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.
Jenni killed her dad with her car
And now she's a millionaire
She got beat on mostly for being at home
So mostly she wasn't there
And me i'm waiting to see
What goes around when she comes around
To kill me
Were you dead way before tonight?
Throw it back and stay awhile
We go out and we pass out in our clothes again
Giving it and losing it for the time of our lives
I'm giving it and losing it for the time of my life
You're giving it and losing it for the time of your life
Were you dead way before tonight?
Throw it back and stay a while
I've seen red most of this little life
Throw it back and we'll die a while
I know what it means: "you got me"
We're not sick we just need it for the weekends
On mondays it's gone
I used to think I was invisible beside you i'd crumble
You wait for it and you wait for it and it's gone
And you wake up and nobody knows that I loved you buried alive
Were you dead before tonight?
Throw it back and stay a while
I've seen red most of this little life
Throw it back and we'll die a while
And now she's a millionaire
She got beat on mostly for being at home
So mostly she wasn't there
And me i'm waiting to see
What goes around when she comes around
To kill me
Were you dead way before tonight?
Throw it back and stay awhile
We go out and we pass out in our clothes again
Giving it and losing it for the time of our lives
I'm giving it and losing it for the time of my life
You're giving it and losing it for the time of your life
Were you dead way before tonight?
Throw it back and stay a while
I've seen red most of this little life
Throw it back and we'll die a while
I know what it means: "you got me"
We're not sick we just need it for the weekends
On mondays it's gone
I used to think I was invisible beside you i'd crumble
You wait for it and you wait for it and it's gone
And you wake up and nobody knows that I loved you buried alive
Were you dead before tonight?
Throw it back and stay a while
I've seen red most of this little life
Throw it back and we'll die a while
Lyrics submitted by Little Butcher Boy
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yea this is about what everyone is saying. its pretty self explanitory. Iv always felt that Matt loves this girl who's been through some abuse from her dad, and although she can be timid and okay with everythin, he knows it scarred her deeply. I think although he loves the chick he is somewhat intimidated by the anger she has towards her past and he tries to make her feel good, but is scared that she could easily turn her agression on him someday as she's not complelely stable. (Jenni killed her dad with her car and now she's a millionaire) Could that mean that she somehow gets so ragefilled about her past that she turns on Matt and kills him in place of her dad, inheriting his fortune?
From what i've read Matt Good say about this song on a fansite, he wrote this song about a girl "jenni" he had a long term relationship with.
"Apparently, 'Jenni' and Matt were married for a brief time. Jenni, was abused by her father for most of her life, and while married to Matt, things slowly began to come together, and Matt realized what she had gone through in her life. Jenni ended up killing her father."
You can read a manifesto Matt wrote about her on [url="runningforhome.net"] Who know's how much of its true knowing Matt Good.
I love this song, when matt sings:
"I used to think I was invisible beside you i'd crumble You wait for it and you wait for it and it's gone And you wake up and nobody knows that I loved you buried alive "
I get shivers
From what i've read Matt Good say about this song on a fansite, he wrote this song about a girl "jenni" he had a long term relationship with.
"Apparently, 'Jenni' and Matt were married for a brief time. Jenni, was abused by her father for most of her life, and while married to Matt, things slowly began to come together, and Matt realized what she had gone through in her life. Jenni ended up killing her father."
You can read a manifesto Matt wrote about her on runningforhome.net Who know's how much of its true knowing Matt Good.
I love this song, when matt sings:
"I used to think I was invisible beside you i'd crumble You wait for it and you wait for it and it's gone And you wake up and nobody knows that I loved you buried alive "
I get shivers
I heard that he and others friends used to stay up til 4am and make up bullshit stories. But the girl existed, like he said in "The Night Opus" and he loved her.
I read the story that went with this song. From what I remember Jenni and him were freinds and he liked her more than just a friend but she didn't at first. Which I think he he mentions in the lines
"I used to think I was invisible beside you i'd crumble You wait for it and you wait for it and it's gone And you wake up and nobody knows that I loved you buried alive " I can totally relate to it as well. It really sucks when you have feeling for a friend and they don't have them back.
It seems to me that this is another one of those things that matt good tends to do where maybe there is some kernel of truth (or maybe not; you never know really)... but I think it is very telling and very odd that his wife is named jennifer... so is this about her? and how much of it is true?
because wouldn't you be kind of upset if your husband (or boyfriend at the time or whatever) took creative license to use your tragedy in a song.. and what is the context of all this anyway?
matt good is just such an enigma to me. he is endlessly fascinating i think and i'm not sure why, but it probably has something to do with the fact that a lot of his music touches and moves me in a way that not much else does... does anyone else feel this way about him? I'm not like obsessed or anything, it's not like i sit around thinking "wow i'd love to meet this person and be a part of his life" because i wouldn't... it would ruin the magic for me you know?
i don't know if that makes much sense to anyone but oh well.
His wife's name is Jennifer Good. So I'm guessing this is some sick love song towards her. Good song.
I listened to it more after I read the manifesto he wrote about her. It's called 'The Night Opus' and you can find it on his site as well.
Really good story to go along with the song.. not saying this isn't true, I just like how it was written...
gosh, i love the whole chorus part and everything. is this the same girl who he wrote 'song for the girl' for? even if this song is a little disturbing if you pay attention to the lyrics, its so catchy i can listen to it for a long time.
"i loved you buried alive"
what does that mean? does it mean he preferred the girl dead? perhaps he feels more secure that way so that she doesn't kill him first...? or maybe he's talking about the past that does come up in Jenni every now and then, and he'd prefer that her old self would just stay "dead and buried"? maybe it's just Matt trying to "soothe" the insanity boiling up in her...? "we'll die a while" i.e. "let's keep that old past dead just for a bit, and we can have some good peace...cuz i've seen red (blood? anger?) most of this life already...just throw it behind us, and let it die for a bit"
and maybe that's what he means when he asks "were you dead way before tonite?" as in...i was hoping this past would have died a long time ago...weren't you gone already?? apparently not, cuz i'm dealing with an episode right now....
just random thoughts that came together on the fly...not sure if it makes sense...? lol
I think it means that he loved her, even though she was so stressed and smothered by the weight of her past that it was like she was buried alive by her life.