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.
Softly we tremble tonight,
Picture perfect fading smiles are all that's left in site,
I said I'd never leave you'll never change
I'm not satisfied with where I'm at in life.
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
You said, you said that you would die for me….
We made plans to grow old,
Believe me there was truth in all those stories that I told.
Lost in a simple game cat and mouse are we the same people as before this came to light?
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
You said, you said that you would die for me…
You must live for me too'
For me too, yeah, yeah…
You said that you would die for me…
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price
You said, you said that you would die for me…
Picture perfect fading smiles are all that's left in site,
I said I'd never leave you'll never change
I'm not satisfied with where I'm at in life.
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
You said, you said that you would die for me….
We made plans to grow old,
Believe me there was truth in all those stories that I told.
Lost in a simple game cat and mouse are we the same people as before this came to light?
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
You said, you said that you would die for me…
You must live for me too'
For me too, yeah, yeah…
You said that you would die for me…
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price
You said, you said that you would die for me…
Lyrics submitted by germantownrd
Cat and Mouse Lyrics as written by Ronnie Winter
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think this song is about the narrator realising that it is not good for him so keep seeing a certain girl. Sometimes people get too attached to someone and it gets to a point where its not healthy, where the only thing that person cares about is the other person, "you said you would die for me". The price the narrator has to pay is realising it is not healthy for him to remain being with the girl he loves. Seeing as shes very attached to him she is most likely not going to take it very well, so in a way she must go on living for him.
At first i thought it was about love but then i realized it's about heartbreak. But not for the person singing.
I think it's about a guy who really loved this girl. "We made plans to grow old, believe me there was truth in all those stories that I told."
And he wants her to believe that he wasn't lying about all the things he said. He really cared about her, but in the end it wasn't right.
When he says "You said, you said that you would die for me but you must live for me too..."
He's saying that she can't just give up on life. He loves her and he wants her to be happy, but he's no longer in love with her.
In this line
"Am I supposed to be happy? with all I ever wanted, it comes with a price. "
I think he's saying that he has everything he wants now, like maybe the one for him, but he can't be happy because he has to pay the price of his ex getting hurt.
I love this song, it makes me sad though :/
beautiful song. The opening line is wonderful. I think this song is about a relationship where the guy wanted more than the girl was willing to give. LIke he would kind of chase her and try to get her to treat him right and she would toy with him. I expecially love the line "Lost in this simple game, Cat and mouse are we the same people..."
i agree completely, thats what i think of when i hear it too
i think it's the opposite, i think it's more she was giving him more than he wanted with the ever popular "you said that you would die for me" line.
From my view, this song is about a guy who is in a serious relationship with someone and realizes that although he wanted her so badly and more than anything ("all i ever wanted") it's not as perfect and wonderful as he had hoped and it "comes with a price." It sounds like she betrayed him or something and the love and happiness between them is fading. Maybe they're falling out of love. I love this song because it's sad, romantic (if you don't analyze the lyrics too much lol) and a good song. It's a song you can cry to but one you can also slow dance to and sing along to. RJA<3
This song completely touches my heart...
It's when you reach a point in a relationship you've been in where you realize that something is different, due to something specific happening or just something that you finally see; the relationship is crumbling, dissolving right before your eyes.
It's when you're shaking because you feel like everything's ending after all this time because the damage may be irreparable... everything happy is fading so far into the distance that you can barely see it, and you have happy pictures of the two of you around you but you can't connect with those people in the picture anymore-- the you in the picture said you'd never leave, but now that's what you're thinking of doing because the other person won't change and you've tried all you can to fix it, and all that's left is arguments and bitterness, and you're not satisfied with where you're at anymore--you need something to change or grow.
Then you can't help but question why things turned out this way, why nothing good ever happens, or when it does it always has a price to pay. The perfect person turns out to be not-so-perfect, or as you grow they stay in the same place and disapprove of how you've changed, and you find something that makes you happy but at the consequence of division between you and your significant other. It's all you wanted to just be happy--is that too much to ask?--but all you ever get is trouble for it.
