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.
Destined as the servant to the night
Where your moon dreams of the dirt
And the sharp tongue of your zealous will
Is only congruent with the salt in your mouth
And the approaching eulogy of the world
Is only congruent with the salt in your mouth
And the approaching eulogy of the world
Lost in the patterns of youth
And the ghost of your aches comes back to haunt you
And the forging of change makes no difference
Makes no difference
Memories fly through the mask of your life
Shielding you from time
The years that birthed the shell
That you gained
Hunched over in apathetic grief
With a disregard for steps
Except the one taken back
Perched up on a rope crafted in smoke
A sword wielding death that buried your hope
Focusing on light through the blinds
Focusing on light through the blinds
A slave to reality under a monarch in the sky
Lost in the patterns of youth
Where the windows shine brightly
Lost in the patterns of youth
Where the windows shine brightly
Lost in the patterns of youth
Where the windows shine brightly
Lost in the patterns of youth
Where the windows shine brightly back at you
Brightly back at you
Brightly back at you
Where your moon dreams of the dirt
And the sharp tongue of your zealous will
Is only congruent with the salt in your mouth
And the approaching eulogy of the world
Is only congruent with the salt in your mouth
And the approaching eulogy of the world
Lost in the patterns of youth
And the ghost of your aches comes back to haunt you
And the forging of change makes no difference
Makes no difference
Memories fly through the mask of your life
Shielding you from time
The years that birthed the shell
That you gained
Hunched over in apathetic grief
With a disregard for steps
Except the one taken back
Perched up on a rope crafted in smoke
A sword wielding death that buried your hope
Focusing on light through the blinds
Focusing on light through the blinds
A slave to reality under a monarch in the sky
Lost in the patterns of youth
Where the windows shine brightly
Lost in the patterns of youth
Where the windows shine brightly
Lost in the patterns of youth
Where the windows shine brightly
Lost in the patterns of youth
Where the windows shine brightly back at you
Brightly back at you
Brightly back at you
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings, edited by miguelvega, almasuperr
Vertigo Lyrics as written by Kerry Dylan Mccoy George Lesage Clarke
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The song seems pretty deep to me.
Destined as the servant ... zealous will: The guy is in love with a girl. But not just any girl. That popular girl who's like the moon in the wide sky. And she doesn't know he exists. She's dreaming of the other cool guys who our main guy here thinks of as dirt. The guy asked her out, and now she dreams of the guy she likes and the main guy's zeal to actually ask her.
Is only congruent ... of the world.: Congruent means 'equals to' or 'is the same thing'. So his asking her out is basically equal to her saying no and him crying over it (salt in his mouth = tears) and his approaching suicide note. Suicide because eulogy means praising and I think this sarcastically means his note "praising" the world.
Lost in the patterns ... makes no difference: Time has passed by a lot now. She's thinking about her past (patterns of youth) and the death of someone because of her (ghost of her aches is the dead main guy). The world keeps changing, but the fact that he died doesn't change.
Memories fly through ... disregard for steps: She keeps thinking about this and goes into depression. The passing years made her gain a shell which keeps her from being happy. Soon she stops caring about anything.
Except the one ... buried your hope.: Now she realizes she should forget the past. She was walking a tight rope destined to fall because of a crazy death that buried her hope.
Focusing on light through the blinds: She starts looking at life happily again, ignoring the bleakness behind her shell and focusing on the light through the blinds instead.
A slave to reality ... in the sky: Because in the end, she's just a slave a reality and under the control of god, so what's the point of staying the past?
This is what I think the song means. Honestly though, I don't know if the last paragraph is right. I'm open to suggestions though.
The song title comes from the book “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” the song is about abandoning your call and returning to the way things were. “Lost in the patterns of youth and the ghost of your aches comes back to haunt you. And the forging of change makes no difference. makes no difference. Once you read the book the song’s meaning becomes very clear.