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.
Across the night
It was the moon that stole my slumber
Across the night
I fell in love with people sleeping
And hugged a man's arthritic shoulder
I fell tired, asleep in a golden ocean
Your eyes perspired, a spike in my fascination
I don't mean to make you cry
But this feeling will run right through the night
And I'll only make you cry with these feelings
Sleepless, untamed without a leash on the light around me
So let us be married and have another baby
'cause I don't want to be lonely I just want to be alone
Yeah let's just get married shouting baby, baby, babies
"You'll never sleep at all"
But I don't want to be lonely
Never seen the sunshine
From higher ponts than sunrise
I don't want to be lonely
I just want to be alone
It was the moon that stole my slumber
Across the night
I fell in love with people sleeping
And hugged a man's arthritic shoulder
I fell tired, asleep in a golden ocean
Your eyes perspired, a spike in my fascination
I don't mean to make you cry
But this feeling will run right through the night
And I'll only make you cry with these feelings
Sleepless, untamed without a leash on the light around me
So let us be married and have another baby
'cause I don't want to be lonely I just want to be alone
Yeah let's just get married shouting baby, baby, babies
"You'll never sleep at all"
But I don't want to be lonely
Never seen the sunshine
From higher ponts than sunrise
I don't want to be lonely
I just want to be alone
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Ok hope this isn't too off. I think daniel is sort of summing up what kind of state he had been in. For how he's been sleeping or perhaps not really living life they way he should've and something/someone awoke him or inspired him to live again. The things that once kept him from living are still in the back of his mind and need to be told. His thoughts are too painful for neone else to see...see through his eyes. Now that he's discovered this inspiration...it has taken him further than before.
The one thing about daniel is that he tells the story of his life through his lyrics and in his new cd he's attempting to make others see life through his eyes. Sharing what he has learned through the years as he's found truth in things. ok i'm new at this so hopefully it's on the right track here.
A week or so ago I went to their Newcastle (Australia) show. When Daniel first said anything it was just before Across the Night. He said that this song has taken on a different meaning since they came on tour, and that one night he was dreaming that he met a dying man with cancer who said that the only way to cure him was through music. I wish I had the same and meaningful dreams as my idol!
not to be a dickhead here but.....is it just me, or does this song sound like it came from a disney movie???
@TornadoNHS I was just thinking the same thing. I like Disney movies anyway. Lol
man, what happened........
Daniel said in the Diorama documentary that Across The Night is first on the album for a reason. It is supposed to be an 'invitation to a dream', the dream being the rest of the album(?).
This song, to me, sums up what Diorama is all about. It's epic and completely over-the-top - ON PURPOSE. I have listened to this album for two years now, and after so long you start to realise how Daniel manages to let the music tell the story of the song as much as his lyrics do. The first part of the song is a dream in a deep, deep sleep - at first he can't fall asleep ("it was the moon that stole my slumber", "i fell in love with [other] people sleeping") - but then finally he falls asleep as the first lines of the song show... I'm always amazed at the chorus... How can you sing so high, so loud? These melodies could only exist in a dream - they're too crazy otherwise!
The second part of the song is him waking up... (listen to the music after the second "man's arthritic shoulder"... it sounds like a sunrise) and in his disdain with reality compared with the dream, he takes solace in this person sleeping next to him..
But of course that's just my crappy interpretation. Daniel John's is too much of a genius for anyone to be able to REALLY know what he was thinking. God I love this man.
this song is beautifully written. i still love you dear husband, daniel.
Has anyone else noticed that there's been some strange ironies in the new lyrics? For example, in this song, there's the lyric, "hugged a man's arthritic shoulder"... and then a few months after it was recorded, guess who develops arthritis? THEN, there's the Hollywood issue. Hollywood was on the Without You single, but it was one of the first songs written for Diorama (and was originally played at Rock in Rio in January 2001). In this song, there's a line that reads, "I'm the first male lesbian"... and a while after it was written, Daniel and girlfriend Natalie were accused of being lesbians in an Australian newspaper ('Natalie's Lesbian Lover' was the headline, I believe.) Kinda weird, eh?
yeah... but im pretty sure that it was written when he had a mild case of arthritis.
this song is beautifly written.. i love silverchair and i am their number one fan.. daneil is fucking talented as hell for writing how he does..and ben and chris are the greatest as well.. i love these guys