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.
Now somewhere in the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota
There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon
And one day his woman ran off with another guy
Hit young Rocky in the eye
Rocky didn't like that
He said, "I'm gonna get that boy"
So one day he walked into town
Booked himself a room in the local saloon
Rocky Raccoon checked into his room
Only to find Gideon's Bible
Rocky had come, equipped with a gun
To shoot off the legs of his rival
His rival it seems, had broken his dreams
By stealing the girl of his fancy
Her name was Magill, and she called herself Lil
But everyone knew her as Nancy
Now she and her man, who called himself Dan
Were in the next room at the hoe down
Rocky burst in, and grinning a grin
He said, "Danny boy, this is a showdown"
But Daniel was hot, he drew first and shot
And Rocky collapsed in the corner
Now the doctor came in, stinking of gin
And proceeded to lie on the table
He said, "Rocky, you met your match"
And Rocky said, "Doc, it's only a scratch
And I'll be better, I'll be better, Doc, as soon as I am able"
Now Rocky Raccoon, he fell back in his room
Only to find Gideon's Bible
Gideon checked out, and he left it, no doubt
To help with good Rocky's revival
There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon
And one day his woman ran off with another guy
Hit young Rocky in the eye
Rocky didn't like that
He said, "I'm gonna get that boy"
So one day he walked into town
Booked himself a room in the local saloon
Rocky Raccoon checked into his room
Only to find Gideon's Bible
Rocky had come, equipped with a gun
To shoot off the legs of his rival
His rival it seems, had broken his dreams
By stealing the girl of his fancy
Her name was Magill, and she called herself Lil
But everyone knew her as Nancy
Now she and her man, who called himself Dan
Were in the next room at the hoe down
Rocky burst in, and grinning a grin
He said, "Danny boy, this is a showdown"
But Daniel was hot, he drew first and shot
And Rocky collapsed in the corner
Now the doctor came in, stinking of gin
And proceeded to lie on the table
He said, "Rocky, you met your match"
And Rocky said, "Doc, it's only a scratch
And I'll be better, I'll be better, Doc, as soon as I am able"
Now Rocky Raccoon, he fell back in his room
Only to find Gideon's Bible
Gideon checked out, and he left it, no doubt
To help with good Rocky's revival
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
In my opinion, this song is really much more straightforward and about an experience almost all of us have been through first hand.
In the first half, Rocky has his woman stolen. He runs off to try winning her back, or at least chase the other guy off.
He fails miserably.
The rest of the song is about moving on with life. "It's only a scratch, and I'll be better doc - as soon as I'm able". It doesn't have to be about religious conversion. At the end, the exact thing Paul interjects is "Sorry, Rocky - better luck next time". There is a next time. It's a message of hope.
It's about that supremely painful feeling - being abandoned by someone you love. Responding irrationaly, with anger. You come out of this looking like a fool, and take an even deeper wound in the process. You eventually come full circle to acceptance, and you can move on.
I think you can read too much into the Nancy/Lil Magill lines. Basically, her real name is plain old Nancy Magill, but she prefers to be called Lil, as in Lily or Lilian, not as in 'little'. Nancy is quite a plain name and Lil sounds like the name a Wild West showgirl might have. Haven't you ever met anyone who hated their name and tried to get you to call them by some obscure nickname or their middle name, and then it turns out that all their family and old friends call them the old name? Lil is just plain old Nancy Magill putting on airs, and that's all there is to it. She traded in her name for something fancier, and then she traded in her man for the more dashind Dan. I really think this is just a playful song with no hidden message or deep themes :-)
That's exactly how I think it was meant too, except that I think there was some form of message, as posted below.
@luciemabelle This is a premonition of President Donald J. Trump, referring to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, "or 'Nancy' as I call her". He, of course, in his Presidential wisdom, was referring to the Beatles song, "Rocky Raccoon" and the Firesign Theatre album, "How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All"
@david10907 Awesome, can't you just see $45 as a young man sitting in a circle with a bunch of his fellow hippies, passing around a number, and listening to The Further Adventures of Nick Danger?<br /> <br /> No? Me neither.
This song's so cute... as a kid I thought it was a tragedy indeed... even now I'll still break into "Rocky you met your match/Rocky said 'Doc it's only a scratch/and I'll be better, Doc, I'll be better, as soon as I am able...'" on occasion...
The only thing I don't understand, is that it sounds like the doctor is the one lying on the table.
Hahaha yeah "The doctor came in stinking of gin, and proceeded to lie on the table." I just imagine a drunk doctor walking into the room and just lie down on the table for no reason.
@radmarc Thank you! That's what I hear too.
For me, this song has personal meaning. Jealousy is serious problem for me. I keep it hidden, but whenever I begin to act on it, absolutely nothing good comes of it. Rocky, jealous of the man that took his girl from him, acts on his jealousy, instead of coming to terms with the fact that she had found someone else, and it ultimately leads to his downfall. Just how I interpret the lyrics.
Yep your right
Who has the most elaborated Explaination for this song???
hes in love with this girl "rocky" and she runs off cause after their fight, and then has a stand off with the man who trys to take her from him. but rocky was to slow with the gun.
if you can find the version of this song where they're just fucking around, you should listen to it. it's pretty funny. mccartney:"...doctor came in, shminking of gin" ringo: "shminking?" lennon: "it's actually shminking OF gin."
This is a catchy Western story written by Paul. Apparently the character of the doctor is based on an experience of Paul's. He fell off his moped and the doctor that treated him was stinking of gin and made a bad job of his stitches that he needed on his lip.
F-ing beautiful. It occupies some perfect space between Cartoon, Western, and Horribly Realistic Tragedy. And it places religion in the most absudist spot - implying the ridiculousness of the entire comcept of religious salvation.
@defgrip Oh yeah gotta love it
best on the album