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.
Ever seen a blind man cross the road
Trying to make the other side
Ever seen a young girl growing old
Trying to make herself a bride
So what becomes of you my love
When they have finally stripped you of
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
Once I was a young man
All I thought I had to do was smile
While you are still a young girl
And you bought everything in style
So once you think you're in you're out
'Cause you don't mean a single thing without
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
Sing a song of six-pence for your sake
And drink a bottle full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds in a cake
And bake them all in a pie
They told me you missed school today
So what I suggest you just throw them all away
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
They told me you missed school today
So I suggest you just throw them all away
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
Trying to make the other side
Ever seen a young girl growing old
Trying to make herself a bride
So what becomes of you my love
When they have finally stripped you of
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
Once I was a young man
All I thought I had to do was smile
While you are still a young girl
And you bought everything in style
So once you think you're in you're out
'Cause you don't mean a single thing without
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
Sing a song of six-pence for your sake
And drink a bottle full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds in a cake
And bake them all in a pie
They told me you missed school today
So what I suggest you just throw them all away
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
They told me you missed school today
So I suggest you just throw them all away
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
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No Surprises
Radiohead
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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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
it's simply saying that there is more to life than your looks etc. A person is more than the trappings that surround them
This is song is about materialism, bu it is mostly about growing up. It begs a question to everybody who has had everything handed to them, everybody whose ancestors worked their asses off so that they could buy cool crap without having to work with it. In the context of the lyrics, today "handbags and gladrags" could easily be replaced with "ipods and laptops".
It's kind of about just being grateful and realizing that you're eventually going to have to grow up too. Again, in an especially modern context, what happens to you when you piss away your parents money by getting shitfaced at college for 4 years? Where has that gotten you? Life isn't as ideal as you think it's going to be (you can't just smile your way through it).
In the specific sense it does have to do with a girl who has prioritized fashion and stuff, but the song works in a much more general way. She has prioritized the shallow, meaningless things in life because she hasn't ever really had to live enough to see that there's more, to grow up. The use of "fashion" could easily just be replaced with things like materialism, somebody watching TV all day, laziness--anything really when you're pissing away all that is given to you because it's given to you. And when you have spent your life focused on meaningless, useless things, and then you have to grow up and use real life skills and do real life work, you've got nothing without your shallow, meaningless existence that you've created for yourself.
@parkerstoneftw Hahaha. Only just read this 11 years too late. In 2019 it's great to see that iPods and laptops have now been replaced by other devices on such a short time. Good post mate
I agree with toxicgeek. You can dress yourself up in all the gladrags in the world but it doesn't mean nothing if you don't have the personality to back it up. The song is about a girl who puts her entire life in how she looks and all the education she's recieved doesn't mean a thing because fashion takes a higher rung. Even though the Stereophincs version is pretty much exactly he same as Rod Stewart's (I think Mike D'Abo of Manfred Mann wrote it originally), Kelly Jones is much sexier than Rod. So there. :)
This song is a bit of a guilt trip, but it's not just about today. It's historical, that's why it says "that your poor old grandad had to sweat to buy you". It's about all the things that our ancestors have done so that we can live in the luxury we've become accustomed to. So when the line comes up "They told me you missed school today", that's a privilege that our grandads/great-grandads didn't have and fought for, yet we treat it as though it's a nuisance. Without it and the gladrags and handbags, we wouldn't have the choices we have and such an easy life.
That's what ran through my mind anyway.
Yes, according to the book accompanying the CD it is written by Michael D'Abo. Perhaps it shouldn't be here under Stereophonics? But I guess there's no harm in it staying.
If anyone is wondering, Michael D'abo was a member of Manfred Mann.
Excellent song, and even a better choice to show up as the theme song for The Office.
I like this song and I didn't know any of these groups sing it. I know about it from a Bill Chase marching show I had in marching band last year. Bill Chase was a GREAT trumpeter. I recommend this song, Get It On and also Open Up Wide by the group Chase.
Reminds me of my Grandad actually- and when i used to live with him.. and how much i took without giving. He's dead now.
i think this song is about a girl that is young but is old in some ways and the lyrics say "your grandad sweat to buy you" i assume that means she wasted the gladrags that he had to sweat to buy her. i am kinda confused with this song