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.
Two jumps in a week
I bet you think that's pretty clever, don't you, boy?
Flying on your motorcycle
Watching all the ground beneath you drop
You'd kill yourself for recognition
Kill yourself to never, ever stop
You broke another mirror
You're turning into something you are not
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Drying up in conversation
You will be the one who cannot talk
All your insides fall to pieces
You just sit there wishing you could still make love
They're the ones who'll hate you
When you think you've got the world all sussed out
They're the ones who'll spit at you
You will be the one screaming out
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Oh, it's the best thing that you've ever had
The best thing that you've ever, ever had
It's the best thing that you've ever had
The best thing you have had is gone away
So don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
I bet you think that's pretty clever, don't you, boy?
Flying on your motorcycle
Watching all the ground beneath you drop
You'd kill yourself for recognition
Kill yourself to never, ever stop
You broke another mirror
You're turning into something you are not
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Drying up in conversation
You will be the one who cannot talk
All your insides fall to pieces
You just sit there wishing you could still make love
They're the ones who'll hate you
When you think you've got the world all sussed out
They're the ones who'll spit at you
You will be the one screaming out
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Oh, it's the best thing that you've ever had
The best thing that you've ever, ever had
It's the best thing that you've ever had
The best thing you have had is gone away
So don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Lyrics submitted by piesupreme, edited by Gallagator, Rambooji
High and Dry Lyrics as written by Edward John O'brien Colin Charles Greenwood
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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
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“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.
This song is about selling you soul. The narrator is talking about this person who has compromised his integrity for success. It talks about how you destroy your foundation when you sellout like this and that the people you have done this to impress will end up hating you if you fall. You will have nothing to support you when you fall and everyone will be against you. Anyway, that's what it means to me but it could also be about a relationship i guess.
What makes this song even better is that it's Thom singing about himself, about how he has experienced fame and all the pressure that comes with it to become something you're not. And this song is like him saying he knows what happens and he doesn't want to change but maybe it's inevitable.
@wiseone This is kind of out there, but could the boy on the motorcycle be Bob Dylan (who had a bad motorcycle while going through one of his reclusive phases). At that time, Dylan had suffered a major backlash from a lot of his original fans who were mad at him for going electric. They felt like Dylan had left him "high and dry" to pursue fame. This song sounds like someone who is bitter and doesn't want to be left behind when someone they love goes on to seek recognition.
I think this song is about Thom Yorke, who is talking to himself and making sure that he doesn't leave himself behind. "You broke another mirror, you're turning into something you are not." He's checking himself and singing about it so that he doesn't forget to remain true to himself.<br />
@wiseone I think you are spot on and I think this could easily be the person you love holding up a mirror for you to check yourself and your inflating ego and the fact that you are prioritizing things and people over them and pleading for you to not forget who they are, as well as reminding you to also not forget who you are most importantly.
@wiseone there is no antagonist. This is introspective. It's a song to himself. Tom York is the boy. Think again
To me,this song is about someone who seeks acceptance from others by pretending to be someone he's not and by losing his real self.These people don't really care and even if they accepted him,sooner or later they'll abandon him just like anybody else and at this point this person will have lost everything.My life story.
@Joekubrick i know i'm very late to this, but are things looking up for you?
In my opinion, I think this is about a boy, who is with someone who he loves and cares about, but takes them for granted, takes his feelings for granted, and treats them badly to make himself look cool... to impress the people who don't even care about him. and he's changing who he is to fit in with them. and in the beginning the person just wants them to stay, and not to leave them, because they love them and would do anything for them, but being hurt becomes too much. The tables turn, once he realizes what he's done... "Drying up in conversation You will be the one who cannot talk All your insides fall to pieces You just sit there wishing you could still make love" ... now he is speach-less and heartbroken cause he lost the one person who really cared for him, because he realized the people who he was trying to impress would probably not even care if he dropped off the face of the earth. and now he was left, "high and dry" he lost the best thing he had... and he's the only one to blame
@gabbivolp3 Love your interpretation, and I think it is a thing that happens a lot nowadays with young people.
This song to me is about someone that is being pulled in all different directions by people. He wants to be everything to everyone. He wants to be everybody's friend, so he goes with the flow and does what he thinks everybody else wants him to do. Then he loses himself in the process and his worst fear of being the one that everybody hates starts to come true. Even though they might not necessarily feel that way, to him they do b/c the person that they know is not really who he is. At the end of the song, he's lost the best thing he's ever had, his identity. IMHO
I can't derive a precise meaning, but I think it's basically about people who are sad and lonely to the point where they crave attention, but they're afraid to go get it, and they're afraid to try to live happily, so they gradually destroy themselves and, ultimately, kill themselves for attention and pity.
As a side note, I absolutely love this song.
just my interpretation, but I feel like this song relates more to a failed relationship. you're with a person, and everything is going fine, but over time they just change, for whatever reason. maybe they think they're better than you (i.e. "kill yourself for recognition"). and you desperately don't want them to leave you high and dry. maybe I'm completely off base here but I'm pretty much going through a situation like that right now and this song is something i feel like I can relate to.
"sussed out" - finally grasping the concept of how the world works. I think this song is about thie guy who is trying to impress everyone, and wanting acceptance. But everyone sees through his disguise and don't bother with him and he's lonely so he's left high and dry.
It's about someone telling someone to calm down and sort the way they veiw life out. You shouldn't go through life doing things to impress others, you just end up looking childish, showing off and acting the fool. The person will end up thinking your a fool. If you make yourself out to be more then you are you will probably end up being caught out.
Yeah personally I think that this is about someone who is compromising themselves to fit in somewhere. And ultimately leaving the ones that were there for the "real" them, high and dry. Then when they're up there, in with them, they turn on the person and see that he's been a fake all along.
The the best thing he's ever had has gone away, originally the person who was there for him in the beginning.
Such an interesting song. I felt like the writer is reasoning with an emotional "dare-devil" willing to risk everything, even life, for recognition...attention. Pleading with someone that is deeply loved but getting no substance, no conversation, no love. Dare-devils risk their very lives, in this case resulting in a relational death, leaving loved ones tragically high and dry.
The best rendition I have ever heard was by Eddie Miller of Sunderland, UK.
@navgator the first reveiwe that realizes the writer is the protagonist. This song is totally introspective. He is writing about himself. Once you understand this. No more interpretation is needed.