Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
In the dumb fat side
Of the heavy, sweaty black
Malaria night
You can tell the shit
From the essence of heaven
In the smash and grab
In the sharp attack
Dishonest night
You can say what you want
And somebody listen
There's laughter and glass
And perfume and flags
And kisses and trains
And roses and vaccine
I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city
I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city
Whatever gets you acclimatised
Radiation and downcast eyes
Serious sight
We're looking for a wild machine
Cybernetic rabies
Syndication and sympathy
Might work for you but not for me
I love you best when it's all a mess
Will you lie for me cry for me
Die for me will you please
(Oh) never never never never
Never never never say no
I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city
I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
In the dumb fat side
Of the heavy sweaty black
Malaria night
You can say what you want
And somebody listen
Gonna say what I really want
(Come on say what you really want)
Gonna say what I really want
(Yeah say what you really want)
Wanna live with Halo Jones
Wanna home that's miles from home
Wanna drugs from the twighlight zone
Wanna never never never never
Never never never say no
I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city
I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
Of the heavy, sweaty black
Malaria night
You can tell the shit
From the essence of heaven
In the smash and grab
In the sharp attack
Dishonest night
You can say what you want
And somebody listen
There's laughter and glass
And perfume and flags
And kisses and trains
And roses and vaccine
I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city
I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city
Whatever gets you acclimatised
Radiation and downcast eyes
Serious sight
We're looking for a wild machine
Cybernetic rabies
Syndication and sympathy
Might work for you but not for me
I love you best when it's all a mess
Will you lie for me cry for me
Die for me will you please
(Oh) never never never never
Never never never say no
I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city
I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
In the dumb fat side
Of the heavy sweaty black
Malaria night
You can say what you want
And somebody listen
Gonna say what I really want
(Come on say what you really want)
Gonna say what I really want
(Yeah say what you really want)
Wanna live with Halo Jones
Wanna home that's miles from home
Wanna drugs from the twighlight zone
Wanna never never never never
Never never never say no
I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city
I'm living in a neon house
I'm living in avalanche road
I'm living in hangover city
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
And all these unforseen things tumble down
I've got a love and it won't stop burning
Lyrics submitted by anemic_knifeprty
Malaria Lyrics as written by Carl Marsh Barry William Andrews
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Word Collections Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
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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.
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Maybe there's some deeper meaning here, but I suspect this is just a celebration of what a great year 1984 was for sci-fi/comic geeks.
The Ballad of Halo Jones was a then-current Alan Moore comic strip in 2000 AD. The first point of the strip was to do far-future sci-fi with a strong female heroine while managing to avoid the standard (especially for 2000 AD) tropes of "guns, guys, and gore"; Halo was just an everyday girl living everyday life in the future. The other point was to use the comic medium to completely avoid exposition: the reader should learn everything there is to know about 50th century life by paying careful attention to the scenery and the background action.
I think the lines about "perfume and flags" also relate to Halo Jones, but I don't have a copy to check, and it's been a long time… So maybe they're a reference to something else.
Cybernetic rabies, neon houses, Hangover City… Cyberpunk was brand new and exciting. Instead of trying to predict centuries in the future, writers just extrapolated a couple decades (or "15 seconds"—the Max Headroom movie was also 1984) to mega-cities filled with shiny tech and grimy alleys, where everyone is a junkie skating by on the edge of survival.
I have no idea about the malaria nights. That whole verse has more of a 19th century African adventure feel than 80s sci-fi. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was another 2000 AD strip or something.
And finally, "And all these unforeseen things tumble down. I've got a love and it won't stop burning." No idea.