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.
I don't feel alright
In spite of these comforting sounds
You make
I don't feel alright
Because you make promises
That you break
Into your house
Why don't we share our solitude?
Nothing is pure anymore but solitude
It's hard to make sense
Feels as if I'm sensing you
Through a lens
If someone else comes
I'll just sit here listening to the drums
Previously I never called it solitude
And probably you know
All the dirty shows I've put on
Blunted and exhausted like anyone
Honestly I tried to avoid it
Honestly
Back when we were kids, we would always know when to stop
And now all the good kids are
Messing up
Nobody has gained or
Accomplished anything
In spite of these comforting sounds
You make
I don't feel alright
Because you make promises
That you break
Into your house
Why don't we share our solitude?
Nothing is pure anymore but solitude
It's hard to make sense
Feels as if I'm sensing you
Through a lens
If someone else comes
I'll just sit here listening to the drums
Previously I never called it solitude
And probably you know
All the dirty shows I've put on
Blunted and exhausted like anyone
Honestly I tried to avoid it
Honestly
Back when we were kids, we would always know when to stop
And now all the good kids are
Messing up
Nobody has gained or
Accomplished anything
Lyrics submitted by Belle-and-Eric-Hajdu, edited by oiseaux, LasseSand
Comforting Sounds Lyrics as written by Johan Haslund Wohlert Bo Rune Madsen
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Jonas has said that Comforting sounds is about losing the safety of childhood and growing up but not wanting to. You grow up and realise that not all adults are nice people .
it's a very very honest song.
i'd refrain from relating mew with drugs.
when we were kids, we were all so happy and when we grew up we realized that life isn't always about butterflies and rainbows. leaving one's childhood is what the song actually laments. mew is a genius.
this song is flawless start to finish, lyrically and instrumentally. they create the exact environment they want for this song. im kind of in the point in my life where im watching all the kids i grew up with fuck up. teared up the first time i heard this
They usually end their live set with this and the effect it has is amazing.
it's so beautiful. I feel sad but not really in a bad way... I don't know I get a very special feeling when I listen to this song. you have to lay down, close your eyes and let the music absorb you... and believe me it will.
Jonas has said that Comforting sounds is about losing the safety of childhood and growing up but not wanting to. You grow up and realise that not all adults are nice people .
well, as much as it makes sense, I don't think it really goes that way (drug abuse). it's just I prefer to see this song in a much more naive, pure way, but that might just be because of how it feels to me. yes, nostalgic. intense. tragic.
i think this song is a love song and tell how difficult it can be. "In spite of the comforting sounds that you make" means i think that despite what she says she does not act the same and it hurts him, that's why "he does not feel alright". When he refers to solitude, purity as to be rid of badness is only reached through solitude, being on his own, as he is a good person. "all good kids are messing up" i think refers to that she does not mean to hurt him, she is not a nasty person but how difficult it is to act good for the other one and how difficult it is to be an adult and to love someone else. As a grown up, you've been through many things, as it is said, a child is pure, it doesn't have been corrupted and "all the dirty shows i've put on" and "honestly tried to avoid it, honestly" refers i think to some bad situations he has been into and he's trying to say that he did not choose to be into those bad situations, it was not intentional and repetition "honestly" reveals that he is trying to convince her though she is not convinced and i think that's why the problem comes from..she does not believe him, she thinks that he got involved into those bad situations because he wanted to but for him it was "dirty shows", it was not fun...and it was just mistakes from him..
To me, this is the best song ever written. Perhaps not lyrically, but musically it gives me a lot of hope.
I agree with it being about the transition from childhood to adulthood and losing the innocence and purity and kind of realizing how ugly the world is.
I love this one. It's so long, and sounds so great and calming. I can just listen to this one and zone out and I dunno, it's just sooo awesome.
It's probably just me again, but this seems to be about drugs and long-time friends. I interpret this song something along these lines : " I don't feel alright in spite of these comforting sounds you make. I don't feel alright because you make promises that you break." -- The friend tries to assure the narrator (I) that he's got no problems with drugs and the I can't trust him because he's broke promises before. "Into your house, why don't we share our solitude? Nothing is pure anymore but solitude." -- Drugabuse comes from or often drives people into solitude for various reasons. The I person wants to help him with his addiction and he wants him to be honest ("nothing is pure anymore than solitude"). "It's hard to make sense, feels as if I'm sensing you through a lens. If someone else comes, I'd just sit here listening to the drums." -- The narrator doesn't recognize his friend, he seems to be staring at him from far away. He's allso saying or thinking that if anybody interrupts this conversation he will just pretend to be bored or interested in something else (the drums in the song playing in the background maybe?) "Previously I never called it solitude. And probably you know all the dirty shows I've put on. Blunted and exhausted like anyone. Honestly I tried to avoid it. Honestly." -- This, to me, seems to be the narrators own confession about his previouse drug (ab)use and all the lies/shows he's put on to hide this (ab)use or how he used to be the center of attention while high. I couldn't find the definition for 'blunted', so I'll interpret it as a verb for "hitting a blunt" (probably incorrect as hell..). So, he's actually saying he did it years ago and that he either had to go to rehab or that he had to quit (the 'exhausted like anyone' part). He honestly tried to avoid getting into rehab/quitting or how he wished to avoid making a shit out of himself while high. "Back when we were kids, we would always know when to stop. And now all the good kids are messing up. Nobody has gained or accomplished anything." -- He's remembering how when they both were young they would do drugs together, but allways just doing it for fun and knew when to stop. He's allso saying they were good kids who got messed up and that none of them have gained or accomplished anything by using drugs and/or in their general lives.
Whoah.. long one.. I'm probably way off... about love anyone?