that you can soon forget
Another bunch of crooks disguised as gentlemen
Now you wonder why the notes are always bruised and bent
You think that it's your song but it's your instrument
You want to turn invisible and try again
I'll kiss you in the kitchen and I'll count to ten
And then when you wake up
All of this will just have been a dream
But until you do
Let's keep it between you and me
You still get what you deserve
The world just can't find the words
To tell you what they think about you
The bus comes every morning
Under long lists of reasons
Everyday you're still sleeping
And everyday it leaves without you
Now you're talking on the phone with all your angry friends
It really doesn't matter what you say to them
Because when you hang up
Everything will feel just like a dream
But until you do
Let's keep it between you and me
Despite everything you heard
From the bumblebees and the mockingbirds
There still aren't any words
To all the songs they wrote about you
The bus comes early in the morning
You are forever sleeping
And even with your reasons
It's still gonna leave without you
Now I see you going out with all your useless friends
You know it doesn't matter what you do with them
Because when you come home
Everything will just have been a dream
But until you do
Let's keep it between you and me
I hear your conversations with your boring friends
It really doesn't matter what you're telling them
Cause you'll be sleeping over when the party ends
And we'll wake up tomorrow and we'll start again
And anything outside of that is just pretend
And if you tell them different then you're lyin'
The things that people say don't make no difference
Now we can talk it over or just go to bed
Or we can go to all the places where the money's spent
And buy whatever new distraction that the suits invent
They know the demographic that we represent
Because they heard all of our secrets through the heating vent
So write another song about your discontent
And wax nostalgic for a time less turbulent
With metaphors like closet doors that won't open
And you can use your list of words that rhyme with 'opulent'
Now someone said that you should throw in 'malcontent'
Maybe somebody can tell us where the liquor went
And we can raise our glasses while they raise our rent
And search for a solution that's more permanent
But there isn't any doctor or a medicine
That's gonna make you feel less insignificant
Another bunch of words that you can soon forget
Another bunch of crooks disguised as gentlemen
Now you wonder why the notes are always bruised and bent
You think that it's your song but it's your instrument
You want to turn invisible and try again
I'll kiss you in the kitchen and I'll count to ten
And then when you wake up
All of this will just have been a dream
But until you do
Let's keep it between you and me
Lyrics submitted by michaelbondy
When the Party Ends Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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,
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
This is one of my favorite songs. I spent about 30 minutes typing out the lyrics ready to submit them before I found that they were already here.
I think that this song is making a statement about a person trying to escape their life by trying to be rebellious, skipping school, work, and going out and talking with their "friends", who are really just stupid assholes. "When you wake up everything will just have been a dream" is a statement that the life said person is trying to lead is artificial and they know it but don't want to acknowledge it, and so they continue to live a false, ungratifying life. I don't quite understand how everything ties into it though.
The last part of the song, where the singer begins to speed up and the music builds up layer by layer, is just profoundly touching.
"Now you wonder why the notes are always bruised and bent You think that it's your song but it's your instrument"
This song is probably my favorite off "Every Night."
i love it.
'They know the demographic that we represent Because they heard all of our secrets through the heating vent'
I think this song shows a dualistic view on life. On one hand he is saying how society (angry friends) and the materiastic life (distractions that the suits invent) all mean nothing. However, whatever reason you have you still have to (get on the bus) live life. But, i'm no expert...i just love this song and I have had the end of it in my head for a week.
This song is about someone who could easily be most people. They are caught up in the trivialities of life that the powers of this world would have you believe are important such as the many social constrants we as a western society feel to be justified.
The song describes the person sensing the walls of the mind prison without actually being able to see them and hence not knowing how to escape.
The person is lacking serious spiritualism or conception of their place within a world which, even with all its human constructed rules and laws, ultimately doesn't make sense.
The line: "Let's keep it between you and me"
Is the singer explaining how to actually express these inner concerns could be dangerous as people are likely to pass you off as different or (for fear of sounding sterotypical), non-conformist. Being percieved as such is likely to increase anxiety so he's suggesting that you just keep it between those who understand these issues.