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.
Don't want to be an actor pretending on the stage
Don't want to be a writer with my thoughts out on the page
Don't want to be a painter 'cause everyone comes to look
Don't want to be anything where my life's an open book
A dream it's true
But I'd see it through
If I could be
Wasting my time with you
Don't want to be a farmer working in the sun
Don't want to be an outlaw always on the run
Don't want to be a climber reaching for the top
Don't want to be anything where I don't know when to stop
A dream it's true
But I'd see it through
If I could be
Wasting my time with you
So if I'm inside your head
Don't believe what you might have read
You'll see what I might have said
To hear it
Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me
So if I'm inside your head
Don't believe what you might have read
You'll see what I might have said
To hear it
Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me
Don't want to be a writer with my thoughts out on the page
Don't want to be a painter 'cause everyone comes to look
Don't want to be anything where my life's an open book
A dream it's true
But I'd see it through
If I could be
Wasting my time with you
Don't want to be a farmer working in the sun
Don't want to be an outlaw always on the run
Don't want to be a climber reaching for the top
Don't want to be anything where I don't know when to stop
A dream it's true
But I'd see it through
If I could be
Wasting my time with you
So if I'm inside your head
Don't believe what you might have read
You'll see what I might have said
To hear it
Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me
So if I'm inside your head
Don't believe what you might have read
You'll see what I might have said
To hear it
Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"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.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
phish is such a creative band. it seems like my parents always want me to help them with something and my teachers want me to do a homework assignment and my coaches want me to exercise and my band teacher wants me to practice... no one ever says "come waste your time with me"
Great song. IMHO best listened to in the summer when theres nothing else to do (:
its about being normal...and not trying to be good enough for everyone else or trying to impress people...i wish i could find the time to waste
who wouldnt want to live like that
this song is so calm and peaceful. i just downloaded it and fell it in love with it. its nothing like anything else ive heard from them.
you don't have to change yourself... just know who you are, and be true to you... and the greatest happiness you can find is when you're just wasting your time with someone you love that realizes you aren't going to give them anything fake. you are you... you don't need to be anything else. because that's how everyone is happiest... wasting their time with eachother, not a fake identity.
This song makes me want to waste my time with someone. The problem is finding that someone....you'd think he'd be the person that sang this song to me for the first time......who knows............
I has this setup as my ring-tone for someone I was seeing that I really loved. She misinterpreted it as all the time we were spending together was a waste. So that was fun.
Its sad. :( Because it reminds me of someone whom I wish I was wasting my time with. But it's about such a strong bond of friendship, it rocks.
the first time i heard this song, i was with someone i wouldnt mind wasting alllll my time with. it was a really good feeling and this is a really good song.
I just made a mix cd for my best friend and i put this song on it.. its soo perfect..i would love to be able to waste all my time with him