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.
Do you remember the time when I found a human tooth down on Delancey?
Hey, remember that time we decided to kiss anywhere except the mouth?
Hey, remember that time when my favorite colors were pink and green?
Hey, remember that month when I only ate boxes of tangerines?
So cheap and juicy
Hey, remember that time when I would only read Shakespeare?
Hey, remember that other time when I would only read the backs of cereal boxes?
Hey, remember that time I tried to save a pigeon with a broken wing?
A street cat got him by morning, and I had to bury pieces of his body in my building's playground
I thought I was going to be sick
Hey, remember that time when I would only smoke Parliaments?
Hey, remember that time when I would only smoke Marlboros?
Hey, remember that time when I would only smoke Camels?
Hey, remember that time when I was broke?
I didn't care; I just bummed from my friends
Bum...
Hey, remember that time when you OD'ed?
Hey, remember that other time when you OD'ed for the second time?
Well, in the waiting room while waiting for news of you
I hallucinated I could read your mind
And I was on a lot of shit too, but what I saw, man, I tell you it was freaky
Hey, remember that time we decided to kiss anywhere except the mouth?
Hey, remember that time when my favorite colors were pink and green?
Hey, remember that month when I only ate boxes of tangerines?
So cheap and juicy
Hey, remember that time when I would only read Shakespeare?
Hey, remember that other time when I would only read the backs of cereal boxes?
Hey, remember that time I tried to save a pigeon with a broken wing?
A street cat got him by morning, and I had to bury pieces of his body in my building's playground
I thought I was going to be sick
Hey, remember that time when I would only smoke Parliaments?
Hey, remember that time when I would only smoke Marlboros?
Hey, remember that time when I would only smoke Camels?
Hey, remember that time when I was broke?
I didn't care; I just bummed from my friends
Bum...
Hey, remember that time when you OD'ed?
Hey, remember that other time when you OD'ed for the second time?
Well, in the waiting room while waiting for news of you
I hallucinated I could read your mind
And I was on a lot of shit too, but what I saw, man, I tell you it was freaky
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i have 4 words for you "so cheap and juuuciy"
I think this is a conversation she is having for a signifigant other talking about all the experiences she has had with him and all the fun they've had together. but then, this person over doses on drugs and she stays with him because of their history to "wait for the news" of his fate. i believe she thought it wasn't going to be good news because this was his second OD and she could "read his mind." I think she forgave him too because she made his same mistake but she lived through it, hence "I was on a lot of shit too but what I saw, man, I tell you it was freaky…"
the way she puts lyrics to music is amazing... the rhythm in the bit where she goes "a street cat got him by morning" etc is amazing in that regard...
i think its about going back over memories with an old guy friend you were really close to, and really cared about. not trying to relive memories, just reminicing over the better times. it seems to get worse and worse as the versus go on, and time stretches, they got older from reading shakespear and favoite colors to smoking parilments and camels and ODing but she can read his mind, and they're still as close as they were before.
This song is really catchy, but I don't think it's as innocent as everyone seems to be making it out as.
It sounds to me as if their whole relationship has been based on drugs, since addicts (esp on uppers like cocaine, meth, etc - in my experience anyway) tend to become obsessed with silly things for short periods of time, then move onto the next. Like the way she ate nothing but tangerines, or how she was obsessed with reading the backs of cereal boxes.
I think she found herself in a hospital waiting to hear if he was dead or alive, but can't truly comprehend the situation, since she's f'ed up too. Even with the gravity of the situation, she speaks of it in the same lighthearted way she spoke of the tangerines.
i agree i think its interesting like the short story "The Lottery" ahve you ever read it? its like she speaks about tangerins and ceral boxes and pigeons and drugs and being sick and OD'ing all in the same tone, its like supposed to make you think, wait thats messed up, but be like oh thats how people view it every day in some places, jsut like The Lottery is about how you think its sounds crazy to kill people randomly for on reason when you read it in a story like that, but think about it, there is mindless killing around the world every day, and when you ehar about that you don't feel disgusted and weirded out and even confsued and riled up as you do when you finish this story. i think regina had the same motive
I always thought this song was someone dealing with a friend or a lover who was in the hospital and dealing witht the grief of that. The first 3 stanzas are a sort of denial of what has actually happened to the friend and the speaker is choosing to focus on trivial things in life. By the last stanza the speaker has a complete break down and come to face the fact that her friend has od'd.
this song is kickin' and self explanatory
First 3 verses are cute but the last 1 is creepy...
I love this song. It's like some crazy messed up New York kind of love. It reminds me of myself a lot. My favorite colors are pink & green, I smoked parliaments to marlboros, to camels, and then broke sometimes. haha
amazing song.
juicy!