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.
Eternal life is now on my trail
Got my red glitter coffin, man, just need one last nail
While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games
There's a flaming red horizon that screams our names
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal
Angel
Racist everyman, what have you done?
Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son
Oh crown my fear your king at the point of a gun
All I want to do is love everyone
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal, oh-oh
Yeah-yeah, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, uhm-uhm
There's no time for hatred, only questions
What is love?
Where is happiness?
What is life?
Where is peace?
When will I find the strength to bring me release?
Tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said?
Man, it sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead
I've got a message for you and your twisted hell
Oh, you better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal
Angel, yeah
Angel
Ooh, ah
Angel, uhm, yeah-yeah, uhm
Got my red glitter coffin, man, just need one last nail
While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games
There's a flaming red horizon that screams our names
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal
Angel
Racist everyman, what have you done?
Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son
Oh crown my fear your king at the point of a gun
All I want to do is love everyone
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal, oh-oh
Yeah-yeah, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, uhm-uhm
There's no time for hatred, only questions
What is love?
Where is happiness?
What is life?
Where is peace?
When will I find the strength to bring me release?
Tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said?
Man, it sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead
I've got a message for you and your twisted hell
Oh, you better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal
Angel, yeah
Angel
Ooh, ah
Angel, uhm, yeah-yeah, uhm
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Light Up The Sky
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No Surprises
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
paffy: I disagree. If anything, he is saying "quit hiding behind your religion to justify your ugliness." Since the beginning, man has hid behind religion to justify murder, hate, and all kinds of evil. (the usual "religion to control masses" type of deal.)
Buta true "believer" would agree with the above statement. I don't know what Jeff Buckley's religous beliefs were, but the fact that he pointed this wrong out says to me he was saying "that's not what it is supposed to be about! It's about love..."
At the end of the song he says, "You better turn around and blow your kiss GOODBYE to life eternal."
I believe this song is expressing a pretty major distaste for a misguided, naive authoritative attitude of a religous, racist, close-minded person. That could be reading too much into it though.<br /> <br /> My favourite verse is this one:<br /> <br /> tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said<br /> man it sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead<br /> well i've got a message for you and your twisted hell<br /> you'd better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal, angel<br /> <br /> ...he then continues on to open his lungs and remind the rest of us that not only can he write lyrics of such profound expression, he can carry them out just as great musically.<br /> <br /> So glad i've got this album.
"This is a song about...its an angry song. Life's too short and too complicated for people behind desks and people behind masks to be ruining other people's lives, initiating force against other people's lives on the basis of their income, their color, their class, their religious beliefs, their whatever..."
same, i thank jeff for his music it has changed my life. this song is the really fast pace rock song on the grace CD and i really admire it. This song has so much pain and anger in it and jeff really shows that in his voice.... i really wish jeff was still making beauitful and i just wished that when he toured australia i would have been old enough to go and see him and really appreciate his music. Ive been told there are no words to describe how good he is live, i would now kill to see him live...........
I would now die to see him live!
@moerockfreak I wish I had been alive to see him!
I'm not sure about everything in this song, there are a few lines, "Got my red glitter coffin man, just need one last nail" for example; where I'm not sure if they have further meaning other than their face value.
Anyway, as far as I can tell:
"Eternal life is now on my trail" Essentially saying that by Christian/Islamic (and various other major and minor religions) standards heaven is now behind him.
"Got my red glitter coffin man, just need one last nail" Not entirely sure about this line, it appears pretty self explanatory but I can't see why he says it and I'm not sure whether 'red glitter coffin' has any further meaning.
"While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games" Racists, warmonger, religious extremists, arms dealers, etc. Take your pick, pretty self explanatory but see: Masters of War by Bob Dylan.
"And as your fantasies are broken in two Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal Angel" Again, see Masters of War by Bob Dylan. Not sure about the last line but he appears to be saying say hello to Heaven, possibly talking from their perspective.
"Racist everyman, what have you done Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son Crown my fear your king at the point of a gun All I want to do is love everyone" Pretty self explanatory, where he says "Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son" I think he's saying that you're escalating the situation and that violence only leads to more violence. Similar to the verse that the line, "You put a gun in my hand and you hide from eyes" from Masters of War. The next line is talking about the use of fear and scare tactics as a method of controlling people as far as I can tell.
"There's no time for hatred, only questions What is love, where is happiness, what is life, where is peace When will i find the strength to bring me release" Word.
The last verse is pretty self explanatory, though I will say that much of the song could be seen to be a realisation of the ‘truth’, hence the change in the last line to basically say ‘you’re going to hell’. Again very similar to the last verse of Masters of War, except that song just makes me think, 'Eat a peach Bush', written nearly 50 years ago n' all.
Might well be wrong about a few of those things but that's the way it seems to me. It’s a great song.
Lnbodibic
this song is the rage to live
Are you saying that it's about hating big business and desk jobs, mycroft? What most of us are saying is that this song is about society, the injustices of the world and hatred breeding hatred due to uninformed, ignorant parents and what everyday life is for all of us. I don't think we're blaming people like you for all of the world's troubles. But...don't act like we couldn't use a few less of your kind!;) Especially the corrupt ones.
This song is about dying and leaving the world behind for an eternal life... I dunno. Does it really matter what Jeff Buckley's lyrics mean? They're so well written and his voice is so beautiful and he's a great guitar player that his music just should NOT be questioned.
i agree with 'title track'. i like to come on here and see what jeffs fans have to say, but i dont question his music..just listen and praise it's all we need to do. He is an angel.
Just for the record, the spill from 'ListenToCKY' is just before Jeff sings Eternal Life on 'Live at Sin E'. It is an incredible version of this song. you must have that album, i can't even start saying how much i recommend it
The meaning of this song is so important to me, there are so many issues in this world, and its all because of hate. Our world is so full of anger and ignorance, stereotyping, pain and suffering, I could go on and on. Jeff asks a simple question "where is love?" thats what our search is in life, this song reminds me to love thy neighbour, to forgive, to befriend and accept everyone!!!