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.
Watching it burn to your fingertips
Everything stings a bit
Dangerous silence surrounds you
All of the ashtrays and magazines
Recurrent love themes
Captured by time zones that hurt you
This could be perfect
It could be worth it
This could be perfect
If I wasn't worthless
Breathing in slowly
Hearts beating lonely
Damaged by habits that haunt you
All of the goodbyes
All of the goodnights
All of the nice tries
Left you in the cold
This could be perfect
It could be worth it
This could be perfect
If I wasn't worthless
This could be perfect
This could be worth it
If I could be a part of your world
Leave this all behind
I would investigate a perfect life with you
If I could say it in another way
These words could make this right
I would investigate a perfect love with you
This could be perfect
This could be perfect
This could be perfect (This could be perfect)
This could be perfect (This could be perfect)
Watching it burn to your fingertips.
Everything stings a bit
Dangerous silence surrounds you
All of the ashtrays and magazines
Recurrent love themes
Captured by time zones that hurt you
This could be perfect
It could be worth it
This could be perfect
If I wasn't worthless
Breathing in slowly
Hearts beating lonely
Damaged by habits that haunt you
All of the goodbyes
All of the goodnights
All of the nice tries
Left you in the cold
This could be perfect
It could be worth it
This could be perfect
If I wasn't worthless
This could be perfect
This could be worth it
If I could be a part of your world
Leave this all behind
I would investigate a perfect life with you
If I could say it in another way
These words could make this right
I would investigate a perfect love with you
This could be perfect
This could be perfect
This could be perfect (This could be perfect)
This could be perfect (This could be perfect)
Watching it burn to your fingertips.
Lyrics submitted by fedorov1fan
The Investigation Lyrics as written by John James Powell
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing 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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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."
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.
I personally think its about a broken hearted man who had the inability to love. He it sitting at home smoking alone, heart broken and pondering over the posibility of a relationship with the perfect girl. He doesnt want to start a relationship with her because he doesnt feel like he is good enough and is too down on himself all the time, but he loves her so much and thinks the relationship would work if he werent so lost and worthless, with her he could have the "perfect life" but feels his personal habbits and down falls will cause her harm
THis is THE best written song on the entire cd, I freakin' love this song and it's self explanatory!!! :D
this is my favorite on the album...
how is it that none of the best songs are commented? (sum of them neways). anyways, this is my third or fourth favorite song on the album, next to los angeles and hiatus. basically all of the song sounds really heartfelt to me in a way that not 2 many other songs do. it really mewans sumthing 2 me. when i try 2 get other friends 2 listen 2 sugarcult i recomend them this song 2 listen 2 2 start with
This is seriously one of Sugarcult's most beautiful songs ever. It's just so...stunning, dazzling, wonderful. I have no words to describe how awesome this song is, and how much I love it.
And I think the meaning is a little obvious.
wow this song is so beautiful! just the depth of the words and the way that he sings them, I love it!
ok so now that I sound like a dumbass cause everyone else has said it's so self-explanatory.. is this song partially about smoking?: "Watching it burn to your fingertips All of the ashtrays.. Damaged by habits that haunt you"
well anyways..Idk if it is, sure sounds like it but don't know how it all ties together..
anyone?
ok so i hate how people say it's "self-explanatory" because this is SONGMEANINGS.NET. so say what you think it means, regardless of whether it's obvious or not.
so here's my opinion......this guy, really likes this girl. he wants to "investigate" a relationship with her and see how it works out. He's saying: "why not give us a shot. our relationship could be perfect, so why stay lonely when we could have each other."
This song has such signifacant meaning to me and a lot of others. I think we all interperet it and have slightly different views on what it means. For me, I am in a 3 year relationship and the motivation levels have just dropped. We argue over stupid things and its just not the same. Well theres this girl I know who is absolutely amazing in every way. And I see her in this song. We used to sit in the room smoking with the ashtrays and magazines. A lot of times we wouldnt say much because of the complicated situation (dangerous silince) but we both knew what we were thinking. Time and time again something got in the way and this is my song to her, saying that It COULD be perfect and it COULD be worth it...
I personally envision a guy sitting there, smoking cigarettes, magazines lying around, and basically he's a mess. He wants to make his life work with this person, but he's basically a bum who is worthless -- "this could be perfect if I wasn't worthless"-- And he wants a life with someone but he can't leave his lifestyle for some reason or another. In the end, he's still investigating all this, but still a bum just 'watching it burn to his fingertips', meaning, not really doing anything about what he is investigating upon - "a perfect love" and "a perfect life with you"
great song, though very sad and depressing. this song can be interpreted many ways, each unique to the listener and that is the greatness of the song. to me, i see a failed relationship with the guy wanting it to continue. he wants to investigate a way to make it work, but he means nothing to her (worthless). the guy is smoking away his depression with his life a wreck (all of the ash trays). ash trays in and of itself is symbolic of the relationship turning to ashes. he has magazines lying all over his house (probably along with many other things) and they all have love stories in them (recurrent love themes). the time zone could be that the girl left town to start a new life. again... this song is beautiful, but a bit on the sad side :/