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.
Want to tell you about the girl I love
My she looks so fine
She's the only one that I been dreamin' of
Maybe someday she will be all mine
I want to tell her that I love her so
I thrill with her every touch
I need to tell her she's the only one I really love
I got a woman, want to bawl all day
I got a woman, she won't be true, no
I got a woman, stay drunk all the time
I said I got a little woman and she won't be true
Sunday morning when we go down to church
See the menfolk standin' in line
I said they come to pray to the Lord
With my little girl, looks so fine
In the evening when the sun is sinkin' low
Everybody's with the one they love
I walk the town, keep a-searchin' all around
Lookin' for my street corner girl
I got a woman, want to bawl all day
I got a woman, she won't be true, no no
I got a woman, stay drunk all the time
I said I got a little woman and she won't be true
In the bars, with the men who play guitars
Singin', drinkin' and rememberin' the times
My little lover does a midnight shift
She followed around all the time
I guess there's just one thing a-left for me to do
Gonna pack my bags and move on my way
'Cause I got a worried mind sharin' what I thought was mine
Gonna leave her where the guitars play
I got a woman, she won't be true, no no
I got a woman, want to bawl all day, yeah, yeah
I got a woman, stay drunk all the time
I got a little woman and she won't be true
(Hey hey what can I do) I said she won't be true
No, yeah, no, yeah, no, yeah, no, yeah (hey, hey, what can I say?)
Ah (hey hey, what can I do) keep on, keep on
(No, no, what can I say?) she won't
Keep on, keep on (hey, hey, what can I do?)
(No, no, what can I say?)
(Hey, hey, what can I do?)
(No, no, what can I say?) hey, hey what can I do, I got a women she won't be true
(Hey, hey, what can I do?) oh oh hear what I said I got a woman wanna bawl all day
(No, no, what can I say?) keep on keep on
(Hey, hey, what can I do?)
My she looks so fine
She's the only one that I been dreamin' of
Maybe someday she will be all mine
I want to tell her that I love her so
I thrill with her every touch
I need to tell her she's the only one I really love
I got a woman, want to bawl all day
I got a woman, she won't be true, no
I got a woman, stay drunk all the time
I said I got a little woman and she won't be true
Sunday morning when we go down to church
See the menfolk standin' in line
I said they come to pray to the Lord
With my little girl, looks so fine
In the evening when the sun is sinkin' low
Everybody's with the one they love
I walk the town, keep a-searchin' all around
Lookin' for my street corner girl
I got a woman, want to bawl all day
I got a woman, she won't be true, no no
I got a woman, stay drunk all the time
I said I got a little woman and she won't be true
In the bars, with the men who play guitars
Singin', drinkin' and rememberin' the times
My little lover does a midnight shift
She followed around all the time
I guess there's just one thing a-left for me to do
Gonna pack my bags and move on my way
'Cause I got a worried mind sharin' what I thought was mine
Gonna leave her where the guitars play
I got a woman, she won't be true, no no
I got a woman, want to bawl all day, yeah, yeah
I got a woman, stay drunk all the time
I got a little woman and she won't be true
(Hey hey what can I do) I said she won't be true
No, yeah, no, yeah, no, yeah, no, yeah (hey, hey, what can I say?)
Ah (hey hey, what can I do) keep on, keep on
(No, no, what can I say?) she won't
Keep on, keep on (hey, hey, what can I do?)
(No, no, what can I say?)
(Hey, hey, what can I do?)
(No, no, what can I say?) hey, hey what can I do, I got a women she won't be true
(Hey, hey, what can I do?) oh oh hear what I said I got a woman wanna bawl all day
(No, no, what can I say?) keep on keep on
(Hey, hey, what can I do?)
Lyrics submitted by kevin, edited by thelance1997
Hey Hey What Can I Do Lyrics as written by John Paul Jones John Bonham
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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Great version of a great song,
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No way, Mattimal, its not a hooker, or a slut, it could be but come on, its robert plant he doesnt need those.
This song is about loving a rockstar. (or one who lives like one) He loves the girl, she may love him, but she doesnt want a relationship, she doesnt want to be tied down, but their love is so great he will go on and live his life waiting for her to calm down. i dont think its about a prositute, it could be, but more about the commitment of relationships
wow...yes, i agree 100%
wow...yes, i agree 100%
@AFellowHutchin - Dude, Thank You (????) . Im glad I came here. I was not sure <br /> on the street corner girl, but all the "Love, Little Woman, His Love towards' gets<br /> me and reminds me all of my feeling of my - 'Sweet, Pretty, Cute, lil Girlfreind very<br /> much wife' ????. She passed sudden this past March, and I wanted to post this song<br /> link to her pretty pic or alone in my Facebook (Joel Ahava). Thank You
The emoji did not come through = (???) ...its the Tearful one.
And she was a lil woman 4'9' alah the song.
@AFellowHutchin im sorry. They're all Real people with normal everyday lives behind them. Celebrities are not some other species who don't have experiences with all the same types of people that the rest of us do. This<br /> song is about falling in love with a Hooker. He literally saysp. " street corner girl". If he loved a some rockstar and Called her a street corner girl , it would be huge insult (it would show that it's not somebody loves at all).He is literally telling a story about falling in love with somebody at some point Who was a prostitute and there's no reason that Robert Plant Would not have experienced that situation , he easily could have.also, not all songs are autobiographical experiences. naivete, damn
@AFellowHutchin like seriously? You must be really young and/or not have Much reading comprehension which I wouldn't be surprised about because our education systems are just awful
@AFellowHutchin like seriously? You must be really young and/or not have Much reading comprehension which I wouldn't be surprised about because our education systems are just awful
Wanna tell you about the girl I love :)
i think this song i s awesome and its definately one of my favorite zep songs it has good music as usual but the meaning is distorted is the one he loves a hooker ?<br />
everyone basically said what i was going to say, but anyways this is an excellant song, a classic
I think this song is just about a girl that plant was in love with. It talks about how much he loves her in the beginning, so i dont think it could be about a hooker.
