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.
John A. Hobson was a good man
He used to loan me books and mic stands
He even got me a subscription
To the Socialist Review
Listening to records in his basement
Old folk songs about the government
"It's love of money, not the market"
He said, "these fuckers push on you"
"And freedom yells, it don't cry
Whatever sells will decide
But there's no hell when you die
So don't look so worried"
He got a night life, lost his day job
Pushing papers, swinging pendulums
Anything to serve a function
Or to occupy some time
You gotta earn this living somehow
You're good as dead without a bank account
But it's funny how alive he felt down
In that unemployment line
With all that trash at his feet
The pools of piss in the street
All of that filthy empathy
For the way we're feeling
The billboards shade
The flags they wave
The anthem was playing loud
The baseball game was letting out
And all at once
He saw the dust
And heard every tiny sound
Got in his truck and turned around
Drove out through the crowd and the cops
Drove out past that center mall
Drove out past that sickening sprawl
Out past that fenced in gold
And maybe he lost control
Fucking with the radio
But I bet the stars seemed so close
At the end
At the end
At the end
He used to loan me books and mic stands
He even got me a subscription
To the Socialist Review
Listening to records in his basement
Old folk songs about the government
"It's love of money, not the market"
He said, "these fuckers push on you"
"And freedom yells, it don't cry
Whatever sells will decide
But there's no hell when you die
So don't look so worried"
He got a night life, lost his day job
Pushing papers, swinging pendulums
Anything to serve a function
Or to occupy some time
You gotta earn this living somehow
You're good as dead without a bank account
But it's funny how alive he felt down
In that unemployment line
With all that trash at his feet
The pools of piss in the street
All of that filthy empathy
For the way we're feeling
The billboards shade
The flags they wave
The anthem was playing loud
The baseball game was letting out
And all at once
He saw the dust
And heard every tiny sound
Got in his truck and turned around
Drove out through the crowd and the cops
Drove out past that center mall
Drove out past that sickening sprawl
Out past that fenced in gold
And maybe he lost control
Fucking with the radio
But I bet the stars seemed so close
At the end
At the end
At the end
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
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
In in extraordinary amount of press Conor has gotten lately, alot of the reviews of Digital Ash mention this song. They say this song is about the death of a friend in a car crash. I dont think think tragedy of a car crash is the topic of this song. It's more along the lines of his Desaparecidos work, with the metaphor of the car crash signifying the rising above the struggle of American capitalism and consumerism. The struggle hits its climax as the character is driving past the seemingly wretched classic american landscape of flags and baseball games, and disappears into somekind of restful peace.
Also, it may be a bit of a stretch but the line of "fucking with the radio" for some reason didnt strike me at first as a car radio, but like some kind of rabid lashing out against American capitalism in form of the god awful trash that gets played on the radio.
it's "johnny hopson" with an s.
and "the billboard shades the flags - they wave. the anthem was playing loud."
and "all at once you saw the dust and heard every __ sound" - but i don't know what word goes there
and "out past that fenced in gold" but the 'gold' wouldn't make much sense, but i can't come up with anything else.
and "seemed SO close"
asking for your assistance please. i don't see a plain old 'comment' button to click on to post a new comment. I only see "post reply" which I clicked on to write this. I do have a fever right now, so maybe I'm just missing something. do you know how to just post my own comment instead of having to reply to other's posts? thanks in advance.
You go all the way to the bottom of the page. And then there's a box to write it. Kind of stupid, I know.
all at once you saw the dust and heard every TINY sound
fixed, thankyou
i think this song is about a friend who was angry with the economy or something, and he didnt want to conform or do good, so he started partying all the time and never worked and what not, but then decided he wanted to change and quit being a low life, but he got in a car crash and died.... just my opinion... any other ideas?
This song has an 80's twinge to it..good song. I think it is about how our society determines what we do and how we live our life, and the guy he's singing about (ive noticed that conor often tells stories through characters,but it could just as easily be about him that literally about his friend John Hobson)realized that and began living his life diffrently.But at the end, he dies just like everyone else. But then again,what the fuck do I know?
It should be John A. Hobson...He is a 1800s physicist who had a very distinct socialist/communist ideology....I agree with the 80s statement...I have listened to this one about 10 times since getting the album a few days ago.
just to add, the "fenced in gold" conor refers to is the various fields of wheat, barley, etc. surrounding Omaha.
tiki_12: An 1800s physicist used to lend Conor Oberst books and mic stands?!
The lyrics are metaphorical. Not to be taken in a literal sense. Since when does Oberst ever write exactly how it is? Books could represent knowledge. That Hobson lent him knowledge. Mic stands could be a foundation for his voice. <br /> <br /> Sorry I'm 6 years late on the reply, but I couldn't resist myself.
plasticflowers: of course not, but not all of conor's songs are about himself, and in the case of digital ash many of the songs are dream like references combining real and surreal life