And you've made plans to be with that person forever, or get married, and you still mean them, or at least you meant it back when you said it and you still want to mean it now. It wasn't just stories, that was your life you were planning. And you go from grand plans of happiness to a dreary, never-ending game of trying to make the other person react, when you know neither of you will ever really win; you're unequal forces against each other, but nothing ever gets settled. And all you remember is fighting and arguing to the point that you don't even feel like the same person before the thing happened that sent you down this path with them.
Especially when they swore they loved you so much they would die for you, or that they couldn't live without you. But that's easy to say, and it's so much harder to show it, but it's shown by living for that person, every day keeping them in mind and communicating and being considerate, patient, sacrificing, unselfish, involved with their daily life, and really caring for them and their well-being. But that's so hard when you reach a point where you feel you're the only one doing the giving, or when you know you're not really living for them but you justify it because they're not really living for you... it's accusatory, it's asking if they will change to keep that promise they made to you.
For me, this song could end either way; we don't know if his relationship actually dissolves or whether they make up and renew their promises. I'm inclined to believe it didn't work out, and they moved on because of the way people usually are, but on a good day... sometimes i believe in reconciliation. It's tough, but if you can do it you can get out of the situation this song is about...
sorry for writing so much.
I want to thank you for writing so much !<br /> <br /> You really touched my heart with this comment, and even added some more feeling to the song.<br /> <br /> I can't thank you enough.. You helped me move on from my last relationship, which really relates to the song..
Ok guys. I'm a christian here and all that and yes most of their songs have christian elements but "You said, you said that you would die for me" doesn't have to do with Jesus. Jesus didn't say he would die for us, he just did it. You're looking at it in the wrong tense.
I interpret this to be about a failing marriage. Some people here have mentioned marriage but most say that it they were going to get married. The thing is they already are.
Softly we tremble tonight, (uh.. whatever) picture perfect fading smiles are all that's left in sight, (smiles are fading because the honey moon is over so to speak) I said I'd never leave. You'll never change (marriage is a lifelong commitment but there are just some things about his spouse that he doesnt like that will never change and its hard to live with her) I'm not satisfied with where I'm at in life. (self explanatory, see above line, marriage failing)
that was the first paragragh, the rest is self explanatory except a few parts:
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price. (all he ever wanted was to be with this girl forever but the price he pays for having her forever is not loving her as much)
we made plans to grow old, believe me there was truth in all those stories that I told. (plans to grow old- be together forever, the stories he told were about how they would live their lives out together and how much he loved her and he is saying that he meant all that at the time. but now it has changed)
You must live for me, too... (the spouse is incooperative or stubborn to change and is living only for themselves, perhaps not willing to meet half way)
OKAY well that was my interpretation. I am a new user. I am very open to feedback and would love a reply and/or personal message of if you think i am wrong or right or half right etc. Also there was one part that I myself didnt understand. Do any of you know what he means by the "cat and mouse" line? I prefer a personal message because I believe it will send me an email telling me i have a message.
To me the phrase Cat and Mouse seems to be an analogy used so to speak she is the cat chasing the mouse(him) out of the relationship. That is what is seems to be to me I could be wrong or right.
wow i can't believe NO ONE has commented on you guys. well, i guess it's because RJA is a new band.
mmm where to start.
this song is amazing. the harmonizing is amazing. the lyrics are amazing. i felt like crying when i first heard it. (wow, go emo!)
the opening line is perfect: "softly we tremble tonight picture perfect fading smiles are all that's left in site"
"we made plans to grow old...." i've made plans before. and of course, like this song, they didn't work out. so then we ask "am i supposed to be happy? with all i ever wanted, it comes with a price"
everything comes with a price. &sometimes... what you think you want isn't worth it. at all. but we tend to realize these things a little too late in the game.
mm i could go on &on. well done boys, this song is wonderful.
yeeah maaaaan!! what kelli x3 said!
hahahah no but I could relate to this song very much so.
its like realizing that what you wanted from the start, may not be what you really want down the road. Everything does come with a price and sometimes it's a broken dream, or like most times, a broken heart.
This song is 3242 times more beautiful when they perform it live.
I love RJA. Their songs are KICKASS and the lyrics r beautifuly written, especialy in this song. The lyrics really spoke to me and is so true, things do come with a price, and as Scotty Izzo said most of the time, a broken heart. I really could relate to this song and I absolutely love it.