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.
There was a stage and a pier up in western Massachusetts,
And the kids came from miles around to get messed up on the music.
And she drove down from Boden with a carload of girlfriends,
To meet some boys and maybe eat some mushrooms
And they did and she got sick
And now she's pinned and way too shaky.
She don't wanna tell the doctor everything she's taken
The paramedics hovered over her like a somber mourning family
They gave her activating charcoal, they flooded her with saline
Her:
"I got really hot and then I came to in the chillout tent,
They gave me oranges and cigarettes."
He was rough around the edges:
He'd been to school, but never finished,
He'd been to jail, but never prison.
It was his first day off in forever, man
The festival seemed like a pretty good plan,
Cruise some chicks and get a sun-tan.
And his friend gave him four, but said only take one,
But then he got bored and ended up taking all four.
Ah, so now my man ain't that bored anyways,
The paramedics found him: he was shaking on the side of the stage.
Him:
"Everything was spinning and I came to in the chillout tent,
They gave me oranges and cigarettes."
Her:
"I got really hot and then I came to in the chillout tent"
Both:
"They gave us oranges and cigarettes."
She looked just like a baby bird, all new and wet and trying to light a Parliament
He quoted her some poetry, he's Tennyson in denim and sheepskin.
He looked a lot like Izzy Stradlin.
They started kissing when the nurses took off their IVs,
It was kinda sexy, but it was kinda creepy.
Their mouths were fizzy with the cherry cola,
They had the privacy of bedsheets
And all the other kids were mostly in comas.
Her:
"He was kinda cute, we kinda kicked it in the chillout tent,
And I never saw that boy again."
Him:
"She was pretty cool, we kinda kicked in the chillout tent,
And I never saw that girl again."
Her:
"He was kinda cute, we kinda kicked it in the chillout tent,
And I never saw that boy again."
Him:
"She seemed pretty cool, we kinda kicked it in the chillout tent,
And I never saw that girl again."
And the kids came from miles around to get messed up on the music.
And she drove down from Boden with a carload of girlfriends,
To meet some boys and maybe eat some mushrooms
And they did and she got sick
And now she's pinned and way too shaky.
She don't wanna tell the doctor everything she's taken
The paramedics hovered over her like a somber mourning family
They gave her activating charcoal, they flooded her with saline
Her:
"I got really hot and then I came to in the chillout tent,
They gave me oranges and cigarettes."
He was rough around the edges:
He'd been to school, but never finished,
He'd been to jail, but never prison.
It was his first day off in forever, man
The festival seemed like a pretty good plan,
Cruise some chicks and get a sun-tan.
And his friend gave him four, but said only take one,
But then he got bored and ended up taking all four.
Ah, so now my man ain't that bored anyways,
The paramedics found him: he was shaking on the side of the stage.
Him:
"Everything was spinning and I came to in the chillout tent,
They gave me oranges and cigarettes."
Her:
"I got really hot and then I came to in the chillout tent"
Both:
"They gave us oranges and cigarettes."
She looked just like a baby bird, all new and wet and trying to light a Parliament
He quoted her some poetry, he's Tennyson in denim and sheepskin.
He looked a lot like Izzy Stradlin.
They started kissing when the nurses took off their IVs,
It was kinda sexy, but it was kinda creepy.
Their mouths were fizzy with the cherry cola,
They had the privacy of bedsheets
And all the other kids were mostly in comas.
Her:
"He was kinda cute, we kinda kicked it in the chillout tent,
And I never saw that boy again."
Him:
"She was pretty cool, we kinda kicked in the chillout tent,
And I never saw that girl again."
Her:
"He was kinda cute, we kinda kicked it in the chillout tent,
And I never saw that boy again."
Him:
"She seemed pretty cool, we kinda kicked it in the chillout tent,
And I never saw that girl again."
Lyrics submitted by kemekongka
Chillout Tent Lyrics as written by Tad Jason Kubler Craig Finn
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The female vocals just kill me, especially the line, 'and I never saw that boy again'. Such a simple sentence but rammed with emotion.
Great songwriting.
"he's tennessean in denim and sheepskin."
I think that should be Tennyson, as in the poet.
heh, I've been to a few festivals that had chill out tents for the people who get too strung out, but I've never heard it used as a setting for a love/hook-up story before. Craig Finn's is one damn creative songwriter.
"She looked just like a baby bird, all new and wet and trying to light a Parliament He quoted her some poetry, he's Tennyson in denim and sheepskin He looked a lot like Izzy Stradlin They started kissing when the nurses took off their IVs It was kinda sexy, but it was kinda creepy Their mouths were fizzy with the cherry cola They had the privacy of bedsheets And all the other kids were mostly in comas"
This is probably my favorite verse in a song ever. It is so clever and funny but in a very off beat sort of way. Craig Finn is absolutely brilliant and is such a great writer. I feel like he should write a book.
Probably my favorite song right now. I lovelove Craig Finn's stories.
"She looked just like a baby bird, all 'new and lemonshot a lot of polymer'(?)"
Well I don't know what the hell that's supposed to mean, but I know that this is what he's singing:
"...all new and wet and trying to light a Parliament"
Craig is a ridiculously amazing poet.
thankyou both kindly, it's hard being ESL.
comments:
"piet" = "P.A." "activating charcoal" = "activated charcoal"
For those that don't know, the guest male vocals are by David Pirner of Soul Asylum, and the guest female vocals are by Elizabeth Elmore of The Reputation/Sarge.
heh. the only reason i know this is because i go there, but it's "bowdoin," not "boden".