Without you

**VanRicardo** · 10.14.02, 02:34 PM

Read the lyrics to this song carefully,And as I believe Eddie had a lot of lyrical input on this song, does it not sound like a message to either Sammy or Dave or both.

**wip5150** · 10.15.02, 09:27 AM

I don't think so at all. Remember, this was Ed during his "if I see you, you better be wearing a cup" period so I doubt he was offering an olive branch via a song. I guess I could be wrong, but I don't see it.

**ross** · 10.15.02, 09:39 AM

I think that on some level Without You might be about one or both former singers. Maybe it was a subconcious thing.

**Trennasol** · 10.15.02, 10:50 AM

After reading the Guitar World interviews with Ed promoting the release of VHIII, he seemed to be on a spiritual quest. I think 'you' is a higher power reference. The interview talks some about meditation and what not. I thought it was fairly ironic that a chronic smoker was saying most people didn't know how to breath properly.

He seemed really amped about the new lineup with Gary, and uninterested about resting on the bands past.

**DreamIsOver** · 10.15.02, 06:49 PM

I imagine the title came first and was intended as a putdown , but the song went in a different direction as the lyrics were fleshed out.

[ October 15, 2002, 06:49 PM: Message edited by: DreamIsOver ]

**RevolutionMan** · 10.19.02, 06:31 PM

maybe the without "you" is gary saying he misses nuno!

**muffdiver** · 10.22.02, 06:17 PM

thought it was about a guy missin' his girl...
ah well most songs mean something different to everyone...

**YankeeRose** · 10.22.02, 07:12 PM

I also think it's about missing a girl.

**a.f.u.** · 10.23.02, 01:06 PM

Ed definately wrote the first few lines.
I think WOY may be about someone telling themselves that they need to change...or do things better/differently.

**MAX** · 10.23.02, 01:39 PM

Maybe Gary Cherone wrote them when he found out that Michael Anthony was not going to help out with the backing vocals on the record.

**willyum** · 10.23.02, 04:20 PM

I think it was a pretentious crappy stab at a WE CAN WORK IT OUT by the Beatles type kind of thing.

It was too long, the drums sounded like cardboard and the transitions were awkward....

Did I mention this was just my opinion?

**muffdiver** · 10.27.02, 03:28 PM

yeah...i agree that the drums don't sound too good

**WARHEAD** · 10.31.02, 05:40 AM

This song kicks ass, and I feel Eddie was writing about many things all at the same time. He may have been getting spiritual, as well, as speaking about his relationship with his wife and how he might lose it if he didn't get his act together.

"Hey you, wake up get yourself together" could easily be point at Dave, Sammy and Eddie himself.

"clear your head, find a way home, better make up your mind", same thing.

"first you say that you will, then you say that you won't, well I'm just trying to figure, try and figure you out" in reference to:

Dave: getting along, seeming to have changed when they were working on the BOV1 stuff, and then everything fell apart.

Sammy: possibly concerning saying he would come and work on the soundtrack tunes, and then coming in only to leave before they were done, with good reasons, but before they were finished nonetheless.

Eddie: To drink or not to drink. To ever play with Dave again or not to play with Dave. Never is a pretty haunting word in print.

"Hey fool, wise up, better late than never, yeah you, you know nothing lasts forever" in reference to:

Dave and Sammy: basicly, hey the window of oppurtunity for the kind of music we make together won't always be there. Also, I think this is possibly a reference for them to start thinking back on the party life and make a serious statement with their music.

Eddie: just telling himself, that hey, this old body can only take so much, this is who and what I am because of the life I've lived, and it's time to make a change to maximize the time he has left to make a difference with his music as well as see his son grow up.

"how long can this go on, tell me what is wrong and maybe there's a way that we work it out"
well, this pretty much speaks for itself whether it pertains to Eddie's drinking or Dave and Sammy making things right with the band by talking it out in a civil manner.

"you got to give more than you take", well this one really hits home. Think about all the music Eddie has written, and you have to know he wouldn't even present it to Sammy or Dave if he didn't feel strongly about it, and who knows how many times they told him, that just doesn't do anything for me, I'm not feeling anything. But Eddie wouldn't take his ball and go home, he kept on playing for the good of the team, probably keeping his mouth shut for the most part about lyrics just to get his music out there. Then we he did get the "clear head" for a while that he writes about here, he started voicing his opinion, and well, that didn't go over as well as when maybe Sammy didn't want to sing over some music Eddie felt very strongly about. Eddie probably gave in more than any of them over all the years, and is just asking these guys to meet him in the middle.

Just my opinion, and as I've asked, people need to listen to this cd, and give it a chance. This song rocks, and there are other good tunes on there as well. Yeah, it's different, but it's still Van Halen, and if you give it a chance, I guarantee you will find some cool stuff on there you haven't heard before. Don't let the naysayers fool you into not giving this stuff an honest chance. It just sucks that after a tour and album together with Gary, that Gary may have felt close enough to Eddie to say, hey, let's drop the guitar down a half step to my regular singing range's comfort and see what happens. But, I guess we'll never know, or will we?