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.
16 Days
Got sixteen days
One for every time I've gone awayOne for every time I should have stayedShould have wore my wedding ring
Got sixteen days
Fifteen of those are nightsCan't sleep when the bed sheet fightsIt's way back to your side
Well the ghost has got me running
Well the ghost has got me running
Away from you, away from you, awayWell the ghost has got me running
Well the ghost has got me running
Away from you, away from you, away
Got sixteen days
Got a bottle and a rosaryGod I wish that you were close to meI guess I owe you an apology
Got sixteen days
Fifteen of those are nights
Can't sleep when the bed sheet fightsIts way back to your side
Well the ghost has got me running
Well the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, awayWell the ghost has got me running
Well the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away
Old tin cups, little paper dolls
All wrapped up in ribbons bows and hearts
Old tin cups and little paper dolls
All wrapped up in the ribbons of your heart
I got sixteen days
Sixteen days
I got sixteen days
It's like a fool I am
Got sixteen days
One for every time I've gone awayOne for every time I should have stayedShould have wore my wedding ring
Got sixteen days
Fifteen of those are nightsCan't sleep when the bed sheet fightsIt's way back to your side
Well the ghost has got me running
Well the ghost has got me running
Away from you, away from you, awayWell the ghost has got me running
Well the ghost has got me running
Away from you, away from you, away
Got sixteen days
Got a bottle and a rosaryGod I wish that you were close to meI guess I owe you an apology
Got sixteen days
Fifteen of those are nights
Can't sleep when the bed sheet fightsIts way back to your side
Well the ghost has got me running
Well the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, awayWell the ghost has got me running
Well the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away
Old tin cups, little paper dolls
All wrapped up in ribbons bows and hearts
Old tin cups and little paper dolls
All wrapped up in the ribbons of your heart
I got sixteen days
Sixteen days
I got sixteen days
It's like a fool I am
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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Mountain Song
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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."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Amazing
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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.
I feel like guy is on death-row... with his bible, rosary and tin cups... all symbols of prison-life. He has 16 days before execution (and 15 long nights) to think about how he wasted his life and the wife he hurt along the way.
@jsb_arizona I agree 100%!!
@jsb_arizona I agree 100%!!
I think that the line in the first stanza is actually "shoulda wore my wedding ring"- i.e. the protagonist should have kept his wedding ring on rather than stepping out on his wife on those 15 nights/16 days.
I love the line "got a bible and a rosary, God I wish that you were close to me, guess I owe you an apology..." also, "I can't sleep when the bed sheet fights its way back to your side" - funny. Not real sure about the meaning of this song, except that it must be a marraige on the rocks, and maybe it's going to be 16 days until he sees her again... And he needs to come to terms with his commitment in that time...
GREAT SONG!
I think it"s autobiographical. It's about being on the road and playing gigs/shows. He maybe cheats on his wife/girl , or jus wishes he didn't have to live this life.(the touring musician)and feels strongly emotional about the whole thing. Guilty too. 16 Days Got sixteen days One for every time I've gone awayOne for every time I should have stayedShould have wore my wedding ring Got sixteen days Fifteen of those are nightsCan't sleep when the bed sheet fightsIt's way back to your side
It came to me once as I listened to this song in my sober house bed 11 days sober in my twin sized bunk bed, thinking about how just a few weeks before I was home with my love in bed and now she doesn’t want me. 16 days came on and it felt like he was singing about my situation. He might be 16 days sober, chose booze/drugs over his marriage and now he’s left without either one and just wants her back. Sometimes he sings “bottle and a rosary”, like he’s newly sober praying not to drink.
@jsb_arizona. I couldn’t agree with you more! you know I had a tumultuous relationship that I was fortunate to get out of with an older man twice my age, I’ve been in many relationships and I’m only 30. What I had realized is that he spent so much time being so angry at his ex-wife making excuses for why he had cheated on her, and being so prideful about his mistakes, that he still loved her and would never admit it so, I got out of that relationship. and the age difference would never have worked and most importantly I did not love him I was never in love with him to begin with. I hope he realizes he still loves her. I think deep down he knows it. The song really hits home with me regarding him. I hope it doesn’t take a catastrophe for him to see it. He really hurt her. He did so much wrong to her but to this day he maintains he’s the innocent. ( on the surface only) because on the inside he knows that’s not true and now so do I. He’s an extremely stubborn and angry man when it comes to her ( another sign of love) unfortunately it would take something tragic like this for him to ask for her forgiveness of what he has done to her otherwise he would never admit it but he should be begging for her forgiveness of what he has done to her and their children it is absolutely unforgivable. All she has ever done is loved him and been there for him and cared for him her entire life and for that I pray for his forgiveness in itself. She’s acted crazy at times but I am positive he has caused unimaginable pain to her ( as my parents tell me) to make an otherwise meek and quiet woman mad. Sad
I’ve heard a couple of theories about what this song meaning is. The two I believe are the best are his wife is dying and he talks about how he has 16 days till her death and is talking about all his mistakes he made and how he wishes he wouldn’t have cheated on her like when he says “one for every time I shoulda stayed” when he says “got a bible and a rosary” he’s at the rosary in the hospital trying to make amends and when he says “I got 16 days it’s like before I hang” he’s saying when she passes he will join her by taking his own life.the other theory is he’s on death row talking about his relationship with his wife and when he says the “I got 16 days like before I hang” he’s saying he has 16 days before they hang him. They’re both very good theories to me and I believe the song can be interpreted either way and still make sense.