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.
Oh maybe, maybe it's the clothes we wear
The tasteless bracelets and the dye in our hair
Maybe it's our kookiness
Or maybe, maybe it's our nowhere towns
Our nothing places and our cellophane sounds
Maybe it's our looseness
But we're trash, you and me
We're the litter on the breeze
We're the lovers on the streets
Just trash, me and you
It's in everything we do
It's in everything we do
Oh maybe, maybe it's the things we say
The words we've heard and the music we play
Maybe it's our cheapness
Or maybe, maybe it's the times we've had
The lazy days and the crazes and the fads
Maybe it's our sweetness
But we're trash, you and me
We're the litter on the breeze
We're the lovers on the streets
Just trash, me and you
It's in everything we do
It's in everything we do
We're trash, you and me
We're the lovers on the streets
We're the litter on the breeze
Just trash, me and you
It's in everything we do
It's in everything we do
Oh, you and me, yeah
You and me
(We're the litter on the breeze)
Oh, you and me, yeah
You and me
(It's in everything we do)
The tasteless bracelets and the dye in our hair
Maybe it's our kookiness
Or maybe, maybe it's our nowhere towns
Our nothing places and our cellophane sounds
Maybe it's our looseness
But we're trash, you and me
We're the litter on the breeze
We're the lovers on the streets
Just trash, me and you
It's in everything we do
It's in everything we do
Oh maybe, maybe it's the things we say
The words we've heard and the music we play
Maybe it's our cheapness
Or maybe, maybe it's the times we've had
The lazy days and the crazes and the fads
Maybe it's our sweetness
But we're trash, you and me
We're the litter on the breeze
We're the lovers on the streets
Just trash, me and you
It's in everything we do
It's in everything we do
We're trash, you and me
We're the lovers on the streets
We're the litter on the breeze
Just trash, me and you
It's in everything we do
It's in everything we do
Oh, you and me, yeah
You and me
(We're the litter on the breeze)
Oh, you and me, yeah
You and me
(It's in everything we do)
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More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
sounds like hes saying that if your in a certain social ,cultred, group ur just labelled as being trash and theres is no real reason for you to be labelled as 'trash' you are just coz of what you do
I remember listenting to this on long car rides with my parents when I was five or six...I've always seen it as somwhat atypical love song, about them being different and not fitting in, and creating a world of their own which is beautiful, but others can't understand it. But at the same time, it can be taken as such a view on the world by an individual And also like BirdFlew said, actually liking the feeling of being dirty and trash. Like ugliness turned beautiful...
A beautiful song of alienation, bringing people closer together.
rumour has it i was conceved to this song. Dosent matter ive loved it for ages
I'd just say its about being young and looked down on cos the way they live their lives even if some of it is self inflicted. The middle aged tutting you as u walk down the streets getting drunk ready for another night of debauchery, listening to music they find intolerable. All I know is thats what it makes me think of. The older generation and the more better bred looking down on us "Trash".
I love this song!
To me, this just seems like a song about two teenagers in love who are deeply looked down upon, but honestly just don’t care. The lyrics talk about their “kookiness”, their dyed hair and their fashion sense as well as their music. This is a very big stereotype for teenagers by them looking either scruffy or very different in their fashion sense, or their music which can be varied upon many time periods. Maybe these two teenagers are being looked down upon by others around them as they are young and may fall into rebellious stereotypes amongst older people around them. Though still no matter what happens or how much they are judged, they simply cannot find any reason to care about it and therefore label themselves as “trash” for simply being a “trashy” teenage stereotype.
white trash?
i don't know. Suede has such a tendency toward cheeky Glam, it's hard to tell!
Ah, nay, m'dear roger_wilco; 's merely a comment on their type, flambuoyant glam indiekids. Looks down at own clothes and (34) tasteless bracelets... oh, moi = such a cliche...
it's actually a personal song about one of Brett's relationships.