I think he refers to her as his "street corner girl" because she wasnt true to him and thats what he thinks of her as.
I think the line... "in the evening when the sun is sinkin low and everybody's with the one they love, i walk the town, keep searchin all around, lookin for my street corner girl".... is a representation of his lonliness and how he misses the girl he used to have.
could be wrong.... one of their best, most catchy songs though.... gotta love it!!
Yeah, she's not a hooker; she just sleeps around on him. "Street corner girl" and "midnight shift" are meant as insults towards her; he's not saying she's an actual hooker.
"In the bars, with the men who play guitars/Singin', drinkin' and rememberin' the times" means she goes out and has a good time with other guys.
In the 2nd verse, the words are actually "Don't say they come to pray to the lord, not when my little girl looks so fine."
That verse is figurative—it's not about actually going to church, but about how she acts innocent when she's with him. He sees all the attention she gets from other guys, and she acts like they're just being friendly, but he doesn't buy it.
t4r pretty much is correct about the meaning of this song; she is not a hooker/prostitute but, she is a slut/party girl that wants to party all the time with other men and get balled all day. balling/balled/ball back in the day when this song was written was slang for fucing.<br /> <br /> In the song; he finally realizes that the promiscuous good time party girl is not going to change her ways and be with him only because she loves to party and get balled/fucked by other men o much, so he leaves.
@t4r - Thank You dude!. Thumbs Upon on your 4th last paragraph point. I want<br /> to post this song for my 'sweet, pretty, cute lil Girlfiend very much wife - whom<br /> passed sudden this past March. The street corner girl paused me to post the You<br /> Tube Lyric song to her pic or alone in my Facebook (Joel Ahava)...cause all his <br /> LOVE and LIL Woman is all me toward my loved one ;( (tears). Thanks dude<br /> pic or alone
This song is about an unrequited love. The man (I don't think is RP) is in love with a woman who simply doesn't love him to the degree to which she would make a commitment. He speaks of the people together going to church with some envy, as he is seeking a women who will be by his side in front of God. He wants a more traditional committed relationship while she still wants to plat the field. She is definitely not a prostitute, "the street corner" girl is meant to be derogatory not literal. Either way, our hero is conflicted because he is in love, she is beautiful, and the sex is great (as she is well-practiced.) She makes no secret about her willingness to at a minimum play the field and at worst, be the town flouzee. You hear him sing "Yeah No Yeah No Yeah No" to voice how conflicted he is whether to enjoy what he can and hope for a commitment or be true to his values and leave.
The last line, which is my personal favorite in any Led Zeppelin son, voices his conclusion: "I got a worried mind sharing what I thought was mine."
I like this song because it describes a situation anyone could be in; not just a stud like Robert Plant.
i think this song is about his love for a girl that was from the wrong side of the tracks. He loves her and wants to be with her but, he can't deal with this othr side of her anymore. Hence the title" Hey Hey what can I do."I think she is a prostitute. THis is proven when he is talking about everyone else being with the one they love while he is walking the streets looking for his "street corner girl". And it's also proven when he sings the line " my little lover does a midnight shift." Then he talks about his worried mind and having to shae what he thought was his and how he's leaving her . And he keeps saying that she son't be true, I don't know either way , i love this tune. It's definetely one of my favorites and it amkes me wonder if Robert Plant really did date a hooker. I love how romantic most of Led Zeppelin's songs are when u actually read the lyrics. What a ladie's man.
@roxyglamour - Thanks Roxy, Blessed you put your input here. You can see why read<br /> all here. And Welcomed your input.Going to decide to put this You Tube Lyric song <br /> in my Fbook page.
Zeppelin was so good that they could not find a space for a song as amazing as this on any of their albums. Most brands would sell their mother to write a song this good.
My platoon sings this as a cadence on our regular 24km route marches.
@nothingbettertodo,<br /> Now THAT made me laugh out loud. This is the perfect song for that - kudos to whoever started it!
Can anyone show or discover proof (interviews, original record liner notes, scans or pictures of the handwritten lyrics, etc.) that the word choice in the chorus is:
“I got a woman, want to BALL all day’’ or “ I got a woman, want to BAWL all day”
They both fit quite well yet paint two very different pictures of the woman. To me, the answer would shed a great deal of light on the nature of the conflict. It would also either support or cast doubt as to wether or not she is a prostitute.
At the very least, it would change my own perception of the woman because to me “bawl” would indicate she was experiencing an inner conflict over her feelings for the man. Sorrow, remorse..... perhaps an inner struggle because she loves him but can’t change or commit. I think this would make for a far more interesting character and story.
Whereas “ball” would be a much less sympathetic take on the woman and lead to a fairly straightforward interpretation of the song.
Supposedly this is a rare record and at one time a mostly unknown song. I imagine getting a definitive answer on a minute change five decades ago will be a hell of a challenge. Any proof would be much appreciated!
@One_man_bucket The lyric is 'ball' as in to have sex. Ain't no doubt.
@One_man_bucket I have often wondered about this as well. Good arguments for either meaning. Would be interesting to know definitively, which meaning they intended. Cant help but wonder if plant intended for the listener to be able to insert either word depending on their mood or agenda. Probly overthinking it. Regardless, one of my favorite songs by any band.