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.
Is all that we've become
Just nothing but hats and bags
We're waiting for taxi cabs
So you light cigarettes
And I'm taking drags
In the air, a sea of words,
That didn't come soon enough
In my mind a railway station
And a ticket stub
And it is Easter in the town
I can hear as they strike up the band
We're listening to some old man
Say he came back to life with a hole in his hand
And now the Sunday school is gathered
Together in pink and in blue
They're heralding angels for you
But not for me
They're singing
Gloria in Excelsis
Deo, deo
Gloria in Excelsis
But there's no,
There's no hope
And I am grateful for the things
That you've tried to show to me dear
But there's no Arcadia,
No Albi, and there?s no Jerusalem here
And underneath your pastures green
There's earth and there?s ash
And there's bone
And there are things that disappear
Into it and then they are gone
And there is light that hits the sky
And then it is midnight again
And there is my mother, my father,
And you and we are all impermanent
And on the green they tell their tales
About how even the dead can come back
I just don't believe in that
So you can keep on singing
Gloria in Excelsis
Deo, deo
Gloria in Excelsis
But there's no,
There's no hope
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing as ghosts
Just nothing but hats and bags
We're waiting for taxi cabs
So you light cigarettes
And I'm taking drags
In the air, a sea of words,
That didn't come soon enough
In my mind a railway station
And a ticket stub
And it is Easter in the town
I can hear as they strike up the band
We're listening to some old man
Say he came back to life with a hole in his hand
And now the Sunday school is gathered
Together in pink and in blue
They're heralding angels for you
But not for me
They're singing
Gloria in Excelsis
Deo, deo
Gloria in Excelsis
But there's no,
There's no hope
And I am grateful for the things
That you've tried to show to me dear
But there's no Arcadia,
No Albi, and there?s no Jerusalem here
And underneath your pastures green
There's earth and there?s ash
And there's bone
And there are things that disappear
Into it and then they are gone
And there is light that hits the sky
And then it is midnight again
And there is my mother, my father,
And you and we are all impermanent
And on the green they tell their tales
About how even the dead can come back
I just don't believe in that
So you can keep on singing
Gloria in Excelsis
Deo, deo
Gloria in Excelsis
But there's no,
There's no hope
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing as ghosts
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.
none on this song either! I'm surprised. someone ought to have commented this.
This is a cynical view that the world is just the material that we can see...and that we're all impermanent (like in History of Britain) When she talks about easter and there's an old man, that's like Jesus returning from the dead, which she thinks isn't possible (I used to think it said hole in the hand, which would make sense if it is Jesus she's talking about). The Libertines had a dream about reaching Albion (not alby) and Arcadia (which is like Utopia) but Emmy's saying there's no such thing as that. It's like there's someone trying to convert her, but she's saying though you might sing "Glory to God in the highest," there's no hope and we'll all die and end, and there's no afterlife i.e. being a ghost or the dead coming back, like Jesus.
This is the song that first got me into Emmy The Great. It's pure genius from start to finish.
I think that "We're listening to some old man/Say he came back to life with a hole in his head" may be mistranscribed, to my ear it sounds like "a hole in his hand" which would rhyme better and fit the Easter imagery better.
The "Gloria in excelsis Deo" ( translates from the latin as "Glory To God In The Highest" ) is what the angels sang when Christ was born in the new testament and has been incorporated into many hymns going back at least as far as the third century.
Subtle and brilliant this is one of the finest lyrics I have ever read/heard.
i absolutely love this song.
the meaning should be pretty easy to figure out..
I'm with Breakfast on this one.
"We're listening to some old man say He came back to life with a hole in His hand" makes more sense as it's obviously a reference to Jesus. The old man makes me think that it could be a pastor.
I also think the line "There's no Arcadia, no Alby and there's no Jerusalem here" could actually be "There's no Arcadia, no Albion, there's no Jerusalem here".
The Easter Parade is a novel by Richard Yates. The main character is called Emmy.