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.
Standing in the darkness
Waiting for the light
The smell of pure adrenaline
Burning in the night
Random blinding flashes
Aiming at the stage
Intro tape begins to roll
Igniting sonic rage
Still they keep me between these hollow walls
Hoping to find in me
The answers to the test that stumped them all
"The boy is just simply crazy
Suffering from delusions
We honestly think that maybe
He might need an institution
He lives in a world of fiction
And really could use some help
We have just the place to fix him
To save him from himself"
Curled up in the darkness
Searching of the light
The smell of sweat and shit
Steaming through the night
Random urine testing
Pills red, pink and blue
Counseling and therapy
Providing not a clue
Still they keep me between these hollow walls
Hoping to find in me
The answers to the test that stumped them all
"We can't seem to find the answers
He seemed such a clear cut case
We cannot just let him leave here
And put all this work to waste
Why don't we try shock treatment
It really might do some help
We have just the tools to fix him
To save him from himself"
Waiting for the light
The smell of pure adrenaline
Burning in the night
Random blinding flashes
Aiming at the stage
Intro tape begins to roll
Igniting sonic rage
Still they keep me between these hollow walls
Hoping to find in me
The answers to the test that stumped them all
"The boy is just simply crazy
Suffering from delusions
We honestly think that maybe
He might need an institution
He lives in a world of fiction
And really could use some help
We have just the place to fix him
To save him from himself"
Curled up in the darkness
Searching of the light
The smell of sweat and shit
Steaming through the night
Random urine testing
Pills red, pink and blue
Counseling and therapy
Providing not a clue
Still they keep me between these hollow walls
Hoping to find in me
The answers to the test that stumped them all
"We can't seem to find the answers
He seemed such a clear cut case
We cannot just let him leave here
And put all this work to waste
Why don't we try shock treatment
It really might do some help
We have just the tools to fix him
To save him from himself"
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
I think I have it all, it's rather lengthy so bare with me
I believe the song is about someone who is a schizophrenic. There are so many things that we still don't know about schizophrenia that would explain the title of the song "the test that stumped them all." I'll try to explain each part
"Standing in the darkness Waiting for the light The smell of pure adrenaline Burning in the night"
This shows how degree 3 (person 3, there are six people he is the third) Thinks that he is a star. Degree 3 thinks highly of himself and that all these tests that doctors are doing is for him because he is a star. When doctors did tests on schizophrenic patients they would often have them in the dark before testing. The bright light signals testing. Adrenaline could be used to keep degree 3 up through all hours of the night.
"Random blinding flashes Aiming at the stage"
Flashing lights were commonly used in testing, the stage is most likely a table he is strapped to while they are running tests.
"Intro tape begins to roll Igniting sonic rage"
Doctors would also use tapes of sound and most schizophrenic patients would respond with rage and violence. It's also shown that tapes with instructions, like killing, would be attempted by said patient.
"Still they keep me between these hollow walls Hoping to find in me The answers to the test that stumped them all"
Degree 3 is in an institution (the hallow walls) where doctors are hoping to find answers to Schizophrenia.
"The boy is just simply crazy Suffering from delusions We honestly think that maybe He might need an institution
He lives in a world of fiction And really could use some help We have just the place to fix him To save him from himself"
This goes back to when they were first instituting degree 3. The doctors are not speaking directly to him but he is in the same room overhearing the conversation. The doctors suggested to maybe a parent or guardian that degree 3 should be put into a mental institution for testing. The "delusions" and "world of fiction" suggest schizophrenia. "Saving him from himself" refers to suicide. Some schizophrenic patients will commit suicide if told to. They don't realize what they are doing.
"Random urine testing Pills red, pink and blue"
Shows that the doctors are trying to fix him with medication. He is not getting better so they do urine tests to see if degree 3 is taking his meds.
"Counseling and therapy Providing not a clue"
Still can not find answers to schizophrenia or to degree 3
Chorus.
