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.
Wake up sixty minutes after my head hits the pillow I can't live like this
And in the shower I am a sailor standing waiting ready for the ship to list
Everything looks burned up I'm too scared to look around
Don't feel like going on but come on make a joyful sound
If you will believe in your heart and confess with your lips
Surely you will be saved one day
Try to think of ways to fix myself but everything ends in a cul-de-sac
The beast broke from the barn while we were sleeping
Face it face it he's not coming back
Don't see what the point is in even trying to fight
Look for the bigger picture when I close my eyes real tight
If you will believe in your heart and confess with your lips
Surely you will be saved one day
Look for the sign of Daniel, consider the clues
Wait as long as I have to for good news
Wake and rise and face the day and try to stop the day from staring back at me
Busy hours for joyful hearts and later maybe head out to the pharmacy
Won't take the medication but it's good to have around
A kind and loving God won't let my small ship run aground
If you will believe in your heart and confess with your lips
Surely you will be saved one day
And in the shower I am a sailor standing waiting ready for the ship to list
Everything looks burned up I'm too scared to look around
Don't feel like going on but come on make a joyful sound
If you will believe in your heart and confess with your lips
Surely you will be saved one day
Try to think of ways to fix myself but everything ends in a cul-de-sac
The beast broke from the barn while we were sleeping
Face it face it he's not coming back
Don't see what the point is in even trying to fight
Look for the bigger picture when I close my eyes real tight
If you will believe in your heart and confess with your lips
Surely you will be saved one day
Look for the sign of Daniel, consider the clues
Wait as long as I have to for good news
Wake and rise and face the day and try to stop the day from staring back at me
Busy hours for joyful hearts and later maybe head out to the pharmacy
Won't take the medication but it's good to have around
A kind and loving God won't let my small ship run aground
If you will believe in your heart and confess with your lips
Surely you will be saved one day
Lyrics submitted by mdon06, edited by anthonycmontana, iagoed
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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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,
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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 just saw the Mountain Goats last night in Chicago. John talked about the meanings of a few songs before they played them, and this was one.
He talked about how many people have interpreted this as being a very happy song, stemming from the uplifting sound and seemingly optimistic chorus.
However, he actually described the song as being someone who is more or less at the end of their rope, but maybe has one thing left that is keeping them from complete despair. The song is about someone who is extremely depressed, and just barely holding on.
It stuns me that anyone could interpret this as a happy song. The narrator is putting on the bravest place possible, but they are hanging by a very dubious thread (their faith in God).<br /> <br /> A kind and loving God would't let their small ship run aground. Nonetheless, their ship is going to run aground. Ergo.......
I'm pretty confident that the second line is indeed "waiting for the ship to list" -- that is, for the boat to lean precipitously to one side or the other. "Shift list" was going around the net early, but "shift list" makes less sense and doesn't match the sounds of what he sings. I hear a distinct unaccented sound after the "t"; if he sings "shift list," it's more like “shift-a list." But why would he be waiting for a "shift list" (whatever that might be) while showering? On the other hand, when you're showering in a boat, a sudden change in the boat's level can throw you; you want to be alert for a ship listing when you're standing in a slippery space.
I'm just listening to the demo from "The Life of the World in Flux," though, and he uses a different line in the demo from that recording.
"And in the shower the little soaps and shampoos seem like ancient bottled ambergris" -- so evidently he was working on that line through the recording process.
I absolutely adore this song. It reminds me a bit of mewithoutYou — “if there was no way into God/I would never have lain in this grave of a body/for so long”. That last thing (excuse, almost) that you tell yourself/string yourself together with.
Romans 10:9(NIV) - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
also i think that first line is "And in the shower I am a sailor standing waiting ready for the shift list"
Thanks, that line was killing me - I knew what I had wasn't right, but I couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be.
Need to grab your (maritime) dictionaries... List is a nautical term referring to the tilt of a ship. It's used when a boat is flooding (or shifting cargo, either way it's not a positive thing). The line is "ship to list".
What I love about the Mountain Goats is how deep the lyrics can be on so many levels. This one is a good example. I can easily see how this is a pretty dark song about someone at the end of their rope. But its funny to me that if this song were applied to another person's experiences it could be construed as a legit worship tune...
Very true. For me, this song is as sick and despairing as if they'd been singing about heroin instead of God keeping them going. But for a believer, it could sound quite sincere.
The chorus of this song IS the title Bible verse. This is the only song on Life of the World to Come where the whole title appears in the lyrics. There are a couple songs where PART of the title verse appears in the lyrics: Isaiah 45:23 ("Let every knee be bent, let every tongue confess") and Psalms 40:2 ("He has raised me from the pit and set me high").