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.
You're on your own my little nightmare, you cannot stay here
It's far too bright for you
If they attack you, just lay there
Play dead dear, it's your only hope of pulling through
And seconds, they seem like a lifetime
A dream, recurring, a dream that can't come true
And they'll pin it all on you
After all you've been put through
"Sadie G, she's crazy, see?"
That's what the white coats say
Now, Ms. Susan A, you're losing
Every opportunity to put us all away
You run along, my little nightmare
Your job is done here
You've scared them all to death
If they revive them, just sit there
Just smile dear, make them thankful for every breath
The sentence may seem like a lifetime
A scream, that's curdling the blood they found on you
And your knives and clothing too
Charlie's broken .22
"Sadie G, she's crazy, see?"
That's what the white coats say
Now, Ms. Susan A, you're losing
Every opportunity
Well, they found you and they shipped you up the river
The same way that you've bound and gagged
You've shot and stabbed
You tried to set 'em free, but they've thrown away the keys
"He represented a God to me, that was so beautiful
That I'd do anything for him
I'd do anything for God
Even murder, if I believed it was right, how could it not be right
If it was done with love?
I have no remorse for doing what was right to me, I have no guilt in me"
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
It's far too bright for you
If they attack you, just lay there
Play dead dear, it's your only hope of pulling through
And seconds, they seem like a lifetime
A dream, recurring, a dream that can't come true
And they'll pin it all on you
After all you've been put through
"Sadie G, she's crazy, see?"
That's what the white coats say
Now, Ms. Susan A, you're losing
Every opportunity to put us all away
You run along, my little nightmare
Your job is done here
You've scared them all to death
If they revive them, just sit there
Just smile dear, make them thankful for every breath
The sentence may seem like a lifetime
A scream, that's curdling the blood they found on you
And your knives and clothing too
Charlie's broken .22
"Sadie G, she's crazy, see?"
That's what the white coats say
Now, Ms. Susan A, you're losing
Every opportunity
Well, they found you and they shipped you up the river
The same way that you've bound and gagged
You've shot and stabbed
You tried to set 'em free, but they've thrown away the keys
"He represented a God to me, that was so beautiful
That I'd do anything for him
I'd do anything for God
Even murder, if I believed it was right, how could it not be right
If it was done with love?
I have no remorse for doing what was right to me, I have no guilt in me"
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
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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"
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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.
This song is about Sadie Glutz aka Susan Atkins of the Manson Family.
i'm glad they put this on crimson. it's obviously about the manson family susan and sadie charlie's broken .22 and it explains this song on thier site. and other songs. check it out, and read helter skelter.
That's what the insert of the Promo says:
You’re on your own my little nightmare, you cannot stay here It’s far too bright for you. If they attack you just lay there, Play dead dear, it’s your only hope of pulling through. And seconds they seem like a lifetime. A dream, recurring, a dream that can’t come true. And they’ll pin it all on you after all you’ve been put through. “Sadie G. She’s crazy, see?” that’s what the white coats say. Now Ms. Susan A. you’re losing every opportunity to put us all away. You’re on your own my little nightmare. Your job is done here. You’ve scared them all to death. If they revive them just sit here. Just smile dear. Make them thankful for every breath. This sentence may seem like a lifetime, a scream, that curdling The blood they found on you. And your knives and clothing too. Charlie’s broken .22 Well they found you and they shipped you up the river the same way That you bound and gagged. You shot and stabbed. You tried to set them free, but they’ve thrown away the keys.
Where can I hear this?
buy the split with one man army
It's a great song. Trio's long time merch girl Heather Hannoura reads Sadie's little confession thing during the bridge.
This is one of Matt's best written songs.....He even gives us a rare guitar solo that isn't just chords.....good stuff
best song on the split
My favorite on the split too :D
I heard this song live for the first time on the punkvoter tour, it gave me chills at the end of the song when he said..."You know the light at the end of the tunnel you see when you die? I think i just saw it..."