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.
Eu quis cantar minha canção iluminada de sol
Soltei os panos sobre os mastros no ar
Soltei os tigres e os leões nos quintais
Mas as pessoas na sala de jantar
São ocupadas em nascer e morrer
Mandei fazer de puro aço luminoso um punhal
Para matar o meu amor e matei
Às cinco horas na avenida central
Mas as pessoas da sala de jantar
São ocupadas em nascer e morrer
Mandei plantar folhas de sonhos no jardim do solar
As folhas sabem procurar pelo sol
E as raízes procurar, procurar
Mas as pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
São as pessoas da sala de jantar
Mas as pessoas da sala de jantar
São ocupadas em nascer e morrer
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala
Me passa a salada por favor
O pão por favor, só mais um pedacinho
Soltei os panos sobre os mastros no ar
Soltei os tigres e os leões nos quintais
Mas as pessoas na sala de jantar
São ocupadas em nascer e morrer
Mandei fazer de puro aço luminoso um punhal
Para matar o meu amor e matei
Às cinco horas na avenida central
Mas as pessoas da sala de jantar
São ocupadas em nascer e morrer
Mandei plantar folhas de sonhos no jardim do solar
As folhas sabem procurar pelo sol
E as raízes procurar, procurar
Mas as pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
São as pessoas da sala de jantar
Mas as pessoas da sala de jantar
São ocupadas em nascer e morrer
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala de jantar
Essas pessoas da sala
Me passa a salada por favor
O pão por favor, só mais um pedacinho
Lyrics submitted by girlboyrevolt
Panis et Circenses Lyrics as written by Caetano Emmanuel Viana Telles Veloso Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
"I wanted to sing a song enlightened by the sun I've left the clothes upon the flag poles in the air I've the tigers and lions out in the backyard But the people in the dinning room are busy at getting born and dying I ordered a pure-steel bright dagger to kill my love and i did at 5 o'clock on the central avenue But the people in the dinner room are busy at getting born and dying I ordered they to plant dream leaves in the solar garden the leaves know how to look for teh sun and the root, look for, look for but the people in the dinning room those people in the dinning room but the people in the dinning room are busy getting born and dying.
well, i tried to translate it... but as you can see, my english sucks hard. well, i tried... pretty good for a self-taught, huh? no? okay... ^^
dear junin,<br /> only 3.5 years late! <br /> your english is perfect, only it's "dining room", not "dinning room". <br /> thanks for your excellent translation!
@junin Great translation! I agree your English is much better than sucky! :-) Here is my translation. Just a few updates.<br /> <br /> I wanted to sing a song filled with sunlight<br /> I set free sails into the air<br /> I set free tigers and the lions in the yard<br /> But the people in the dining room<br /> Are busy being born and dying<br /> I ordered a pure, bright steel dagger<br /> To kill my love, and I killed<br /> At 5 o’clock on Main Street<br /> But the people in the dining room<br /> Are busy being born and dying<br /> I planted herbs(??) in the greenhouse<br /> The leaves know how to find the sun<br /> And the roots search and search<br /> But the people in the dining room<br /> Are busy being born and dying<br /> But the people in the dining room<br /> Are busy being born and dying
This is, clearly, about people who don't care to think. The title is about the roman empire story, which relates to the rest of the song as the 'people in the dining room' are satisfyied with borning and dying. They don't think. They think, but about futile things like sex, money, etc. Actually they don't care to think, they are alienated.
the strophe which says- Eu quis cantar Minha canção iluminada de sol Soltei os panos sobre os mastros no ar Soltei os tigres e os leões nos quintais Mas as pessoas na sala de jantar São ocupadas em nascer e morrer
and
Mandei fazer De puro aço luminoso um punhal Para matar o meu amor e matei Às cinco horas na Avenida Central Mas as pessoas na sala de jantar São ocupadas em nascer e morrer
The writter, although trying to write a intelligent song, although singing his 'canção iluminada de sol' and although 'killing his love at 5:00 in the central avenue', can't get any merit, because the people on the dining room won't think about it. They are all occupied in borning and dying.
@cacachanel Yup! My interpretation is right on with yours. I think once you get the Roman reference in the title the meaning of the song comes together.
this song is far too gorgeous for its own good.
Bread and circuses. The people don't care what nasty stuff their leaders are doing because they have their cheap entertainment or whatever.
Look out for old clips of Os Mutantes on Brazilian TV shows and remember the military junta of the time. Then go forth and be subversive!
Great song.I think it's about someone looking for more interesting things in life,freedom,somethinhg out of ordinary,these kinds of things,but the government(pessoas da sala de jantar) does everything they can to make you an ordinary person,with ordinary,stupid and foolish thoughts."nascer e morrer" = "be born and die" = in my understanding,it is to be ordinary,be the kind of human being,they show in Science books.
ok...so i'll start, i guess. this song starts off with a horns! then some vocals sounding like somebody sleeping (snores and zzzzz's) then we're cast off into melododious....melody of a verse. this melody is sticking to me. this melody has been stuck to me. then mas as pessoas da sala de jantas/mas as pessoas de sala de jantar/mas as pessoas de sala de jantar/mas as pessoas de sala de jantar which i am truely grateful for. you have no idea. the end gets a bit beatle-ish and i'm cool with it.
as to the meaning of the song....i don't get portugese and i won't go babelfishing either.
This song, this song got me into Os Mutantes. Before this song I was lost :)
this song is SO fantastic
Yeah jantar is the dinner verb in Portuguese.
thanks Junin, along with the google translation, your translation was very helpful.
Here's how google translated:
I wanted to sing a song of sunshine illuminated Soltei the panels on the masts in the air Soltei the tigers and lions in backyards But people in the dining room They are employed in birth and death Mandei make a bright pure steel dagger To kill my love and killed At five o'clock in the central avenue But people in the dining room They are employed in birth and death Mandei plant leaves in the garden of dreams of solar Leaves know for by the sun And the roots look, look But people in the dining room These people in the dining room But people in the dining room They are employed in birth and death
I guess "Mandei" meand "I ordered" which google missed.
A very interesting band- I wish I could understand more portuguese, because they definitely seem to deliver some interesting lyrics from translations and the english "baby." This stuff remains relevant- "Tigers and Lions in the backyard while people are busy in the dining room getting born and dying" "Bread and Circuses" "WalMart and WWF"
don't trust google translation. junin's translation is just fine ;)