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.
I heard that you went out last night
And you looked beautiful
Just like a bat beneath the moonlight
I stayed home took a Vicodin
Sometimes it's all that I can do
When I think about the president
How did he become the president?
And I stayed awake for a day or two
I thought about the world
Drank gin and watched the news
And there are some things I'll never understand
Why a country needs a god and a woman needs a man
And you never write me letters
And you never sent my sweaters
So I could stay warm when I was without you
Without you I don't sleep
Just dream...
And I scratched these words into a black notebook
I wrote your name on top, I knew you'd never look
I tried my best to fight the atmosphere
To think the happy thoughts that leave the phone lines clear
I see Arizona stars from here
But Peter Pan is miles away
And you never write me letters
And you never sent my sweaters
So I could stay warm when I was without you
Without you I don't have
A place that's safe from all the monsters
That hide in my head & sing me to sleep
Sleep
This is the last straw
"This is the last straw," she said,
"I won't wait for you forever
While you run around like JFK.
We watched that poor girl waste the best years of her life
And I'll be damned if I'm going out,
I will not go out that way."
And you never write me letters
And you never sent my sweaters
So you could stay warm when I was gone
Without you I don't have
A place that's safe from all the monsters
That hide in my head & keep me 'til dawn
I think this is the last straw
And you looked beautiful
Just like a bat beneath the moonlight
I stayed home took a Vicodin
Sometimes it's all that I can do
When I think about the president
How did he become the president?
And I stayed awake for a day or two
I thought about the world
Drank gin and watched the news
And there are some things I'll never understand
Why a country needs a god and a woman needs a man
And you never write me letters
And you never sent my sweaters
So I could stay warm when I was without you
Without you I don't sleep
Just dream...
And I scratched these words into a black notebook
I wrote your name on top, I knew you'd never look
I tried my best to fight the atmosphere
To think the happy thoughts that leave the phone lines clear
I see Arizona stars from here
But Peter Pan is miles away
And you never write me letters
And you never sent my sweaters
So I could stay warm when I was without you
Without you I don't have
A place that's safe from all the monsters
That hide in my head & sing me to sleep
Sleep
This is the last straw
"This is the last straw," she said,
"I won't wait for you forever
While you run around like JFK.
We watched that poor girl waste the best years of her life
And I'll be damned if I'm going out,
I will not go out that way."
And you never write me letters
And you never sent my sweaters
So you could stay warm when I was gone
Without you I don't have
A place that's safe from all the monsters
That hide in my head & keep me 'til dawn
I think this is the last straw
Lyrics submitted by nikki04
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Just A Little Lovin'
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Dusty Springfield
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/
And you never sent my sweaters So I could stay warm when I was without you
i adore this song.. its a shame it wont be on Everything In Transit, but i love it just the same!
I think this song is about a guy who lost his girl because he cheated on her. Hes deeply inlove and obsessed with her, but shes had enough, hence "this is the last straw"
i think his reference to the president, is the new boy in his ex's life.. as the president is known as someone important and powerful to someone, just as the other person in a relationship can be.. "Why a country needs a god and a woman needs a man" i think this line, is talking about why she needs someone else.. that she got over him so quickly and now has someone new.. her president if you will... "To think the happy thoughts that leave the phone lines clear" shes not keeping in contact after he left him, and if she is.. theyre not talking nicely to each other .. and finally "I won't wait for you forever While you run around like JFK. We watched that poor girl waste the best years of her life And I'll be damned if I'm going out, I will not go out that way."
this part is referring to how JFK cheated on his wife with marilyne monroe, and how the wife stayed there, yet wasted the "best years of her life".. shes not going to live that way.. bascally, she is telling him straightup, she wont stick around much longer.. this is the last straw
one of my favorite songs by far and it just happened to be there at the right time.
andrew mcmahon is a genius and then some.
Actually, sweetflourescent, I'm going to back slowdance up with the whole JFK thing. The lyric is "run around like JFK", not "through" or "from" or whatever. And the next line says "we watched that poor girl waste the best years of her life." I don't see how you don't see that. That said, I definitely agree with you about the lines about the president and how a "woman needs a man."
I could be totally wrong, but here's my take.
It's blatantly obvious (As several have already states) that this song is about the friction that is caused by them being apart. His girlfriend doesn't like that he is on the road 24/7 and that he can't be with her all the time. She wants him to focus on her instead of what he is doing, but he just can't or maybe he does but it never seems enough for her.
This song is probably based off of his real life. Several of the songs he wrote with SoCo revolve around the theme of being away from the person you love as well because of being on the road constantly.
from breakmyself--> "And you're in pieces As your world becomes a rainstorm You've got no shelter I'm a thousand miles away If you survive the day
You say your leaving You say your leaving
Well, I'm willing to break myself To shake this hell from everything I touch I'm willing to bleed for days my... reds and grays So you don't hurt so much "
"I had these dreams that I might learn to play guitar maybe across the country - become a rockstar and there was hope in me that I could take you there but dammit you're so young well I don't think I care and if I hurt you then I'm sorry please don't think that this was easy..."
one note, where was this song released? Was it on a single? or an import version of the album? I didn't even know it existed til i decided to check lyrics online instead of just looking at the cd booklet...
oh, the second set of lyrics I quoted was taken from Konstantine, but anyone listening to Jack's Mannequin should know where those lyrics are from without having to have someone tell them! :-)
i think the most beautiful part of this song as of now.. is
"Without you I don't sleep Just dream..."
i agree with obbo, i also have to say... the site is called SONGMEANINGS, so please STOP THE WHOLE " I LOVE THIS SONG, i listened to it first before all of you and i can't wait until another song comes out "
seriously.. atleast say what you like about the song, it even has instructions/prompt where you type!!!!!! WHAT DOES THIS SONG MEAN TO YOU?
this song made me realize how beautiful a simple sweater is,
"So I could stay warm when I was without you"
where can i fnd this song...?
littlestar82, since you're obviously a super person (you've totally got the same birthday as me)... hit me up on myspace & we can work something out!