"We can't seem to find the answers He seemed such a clear cut case We cannot just let him leave here And put all this work to waste"
The doctors still can not cure degree 3 but do not want to let him go. The doctors want answers
"Why don't we try shock treatment It really might do some help We have just the tools to fix him To save him from himself"
Shock treatment was and still is used on schizophrenic patients. It seems here that this is the last resort but by the sound of everything degree 3 will most likely not be cured.
And finally "deception of fame" from the grand finale means that degree 3 believes he is a star. The light tests are his spotlight. The mental institution his stage. Remember he lives in a world of fiction and fantasy. He can be whoever he chooses and he chose a life of fame in his world.
This is definitely one of the more difficult degrees of inner turbulence to place. It seems to me the song is describing schizophrenia (please don't confuse schizophrenia with dissociative identity disorder, or "multiple personalities"). My clues are lines like 'suffering from delusions' and 'he lives in a world of fiction.' Anyone else have any ideas?
This song helped me face the fact that I indeed am schizo....the world revolves around me answering some godly question that's only bestowed to me. I have feelings of grandeur and entitlement. Just before I wrote this response I woke up in a cold sweat looking up at men in white coats.....I only wish there was a way for me to rid myself of this ego that tries daily to tell me I am better, smarter, faster....when indeed i am far below good....
After extensive research I found out that you are right. if you would've done some more digging you would've had every lyric analyzed. you helped me with my analysis above, thank you and good job.
I think the first two verses describe a gig. Maybe this guy thinks he is a rockstar or something...
"Standing in the darkness Waiting for the light" The guy is waiting in backstage for the gig to begin.
"Random blinding flashes Aiming at the stage" People taking photographs
"Intro tape begins to roll Igniting sonic rage" Intro tape starts, audience begins to cheer and band starts.
I and leaning towards agreeing with Flux; you are right that it is difficult to really tell. It must be schizophrenia judging by the paranoia present in the song. Also, shock treatments used to (and still are, but rarely) treat schizophrenia. The guy in the song thinks he knows some answer to a question that no one else knows (a "classic" symptom). He also thinks everyone is watching him and that the world revolves around him. I love the instrumentation; it invokes the feeling of paranoia and extreme stress affiliated with it!
My favourite thing about is that it cuts War Inside My Head off a little early with this blisteringly fast riff that seems to drop an octave every two times it is played. Seeing as the song is about schizophrenia (disorganized thinking, hallucinations, paranoid beliefs etc.), it's almost like it's thoughts racing through a schizophrenic's mind.
i think that there really isn't anything wrong with the person in the song. when you listen to how the voices of the doctors are sung they seem to be portrayed as idiots. They seem to think somethings wrong with him but they can't find out thus the lines: "We can't seem to find the answers He seemed such a clear cut case We cannot just let him leave here And put all this work to waste"
I still don't know about the first lines tho
"Standing in the darkness Waiting for the light The smell of pure adrenaline Burning in the night
Random blinding flashes Aiming at the stage Intro tape begins to roll Igniting sonic rage"
It does seem to be describing a concert i don't really kno how that ties into it
riotmentality.cjb.net
Yeah, the concert idea is very interesting, but simply doesn't fit in with the concept of the album.
The entire song is about schizophrenia. Schizophrenics sometimes suffer from auditory hallucinations.
It's all told through the patient's eyes: In his view, he's a God. He knows all and everyone with half a mind loves him. However the idiot doctors think he's crazy.
The reality of all this can't be seen from the lyrics.
As I see it, this song is not about illness at all. Instead, it's about how the general public can't understand prog rock bands. Although there is nothing really wrong with prog rock musicians, the public tries to discover "what's wrong with them" (tests) and try to "fix" them by any means, in the way a doctor would.
it is about a wannabe rockstar, in losing time/grand finale (deception of fame), you can tell that this was a guy that tried to be a rockstar and he believe he was one. But never really was someone big. I mean maybe he was just in a local band but he believed otherwise. As a rockstar maybe he trashed the place and was someone dangerous. That would be maybe the reason that he was in a mental institution, with shock treatment.
toky world: kind a like pink floyd's the wall when pink crashes his place nah? I really think this song could be something like that... the whole rockstar who went insane idea, like syd barret... who know, great song