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.
the clasp broke at the disco Mom I'm sorry
& the older men who hit on Becky
nearly broke their necks on scattered pearls
& we searched the best we could
for two entire songs we knelt & felt along
the place where we had stood
but we only found 7 of Grandmother's pearls
& as we rode the bus home I thought surely
I'd wake up tomorrow just to find
that I had dreamed up everything
there'd still be pearls on a string
I wouldn't smell like smoke & I'd still
have the cash that I had spent on drinks
oh I feel as scattered as Grandmother's pearls
Mom don't cry they're only pearls
& the older men who hit on Becky
nearly broke their necks on scattered pearls
& we searched the best we could
for two entire songs we knelt & felt along
the place where we had stood
but we only found 7 of Grandmother's pearls
& as we rode the bus home I thought surely
I'd wake up tomorrow just to find
that I had dreamed up everything
there'd still be pearls on a string
I wouldn't smell like smoke & I'd still
have the cash that I had spent on drinks
oh I feel as scattered as Grandmother's pearls
Mom don't cry they're only pearls
Lyrics submitted by proposals
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I'm with wahwah, from the lyrics, (they looked for two entire songs - what's that 6-7 minutes?) to the way she says "they are only pearls" and the obvious over indulgence on drink; it just sounds like she's not all that interested in the lost pearls. Which smacks of the story of older men hitting on Becky perhaps being an embellishment too.
Which to me makes it a brilliant song about the difference in values between generations. Mother obviously greatly values the pearls, the kids, not so much
Come ON Neatharu there's definitely room for metaphor here;
Pearls have historically been a symbol of purity and virginity, I think that the breaking of the necklace definitely speaks to a loss of innocence, a loss of metaphorical virginity, etc. The girls head to a club, a place where sex is implicitly solicited, and even if nothing really happens and the narrator regrets the whole night, there's a sense of the irrevocability of the experience. The mom is crying because she senses this loss, not because of the pearls... which is why the girl can't seem to console her. She doesn't feel different, but still feels bad for breaking the necklace.
I think it's supposed to function on a literal and metaphorical level... it's just a real experience that has a lot of metaphorical undertones. I don't know
my favorite off the new album
This is such a beautiful song. It's really meaningful even when taken literally, but some of the images are especially powerful as metaphors. The "older men" come close to injuring themselves, because of the indiscretion of a silly girl. That's almost a warning that guys can't afford to mess around with younger girls. It's stretching a bit, but it's worth thinking about. Then there's the great contrast between the speaker wishing that none of the night had ever happened and her acting like it's not a big deal when she's responding to her mother. I feel like she wasn't trying to be glib so much as she didn't want to admit that she was upset. Think of all the things we lose and can never get back - like great ideas that are never recorded, or lost little charms that meant a lot to us, or our "lost" virginity. The problem here is that the mother presumably cares a lot about the pearls, too. The necklace is an heirloom - a symbol of family ties, ancientness, and, in a sense, innocence. People tend to idealize the past and think of older generations as really sheltered and sterile. Obviously we don't see our grandparents as sexual beings. But even pearls were historically used to signify "feminine wisdom". Pearls also symbolize propriety and dignity, and the loss of the pearls is probably one of a few bad decisions made that night. The girl can't retrieve all of the pearls, and she also can't undo the smoking, drinking, and partying. She seems to wish that she could, but doesn't want her mother to know that she sees that she messed up.
The idea of pearls also being a metaphor for innocence is perfect!
i love the vocals on this.it's like a naughty girl that lies about being sorry of her actions.I think that the girl is a bit sorry just because her mom delivers the guilty feelings of family traditions.
The song could imply that the 'older men' tried to rape the girls and broke the narrator's necklace, but the girl is too ashamed to tell her mother.
god, talk about over-analysis. you guys are thinking way too far into this. the song is completely innocent. she goes to the disco with her friend and the pearl necklace she took from her mother broke. the end.
i love this song..
and the men were NOT trying to rape them.. what the hell?
i concur.. you are putting WAAAY too much thought into it.
there is a great version of this song available here: daytrotter.com/article/1183/casiotone-for-the-painfully-alone-daytrotter-session
it has Owen doing the vocals and it sounds so much better, although the song makes more sense narrated by a girl. i love the drum sample in this version too, it has the dull thud of an overheard houseparty next door that the beautiful people are having.
there's a kind of careless abandon to this song; the kind of carefree attitude that the weekend brings. unfortunately, it's tempered with the comedown the following day, 'I wouldn't smell like smoke & I'd still have the cash that I had spent on drinks'. boy, am i in touch with that. although, he sings drink (singular) in the daytrotter version, which is more irish and means the narrator was definitely hitting the alcohol at the disco.
I'm with wahwah, from the lyrics, (they looked for two entire songs - what's that 6-7 minutes?) to the way she says "they are only pearls" and the obvious over indulgence on drink; it just sounds like she's not all that interested in the lost pearls. Which smacks of the story of older men hitting on Becky perhaps being an embellishment too.
Which to me makes it a brilliant song about the difference in values between generations. Mother obviously greatly values the pearls, the kids, not so much