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.
It was a hot and sultry afternoon
Sometime at the end of June
We had collapsed ourselves in shade somewhere
To conclude our love affair
But it was too damn hot to speak that much
It felt easier to touch
So we forgot to fall apart that day
And the next day
It was a cold and endless sky above
When he decided he was through with love
The leaves were piles of skeletons
And he was only skin and bones
And then he went to the bridge so he could fall
And drop down far away from it all
But the water looked so black and deep
And he closed his eyes and he went to sleep
Til the next day
The snow fell hard from five to five
You had to drink to stay alive
But you were hoping it would kill you too
At least you'd have something changing you
Cause you were cold as the ice at your front door
You raised a trembling glass and shouted, "Fuck the world!"
And then you fell into oblivion
Lying on your bed with your shoes on
Til the next day
Baby close your eyes until tomorrow
It could bring joy it could bring sorrow
But it will come sure as light
Try not to dream a dream tonight
Imagine that you're standing here
And suddenly you disappear
A thread cut with a carving knife
That is what they call our life
Baby close your eyes until tomorrow
It could bring joy it could bring sorrow
But it will come sure as light
Try not to dream a dream tonight
Imagine that you're standing here
And suddenly you disappear
A thread cut with a carving knife
That is what they call our life
Sometime at the end of June
We had collapsed ourselves in shade somewhere
To conclude our love affair
But it was too damn hot to speak that much
It felt easier to touch
So we forgot to fall apart that day
And the next day
It was a cold and endless sky above
When he decided he was through with love
The leaves were piles of skeletons
And he was only skin and bones
And then he went to the bridge so he could fall
And drop down far away from it all
But the water looked so black and deep
And he closed his eyes and he went to sleep
Til the next day
The snow fell hard from five to five
You had to drink to stay alive
But you were hoping it would kill you too
At least you'd have something changing you
Cause you were cold as the ice at your front door
You raised a trembling glass and shouted, "Fuck the world!"
And then you fell into oblivion
Lying on your bed with your shoes on
Til the next day
Baby close your eyes until tomorrow
It could bring joy it could bring sorrow
But it will come sure as light
Try not to dream a dream tonight
Imagine that you're standing here
And suddenly you disappear
A thread cut with a carving knife
That is what they call our life
Baby close your eyes until tomorrow
It could bring joy it could bring sorrow
But it will come sure as light
Try not to dream a dream tonight
Imagine that you're standing here
And suddenly you disappear
A thread cut with a carving knife
That is what they call our life
Lyrics submitted by brilliantcoldlight, edited by Sladex
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Stars has a recurring analogy with War/Love so it makes sense with the fuck the war line.
The song is also about the changing of the season and of the heart.
The first part is summer time when their love was pure and innocent.
the second part is fall, where everything is starting to wither down.
the third is winter, where our hearts are frozen like the snowman in what the snowman learned about love.
I think the title says everything about the song. Our life and our love is as delicate as a thread. The world could be a carving knife, strong, aggressive and can end you without a thought.
I saw them live and in concert they said "You raised a trembling glass and shouted 'fuck the world!'"
this was a music rewiew
A Thread Cut With a Carving Knife "A Thread Cut With a Carving Knife" builds subtly enough, with its subdued keyboards and Torq's mise-en-scene setting lyrics, "It was a hot a sultry afternoon," he sings locating the first part of the narrative in the vernal season as the drums build around the end of the refrain.
The song's narrative is composed of brief glimpses of three different groups of people; a codependent couple that "forgot to fall apart that day and the next day," a suicidal young man who "decides he [is] through with love" but isn't able to jump because "the water looked so black and deep...he closed his eyes and went to sleep till the next day," and an overworked alcoholic who is as "cold as the ice at [their] front door," who passes out on their bed after "rais[ing] a trembling glass and shout[ing], '**** the war.'"
The principle theme of the three narratives is a simple but powerful one; life is precious - as precious as "a thread cut with a carving knife" - and no matter how terrible one day may seem, its worth getting through the night to prove that "Today Will Be Better, I Swear," a sentiment echoed (and title of the penultimate track) from In Our Bedroom After The War
*****Cold and ANGRY sky
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a love story cut terribly short, that's the image put forth by the song. Culminating in these words "Imagine that you're standing here And suddenly you disappear A thread cut with a carving knife That is what they call our life"
the guy contemplated suicide too.
I believe the line should be "You raised a trembling glass and shouted 'Fuck the WAR!'", not world.
Amy's part is totally awesome (like 3:00 and over). Can't stop listening to it.
It's about wanting end a relationship "To conclude our love affair" but he liked the sex too much. "it was too damn hot to speak that much" "It felt easier to touch" and forgot to do it. "So we forgot to fall apart that day" Til the next day...
Then he thought it was too hard so he tried jumping off a bridge but couldn't do it either.
"The snow fell hard from five to five" he's miserable. " You had to drink to stay alive But you were hoping it would kill you too" Getting drunk to forget his problems.
"And then you fell into oblivion Lying on your bed with your shoes on" passed out from drinking too much.
Baby close your eyes until tomorrow It could bring joy it could bring sorrow But it will come sure as light Try not to dream a dream tonight Imagine that you're standing here And suddenly you disappear A thread cut with a carving knife That is what they call our life
I think it's means dont worry about today or tomorrow.. it will be over soon.
It's definitely "Fuck the war!" They even have a pin that has the line on it.
I think the point of the song is that whatever situation you are in, life goes on, with or without you...
The three verses tell three different stories... The first verse is from a first person perspective, the second verse is in the third person, and the third verse is in the second person...
Each verse ends with the words "the next day", meaning whatever's going on, there's always another day... Later, Amy puts it differently: "It could bring joy, it could bring sorrow, but it will come sure as light..."
I love that this song sounds both hopeful and hopeless at the same time...