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.
What if someone said
Promise lies ahead
Hopes are high in certain scientific circles
Life won't have to end
You could walk again
What if someone said
Problems lie ahead
They've uncovered something highly controversial
The right to life is strong
Can't you see it's wrong
Human kind has reached a turning point
Poised for conflict at ground zero
Ready for a war
Do we look to our unearthly guide
Or to white coat heroes
Searching for a cure
Turn to the light
Don't be frightened of the shadows it creates
Turn to the light
Turning away would be a terrible mistake
Anarchistic moral vision
Industries of death
Facing violent opposition
Unmolested breaths
Ethic inquisitions breed
Antagonistic views
Right wing sound bite premonitions
In a labyrinth of rules
Are you justified
Are you justified
Are you justified
Justified in taking
Life to save life
Life to save life
Taking life to save life
This embryonic clay
Wrapped in fierce debate
Would be thrown away
Or otherwise discarded
Some of us believe
It may hold the key
To treatment of disease
And secrets highly guarded
Are you justified
Are you justified
Are you justified
Justified in taking
Life to save life
Life to save life
Life to save life
Human kind has reached a turning point
Poised for conflict at ground zero
Ready for a war
Do we look to our unearthly guide
Or to white coat heroes
Searching for the cure
Turn to the light
Don't be frightened of the shadows it creates
Turn to the light
Turning away would be a terrible mistake
We're reaching
But have we gone too far
Harvesting existence
Only to destroy
Carelessly together
We are sliding
Someone else's future
Four days frozen still
Someone else's fate
We are deciding
Miracle potential
Sanctity of life
Faced against each other
We're divided
Should we push the boundaries
Or should we condemn
Moral guilt and science
Have collided
Turn to the light
We defy our own mortality these days
Turn to the light
Pay attention to the questions we have raised
Promise lies ahead
Hopes are high in certain scientific circles
Life won't have to end
You could walk again
What if someone said
Problems lie ahead
They've uncovered something highly controversial
The right to life is strong
Can't you see it's wrong
Human kind has reached a turning point
Poised for conflict at ground zero
Ready for a war
Do we look to our unearthly guide
Or to white coat heroes
Searching for a cure
Turn to the light
Don't be frightened of the shadows it creates
Turn to the light
Turning away would be a terrible mistake
Anarchistic moral vision
Industries of death
Facing violent opposition
Unmolested breaths
Ethic inquisitions breed
Antagonistic views
Right wing sound bite premonitions
In a labyrinth of rules
Are you justified
Are you justified
Are you justified
Justified in taking
Life to save life
Life to save life
Taking life to save life
This embryonic clay
Wrapped in fierce debate
Would be thrown away
Or otherwise discarded
Some of us believe
It may hold the key
To treatment of disease
And secrets highly guarded
Are you justified
Are you justified
Are you justified
Justified in taking
Life to save life
Life to save life
Life to save life
Human kind has reached a turning point
Poised for conflict at ground zero
Ready for a war
Do we look to our unearthly guide
Or to white coat heroes
Searching for the cure
Turn to the light
Don't be frightened of the shadows it creates
Turn to the light
Turning away would be a terrible mistake
We're reaching
But have we gone too far
Harvesting existence
Only to destroy
Carelessly together
We are sliding
Someone else's future
Four days frozen still
Someone else's fate
We are deciding
Miracle potential
Sanctity of life
Faced against each other
We're divided
Should we push the boundaries
Or should we condemn
Moral guilt and science
Have collided
Turn to the light
We defy our own mortality these days
Turn to the light
Pay attention to the questions we have raised
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
American Town
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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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I always got the impression that the song was very slightly FOR it, although they were trying to remain impartial. I just found the final "clip" to be moving and well placed.
But they do an excellent job of showing both sides- I wouldn't be surprised if Petrucci were against it but other members of the band were for it.
This song has no stance, but raises questions for yourself, and your stance.
Also, I agree with london67.
I think the song is supposed to be observing the situation, stating finally that we must simply "turn towards the light." When it comes to things like this there is a somewhat obvious moral tendency to not do whatever is in question, in this case stem cell experimentation, simply because it involves unnatural actions and killing of things. I think it is for that reason that the last line is pro stem cell research, because they had to end with one or the other and it figures to leave with a line that leaves the most ambiguity.
I think that ambiguity is the most important part of this song, with the intro flooding the listener with fluttering keyboard riffs and voice clips, sort of clearing your mind of any existing bias towards the topic. That's just my opinion on the intro anyway. The song is probably not meant to take any side, as it presents clips of both sides of the argument, though if anything I would bet on the band members being against stem cell research just because they wrote a song about it, it's just the norm really.
I think the song isn't as much about side-taking as it is about taking the right/moral path. The actual lyrics put emphasis on simply doing the right thing, and they question if stem cell research is justified while also suggesting the potential positive outcomes. To me it sort of represents any major moral dilemma where what's right and wrong is ultimately a matter of opinion, simply because both sides have massive amounts of justification and opinions on them are so divided.
Rather obviously, this song discusses the ongoing debate of current stem cell research/cloning, etc. and whether it's right or wrong (the song doesn't present the band's opinion, only different views of some individuals).
I doesn't state the bands opinion on which side is correct, but the "Turn to the light" part bothers me. I think that someone might take this part to back up whatever they believe and say that that stanza justifies it when that could be said of the other side as well.
i dunno...but i think john P. is against it..thats why he might of wrote a song on it or something
i think the band does present it's opinion but in a very subtle way. What convinces me are the following lines:
"we're reaching / but have we gone too far" - maybe they were for it at first, but now it has gone too far?
"someone else's fate / we are deciding" - i think the band is trying to say it's their fate and we shouldn't have the power to decide that.
"Anarchistic moral vision Industries of death Facing violent opposition Unmolested breaths
Ethic inquisitions breed Antagonistic views Right wing sound bite premonitions In a labyrinth of rules "
Actually I had gotten the impression that the band was pro-stem cell research, though they didn't flaunt that around. But this line makes me think that: "Turn to the light Turning away would be a terrible mistake"
They try to just present both sides of the argument, which is well done, but that line makes me think that they are more pro-stem cell research.
I also heard that Petrucci was against it.
Then again, this song tends to convey the opposite opinion, not only because of what llowell said, but because the final "clip" is pro-stem cell research.