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.
Brooklyn boy, born and raised, chopping lines
Hey hey, it's my birthday
It's a toy I torched, a tar pit flame, a lockjaw night
Hey hey, it's my birthday
Dead end friends that make your stomach shake
While your hissing head barrels down that blackened lane
Alone at last to figure how you got this way
Alone at last to figure how you got this way
Charcoal clouds spot and spray, they kill the sun
Hey hey, hear its back break
So I can never tell night from day
Or right from wrong,
Hey hey, you're my headache
Your silver tongue it masks your hungry hate
While your haggard heart whispers through its cracking cage
You still can change, you have to know, you still can change
I know, I know, for now I wanna be this way
This was a choice, this was never a mistake
Hey hey, it's my birthday
It's a toy I torched, a tar pit flame, a lockjaw night
Hey hey, it's my birthday
Dead end friends that make your stomach shake
While your hissing head barrels down that blackened lane
Alone at last to figure how you got this way
Alone at last to figure how you got this way
Charcoal clouds spot and spray, they kill the sun
Hey hey, hear its back break
So I can never tell night from day
Or right from wrong,
Hey hey, you're my headache
Your silver tongue it masks your hungry hate
While your haggard heart whispers through its cracking cage
You still can change, you have to know, you still can change
I know, I know, for now I wanna be this way
This was a choice, this was never a mistake
Lyrics submitted by three star salute
Brooklyn Boy Lyrics as written by Kevin Patrick Devine
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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i believe its "brooklyn boy, born and raised, chopping lines" as in cocaine. i think this song is about how hes okay with the way he lives his despite his obvious problems with himself and other substances.
yeah splint in right about the lyrics
the "it's my birthday" line may refer to getting cake on your birthday, or cocaine.
the line is "chopping lines" as this song is mostly about the life of doing cocaine. The birthday part could just simpy be that it is about his birthday, as one likes to celebrate things you like to do on your birthday. As someone who has been into and now out of that way of life, i can understand what he is saying in this song. Almost every line has revilance to the lifestyle of cocaine.
"this was a choice, this was never a mistake" means alot. Alot of people look down on someone who has dabbled in the drug lifestyle, but he points out that it wasn't a mistake that he fell upon that way of life, it was something he chose to do, something he doesn't regret. When you are in that state, and even when you are out of it, it was something you wanted at the time, it felt good at the time. For the time being, that was how you wanted your life to be.
Looking back on the time i spent dealing with cocaine, this song fits alot that i felt. I lvoe kevin devine, he is incredible.
fixed first line -justin
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"it's a toy I torched, a tarpit flame, a lockjaw night"
black tar heroin is smoked on foil. if the chemical coating isn't burned off beforehand, it can cause lockjaw.
hmmm i just got this idea. maybe the "it's my birthday" line is talking about how on your birthday you get what you want. that sort of thing. like how you get to choose where you go. I guess the choice is cocaine. every time i listen to this song it gets better and better. brilliant.
I think it's about doing coke and heroin on his birthday with his friends. And once they're gone, he's there left all alone and wondering about his friends and his lifestyle. He knows he's not leading any sort of glorious lifestyle (obviously, since he's getting drugged up on his bday), but he also feels that he has the ability to phase the whole thing out and better himself one day. One day, but for now it's all ok.
"this was a choice, this was never a mistake"
ok, so yeah, it's about coke..but did you ever think that maybe it's simply his birthday? not every line has to be like, deeply poetic and symbolic...listen to it for what it is.
your silver tongue it masks your hungry hate while your haggard heart whispers through its cracking cage you still can change, you have to know, you still can change I know, I know, for now I wanna be this way
haggard heart whispers through its cracking cage
I think that means that he is starting to realize that his lifestyle is wrong and that he needs help... he is starting to be able to hear what he heart is truely saying, The cage around it is cracking away.
When he says that knows that he can still change means that he knows he needs help but he is procrastinating getting help