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.
On the night train
From the city to the south
I saw spirits
Crawl across the river mouth
In skewed ascension
With no destination
Like this lone bachelor in me
This constant yearning
For great love and learning
For the wind to carry me free
So when the birds fly south
I'll Reach up and hold their tails
Pull up and out of here
And bridle the autumn gales
Down to the burning cliffs
To the unrelenting roll
To marry the untold blisses
And anchor this lost soul
From my window
I saw two birds lost at sea
I caught our reflection
In that silent tragedy
But with hope prevailing
I draw galleons sailing
In full sail billowing free
So when the birds fly south
We'll reach up and hold their tails
Pull up and out of here
And bridle the autumn gales
I give you my hand
The fingers unfold
To have and forever hold
To marry the untold blisses
And anchor this lost soul
From the city to the south
I saw spirits
Crawl across the river mouth
In skewed ascension
With no destination
Like this lone bachelor in me
This constant yearning
For great love and learning
For the wind to carry me free
So when the birds fly south
I'll Reach up and hold their tails
Pull up and out of here
And bridle the autumn gales
Down to the burning cliffs
To the unrelenting roll
To marry the untold blisses
And anchor this lost soul
From my window
I saw two birds lost at sea
I caught our reflection
In that silent tragedy
But with hope prevailing
I draw galleons sailing
In full sail billowing free
So when the birds fly south
We'll reach up and hold their tails
Pull up and out of here
And bridle the autumn gales
I give you my hand
The fingers unfold
To have and forever hold
To marry the untold blisses
And anchor this lost soul
Lyrics submitted by timeforheroes
Teignmouth Lyrics as written by Patrick Wolf
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
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I interpret it as about being lost in oneself or one's situation, and yearning for something more in some other place; whether it's love or not, he certainly expresses wanting to be content and happy ("to marry the untold blisses, and anchor this lost soul").
It's an absolutely beautiful song. Very poetic.
I love this song, it seems really bittersweet. I think it's about being hopeful and moving past hopelessness.
It's quite a Bjorkish mentality...
I don't think the author had a specific topic in mind, and just wanted to give a sense of melachony and desire for escape, with some referring to love ("I saw two birds lost at sea / I caught our reflection / In that silent tragedy"). Anyway, it has nice music to support this ;-)
From my window I saw two birds lost at sea I caught our reflection In that silent tragedy But with hope prevailing
--- it sounds like he's alluding his past relationship to those two birds, hopeless, not knowing what to do, feeling "lost"...
I remember sitting on the beach in Teignmouth listening to this track. It was also the first one I learned on piano. Since then I've been sad enough to transcribe them all pretty much. Such a moving song.
I think this is probably the most poetic of all his songs...beautiful
I think this song sounds loads bette with just him and a piano. But its very pretty.
Once you listen to it clean-cut, just a piano and a beautiful voice, you might listen again and find the electrostuff a bit interupting Both versions I good, I just definately have a favourite
i'm absolutly in love with this song
Patrick said at Electronic Beats festival that two birds are like a metaphor for two lovers - I am paraphrasing that now, but the point is that it is a love song. He said also that whenever he sings it he feels like he's in love. This one just might be my favourite of his.