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.
Burn down my home
My memories hardened and are bright as chrome
Good times escape
While every mistake seems to be caught on tape
I will go rolling fast
Arms out in the rain
Feel momentum building ’til
I lift off ground like an airplane
Love ties you down to the pain
A billion eyes are watching, fossilized
They see what remains
Remains
Gave up this town
What waste are we left with when it’s boiled down
Shine light on me
Your image reflected is all you’ll ever see
I will go rolling fast
Arms out in the rain
Feel momentum building ’til
I lift off ground like an airplane
Love ties you down to the pain
A billion eyes are watching, fossilized
They see what remains
Remains
My memories hardened and are bright as chrome
Good times escape
While every mistake seems to be caught on tape
I will go rolling fast
Arms out in the rain
Feel momentum building ’til
I lift off ground like an airplane
Love ties you down to the pain
A billion eyes are watching, fossilized
They see what remains
Remains
Gave up this town
What waste are we left with when it’s boiled down
Shine light on me
Your image reflected is all you’ll ever see
I will go rolling fast
Arms out in the rain
Feel momentum building ’til
I lift off ground like an airplane
Love ties you down to the pain
A billion eyes are watching, fossilized
They see what remains
Remains
Lyrics submitted by nightravenx
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
This song was a moving ending to the excellent unaired 13th episode of Dollhouse. While I wasn't blown away by the first season, I'm glad that it has been renewed for a 2nd; I hope it's as good as the 13th episode was.
The lyrics above are a bit off. I have pasted the lyrics as verified by Maurissa below.
Burn down my home My memories hardened and are bright as chrome Good times escape While every mistake seems to be caught on tape
I will go rolling fast Arms out in the rain Feel momentum building ’til I lift off ground like an airplane Love ties you down to the pain A billion eyes are watching, fossilized They see what remains Remains
Gave up this town What waste are we left with when it’s boiled down Shine light on me Your image reflected is all you’ll ever see
I will go rolling fast Arms out in the rain Feel momentum building ’til I lift off ground like an airplane Love ties you down to the pain A billion eyes are watching, fossilized They see what remains Remains
Thanks for the correct lyrics. Yeah, the original were done by ear when the song was first made available. Fixed!
I heard this song at the end of Dollhouse as well and was blown away by it. I'm not sure if this song was written specifically for the episode seeing as Jed and Maurissa obviously work closely with Joss but regardless it fits into the episode so well and is able to musically stand on its own just as strongly.
Every time I hear the song I see a music video for it playing in my head. I see a person wandering through a desolate urban landscape, surveying the damage. The shots of this person walking among the ruins is interspersed with a child running down and playing on a lush green hill. Rolling down it, running around with their arms out-stretched. As this continues we realize that the person surveying the ruins and the playing child are one in the same. I think the song portrays a loss of innocence. The harsh realities of the world have blocked the memories of better times and now all that remains (see what I did there?) is the memories of failures and defeat. The lyrics of "rolling fast, arms out in the rain... lift off the ground like an airplane" conjures images of a young child playing outside, rolling down hills, playing in the rain, running around like an airplane. But then you have the shorter verses and the second half of the choruses which portray a much more negative tone. The speaker has no hope, "Gave up this town/What waste are we left with when it’s boiled down," questioning the point of everything that has led up to the current situation.
"A billion eyes are watching, fossilized" are these the people who have died and now are left to watch and see the remains of humanity to see what will happen?
Just my two cents.
Yes, pretty sure I remember hearing at the time that this song was written for Epitaph One. It's quite lovely, and fits the theme of the episode very well.
great song... great show....
love a loyal fan