Van Halen -1984 Lyrics

Transcribed by Gary Chapman

(scary@zikzak.apana.org.au)

1984

Instrumental - Edward (Synthesizer)

Jump


I get up, and nothing gets me down.
You got it tough. I've seen the toughest around.
And I know, baby, just how you feel.
You've got to roll with the punches to get to what's real

Oh can't you see me standing here,
I've got my back against the record machine
I ain't the worst that you've seen.
Oh can't you see what I mean ?

Might as well jump. Jump !
Might as well jump. 
Go ahead, jump. Jump !
Go ahead, jump. 

Aaa-ohh Hey you ! How said that ? 
Baby how you been ?
You say you don't know, you won't know
until we begin.

Well can't you see me standing here,
I've got my back against the record machine
I ain't the worst that you've seen.
Oh can't you see what I mean ?

Might as well jump. Jump !
Go ahead, jump. 
Might as well jump. Jump !
Go ahead, jump. 

(guitar solo) 
(keyboard solo)

Might as well jump. Jump !
Go ahead, jump. 
Get it and jump. Jump !
Go ahead, jump.

Panama


Jump back, what's that sound ?
Here she comes, full blast and top down.
Hot shoe, burnin' down the avenue.
Model citizen zero discipline

Don't you know she's coming home with me?
You'l lose her in the turn.
I'll get her!

Chorus:
Panama, Panama
Panama, Panama

Ain't nothin' like it, her shiny machine.
Got the feel for the wheel, keep the moving parts clean.
Hot shoe, burnin' down the avenue, 
Got an on-ramp comin' through my bedroom.

Don't you know she's coming home with me?
You'll lose her in the turn.
I'll get her!

Chorus

Yeah, we're runnin' a little bit hot tonight.
I can barely see the road from the heat comin' off of it.
Ah, you reach down, between my legs,    
ease the seat back.

She's blinding, I'm flying, 
Right behind the rear-view mirror now.
Got the feeling, power steering,
Pistons popping, ain't no stopping now!

Chorus 

Top Jimmy


Some friends of mine, just the other night,
went to hear this cool cat blow.
The say he sang so good that the roof fell in,
and they didn't even stop the show.
They don't remember the place, but they remember the face,
and now everybody wanna go.

Chorus:
Top Jimmy cooks, Top Jimmy swings.
He's got the look. Top Jimmy, he's the king.

Jimmy on the television, famous people laughing with him,
Jimmy on the news at five.
Jimmy on the radio and even on the video,
that baddest cat alive.
Driving all the women crazy, only want Jimmy-baby,
love it when he rolls his eyes.

chorus

(guitar solo)

Juke-joint Jimmy is the latest thing, 
he's got the sound that everybody digs.
And the joint been jumpin' when the band been pumpin'
and you know they're playing crazy gigs.
Well you ain't been living till you've seen the living thing,
Top Jimmy and his Rhythm Pigs

chorus

Drop Dead Legs


Drop dead legs, pretty smile,
hurts my head, gets me wild.
Dig that steam, giant butt,
makes me scream, I get nuh-nuh-nothing but the shakes over you
And nothing else could ever do.

Chorus:
You know that you want it.
I know what it is.
You know that you want it, baby,
When the night is through, will I still be loving you ?

Dig those moves, vam-pire
set me loose, get it higher.
Throw my rope, loop-de-loop
nice white teeth, Betty Boop.
Set it cool real heavy.
I ain't fooled, gettin' ready.

chorus

(guitar solo)

Hot For Teacher

 
spoken:
"Oh wow, man !"
"Wait a second man. Whaddaya think the teacher's gonna look like this 
 year ?"
"My butt, man!"

T-T-Teacher stop that screaming, teacher don't you see ? 
Don't wanna be no uptown fool.
Maybe I should go to hell, but I'm doin' well,
teacher needs to see me after school.

Chorus:
I think of all the education that I missed.
But then my homework was never quite like this.

Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad,
I'm hot for teacher.
I got it bad, so bad,
I'm hot for teacher.

spoken:
"Hey, I heard you missed us, we're back !"
"I brought my pencil" 
"Gimme something to write on, man"

I heard about your lessons, but lessons are so cold.
I know about this school.
Little girl from cherry lane, how did you get so bold ?
How did you know that golden rule ?

chorus

(guitar solo)

"Oh man, I think the clock is slow"
"I don't feel tardy" 
"Class dismissed"

I'll Wait

 
You've got me captured, I'm under your spell.
I guess I'll never learn.
I have your picture, yes I know it well.
Another page is turned. 
Are you for real ? It's so hard to tell,
from just a magazine.
Yeah, you just smile and the picture sells,
look what that does to me.

Chorus:
I'll wait till your love comes down.
I'm coming straight for your heart.
No way you can stop me now, 
as fine as you are.

I wrote a letter and told her these words,
that meant a lot to me.
I never sent it, she wouldn't have heard,
her eyes don't follow me.
And while she watches I can never be free,
such good photography !

chorus

(guitar solo)

You can't imagine what your image means.
The pages come alive.
Your magic greets everyone who reads. 
Heart-break in overdrive
Are you for real, it's so hard to tell,
from just a magazine.
Yeah, you just smile and the picture sells, 
look what that does to me.

chorus 

Girl Gone Bad


Lazy eyes in the summer heat, 
fresh from outta town.
Now she's working on the street,
shakin' poor boys down.

Chorus:
Girl gone bad (x2)

Found that girl with a lonesome John,
but she should've been with me.
Guess that woman fallen in love,  
she don't work for free

chorus

(guitar solo)

(some weird-sounding (backward ?) vocals)

House of Pain


Say you're gonna leave me cause I only tie you up.
Always love you tender but you only like it rough.
(???) why you're leaving me again.

Gonna pack your bags and leave this house of pain.

Heartaches all around me, how many times we cried.
Said she tried to leave me but her hands were always tied.
If I had it all to do I'd do it just the same.

Gonna fix it so you never leave this house of pain

(guitar solo)