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.
Make a new cult every day to suit your affairs
Kissing girls in English at the back of the stairs
You're a honey with a following of innocent boys
They never know it
Because you never show it
You always get your way
They never know it
Because you never show it
You always get your way
Have you and her been taking pictures of your obsessions?
'Cause I met a boy who went through one of your sessions
In his blue velour and silk
You liberated
A boy I never rated
And now he's throwing discus
For Liverpool and Widnes
You liberated
A boy I never rated
And now he's doing business
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field are beautiful people
Could I write a piece about you now that you've made it?
About the hours spent, the wilderness in your training
You only did it so that you could wear
Terry underwear
And feel the city air
Run past your body
Your terry underwear
And feel the city air
Run past your body
Could I write a requiem for you when you're dead?
"She had the moves, she had the speed, it went to her head"
She never needed anyone to get her round the track
But when she's on her back
She had the knowledge
To get her into college
But when she's on her back
She had the knowledge
To get her where she wanted
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field are beautiful people
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field are beautiful people
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field are beautiful people
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field are beautiful people
Kissing girls in English at the back of the stairs
You're a honey with a following of innocent boys
They never know it
Because you never show it
You always get your way
They never know it
Because you never show it
You always get your way
Have you and her been taking pictures of your obsessions?
'Cause I met a boy who went through one of your sessions
In his blue velour and silk
You liberated
A boy I never rated
And now he's throwing discus
For Liverpool and Widnes
You liberated
A boy I never rated
And now he's doing business
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field are beautiful people
Could I write a piece about you now that you've made it?
About the hours spent, the wilderness in your training
You only did it so that you could wear
Terry underwear
And feel the city air
Run past your body
Your terry underwear
And feel the city air
Run past your body
Could I write a requiem for you when you're dead?
"She had the moves, she had the speed, it went to her head"
She never needed anyone to get her round the track
But when she's on her back
She had the knowledge
To get her into college
But when she's on her back
She had the knowledge
To get her where she wanted
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field are beautiful people
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field are beautiful people
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field are beautiful people
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field are beautiful people
Lyrics submitted by audiochi, edited by dex27, mdznr, fathousefly
The Stars of Track and Field Lyrics as written by Isobel Campbell Christopher Geddes
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
I agree that the girl's sexuality is in question, as is the nature of her promiscuity, but I don't agree that either of these are the focus of the song.
Think about the narrator...he (or she, but I think it's a he) attempts to present himself as somewhat neutral and without any emotional investment, ("a boy I never rated") but it's clear that he has a deep lust for this girl ("and feel the city air run past your body"). I think that everything that we learn about the girl's lifestyle ("kissing girls in English at the back of the stairs", "you always get your way") is just speculation on the part of the narrator.
I think this is a song about the paranoia that you feel when you long for someone you can't have. This narrator is someone who is not athletic and sees the beauty in athletes, but has become so infatuated with this girl that he is consumed by the idea that athletes are beautiful people. He wants her so badly, yet still questions his own sexuality (here "a boy I never rated" might have more meanings than one) that he reflects this upon his ideal of her.
It's a song about feeling sexually sidelined, and not knowing who or what to blame.
Who knows
This song's written from the perspective of some sort of journalist/track and field talent scout. He talks about a boy he "never rated" Then he talks about writing a piece about her now that she's made it.
I think it's ambiguous as to whether she's a lesbian or not. The third line, "They never know it," could refer to her being a lesbian or simply her being rather promiscuous/sexually deviant.
"She never needed anyone to get around the track But when she's on her back she had the knowledge to get her into college."
She's an accomplished track runner, but it seems she doesn't do well in her studies, so she uses sex to advance her academic career. Seems she probably uses it to advance her social standing on the track team as well.
I'm probably wrong but to me this song is about a girl who is really pretty and good at sport and so all the boys want her and she uses this to get her way but I think her biggest secret is that she is really a lesbian "Kissing girls in English, at the back of the stairs" No one knows she is a lesbian though so she keeps using boys to get her way "They never know it Because they never show it You always get your way" The middle bit kind of explains itself but I think when it says "But when she's on her back. She had the knowledge. To get her into college" I think it means that she slept her way to college and that she was good in bed not smart as in clever with books. I don't know I could be way off but that was just the first thing I thought of when I heard the song.
i'm pretty sure that the last words are "she had the knowledge to get her what she wanted" and is it "emptiness" in your training? i thought it was either worldliness or wilderness
It's definitely "wilderness" on the album track. I don't know why anyone would transcribe it as "emptiness."
What a beautiful melody this song has, like so many Stuart Murdoch (I'm guessing) compositions. And, of course, fantastic, intriguing, ambiguous lyrics.
I never read them until now (I always had it in my head that the 1st line was "Take a new coat every day to suit your affairs"), but looking at them now, and remembering my feelings of what the song initially meant to me, I see it as the narrator being perhaps once infatuated with a girl at school, who he then realises is not so worthwhile in pursuing, a sort of popular, "jock" type girl, who is very pretty, and is also a bit of a slag, or at least someone really driven, who knows what she wants and how to get it, someone who gets all the boys (and girls) to kiss her, but not the narrator, who seems quite thankful of this by the end of the song.
I just love the beautiful, comic lines, about "now he's throwing discus for Liverpool and Widnes", and "you only did it so that you could wear Terry underwear", and his beautiful, lilting voice.
My first introduction to the band, and I was hooked. Need to buy more albums now. Any recommendations?
these albums are similar to belle and sebastian in that they have nice melodies and their lyrics are both silly and meaningful. <br /> pavement - wowee zowee or brighten the corners<br /> weezer- pinkerton or blue album<br /> the unicorns - who will cut our hair when we're gone?<br /> islands - return to sea
@FishesWillLaugh I really rather liked the Life Pursuit and most of Dear Catastrophe Waitress. A few songs on Write About Love are also good. Don't bother with Storytelling.
Thanks @fuckbuttons - I didn't see this comment, but a friend gave me those first two Weezer albums a couple of years back and they have become firm favourites, so will check out your other recommendations. And you too, @sbd01, I will get onto those B&S albums now too :)
it was released 1996 -__-
that's right!just like Tigermilk
Wahey, the most proud I've ever been to come from Widnes was when I first heard this. wipes away tear sniff Gosh.
I think that this is a song about a high school girl who is very sexual. She kisses girls and has a following of boys. I think the word "liberated" refers to having sex with the other track team boys and she ended their virginity and they become looser and more relaxed and better atheletes. And even though she was a good track star, her sexual life is what was her obsession [mentioned in the second verse] and that liberated her as well, it is what she fed off of to make her the track star she was. And the line about college says she got the knowledge from being on her back, i.e. having sex, and this is what made her a great enough track star to get into college. I really think its about a very sexually active and sexually centered high school girl on the track team. Her "cults" and "obsessions" are all these sexual encounters that she needs to do well and she inadvertantly or purposefully liberates the boys on the team as well and so they too succeed. As always though, unless we hear from the band this is just my crazy guess.
would she fuck girls is the question. as the purpose of kissing the girls is merely to get more attention from the guys.
When he goes up an octave to sing "The knowledge to get her into college," my heart friggin breaks. GREAT song.
You missed, "She never needed anyone to get around the track..." before "but when she's...", as well as the "get her what she wanted"