Formed in 1963 in Muswell Hill, North London, they first gained prominence on the heels of the well-received and highly influential single "You Really Got Me" (1964). The group originally consisted of lead singer/guitarist Ray Davies, his brother lead guitarist Dave Davies, drummer Mick Avory, and bassist Pete Quaife. Quaife left (twice) in the late 1960s, and Avory finally left in 1984 as the result of a long-running dispute with Dave Davies, leaving only the Davies brothers as the core of the original group.
With Ray Davies' songwriting skills and unabashedly English voices, Dave Davies' impressive guitar work, and Avory's tight and steady drumming, the band became one of the best and most influential groups of British pop and the "British Invasion" of the U.S.A., lasting longer than any of their competitors, apart from the Rolling Stones, as they broke up in 1996. Their catalogue of songs has been covered by Van Halen, The Pretenders, The Black Keys, The Stranglers, Queens of the Stone Age , and many more.
Members:
Ray Davies – vocals, rhythm guitar (1963–1996)
Dave Davies – lead guitar, vocals (1963–1996)
Pete Quaife – bass guitar (1963–1969)
John Dalton – bass guitar (1969–1976)
Andy Pyle – bass guitar (1976–1978)
Jim Rodford – bass guitar (1978–1996)
Mick Avory – drums (1963–1984)
Bob Henrit – drums (1984–1996)
John Gosling – keyboards, piano (1970–1978)
Gordon Edwards – keyboards, piano (1978–1979)
Ian Gibbons – keyboards, piano (1979–1989, 1993–1996)
Mark Haley – keyboards, piano (1989–1993)
Over The Edge
The Kinks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comedy, tragedy, vaudeville and variety
Pantomime players in the grand tradition
Winners and losers till the intermission
Girl, I know the world's a stage
That's what the poet said
But I think our weird relationship
I'll be your Casanova whipping by
If that's what you desire
But once I start performing
I can't easily retire
I'll swing on a trapeze
I'll jump through hoops
And I'll eat fire
Be a human cannon ball
And walk on the high wire
Put on make-up, wear a wig
I'll be your tragic clown
But once you've got me up there
I can't easily come down
Don't drive me over the edge of it
Can't you see I've got mixed-up emotions
Joined the crowd just to be part of it
That was the start of it
Oh, now I'm over the edge
(Don't drive me over the edge of it)
Oh, over the edge
The world is turning upside-down
Civilization's dead, over the edge
Economic turmoil, now the world is in the red
Democracy's a shadow of its former glory
Law and orders broken-down
End of story
My next door neighbour's totally snapped
He's gone over the edge
He's putting up barbed wire barricades
Around the garden hedge
And planting land mines on the lawn
He's gone barmy
According to his wife, he's formed a secret army
Ever since he got laid off
Something inside snapped
His wife says he's gone 'round the twist
Now there's no turning back
All night he waits in the garden shed
For the enemy to attack
A suburban vigilante
Dressed up in a union jack
He's over the edge, oh, over the edge
Don't drive me over the edge of it
Woman, you are gonna drive me
Totally over the edge
Is it yes or is it no
Are you gonna take the pledge
The pressures of society are getting to your brain
And forced you to act weird
And put me under all this strain
But don't drive me over the edge of it
Stop while I've still got emotions
Joined the crowd, just to be part of it
That was the start of it
Oh, over the edge
Don't drive me over the edge of it
Everybody is a victim of society
Comedy, tragedy
Vaudeville, variety
Pantomime players in the grand tradition
Forced into roles that leave them totally driven
Right over the edge
The lyrics to The Kinks's song "Over The Edge" explore the idea of the pressures of society and the toll they take on individuals. The song begins by stating that everyone is a "victim of society," forced into specific roles and categories. The use of theatrical terms such as "comedy, tragedy, vaudeville, and variety" emphasizes this idea of people being forced into specific roles, much like actors on a stage. The song's protagonist is in a "weird relationship" and feels like he is being forced to perform and be someone he's not. He is willing to go to great lengths to please his partner, including becoming a trapeze artist, eating fire, and becoming a human cannonball. However, he fears that this performance will drive him "over the edge" and make him lose his sense of self.
The song then takes a more ominous turn, with the singer's neighbor going "over the edge" and becoming a suburban vigilante, planting land mines on his lawn and forming a secret army. The song's chorus repeats the phrase "don't drive me over the edge of it," emphasizing the idea that the pressures of society and relationships can cause people to snap and lose their sense of self. The song ends with the realization that everyone is a part of this larger societal construct and that the pressures placed on individuals can be overwhelming and lead them to the brink.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody is a victim of society
Society has an effect on everyone and their actions
Comedy, tragedy, vaudeville and variety
Society dictates the different roles people must play
Pantomime players in the grand tradition
People are expected to act out certain roles on the stage of life
Winners and losers till the intermission
Until society changes, there will always be those who benefit and those who don't
Girl, I know the world's a stage
The world is like a play where everyone has a role to fulfill
That's what the poet said
This has been said before by others
But I think our weird relationship
Our relationship goes beyond society's expectations
Is way above my head
It's hard to understand
I'll be your Casanova whipping by
I'll play any role for you
If that's what you desire
Whatever you want, I'll do
But once I start performing
Once I start playing a role, it's hard to stop
I can't easily retire
It's hard to leave behind the role I've been playing
I'll swing on a trapeze
I'll take risks for you
I'll jump through hoops
I'll do whatever it takes
And I'll eat fire
I'll face danger for you
Be a human cannon ball
I'll take on even more risk for you
And walk on the high wire
I'll do something challenging for you
Put on make-up, wear a wig
I'll change my appearance to fit a role
I'll be your tragic clown
I'll play a sad role for you
But once you've got me up there
Once I'm playing a role, it's hard to stop
I can't easily come down
It's hard to leave the role I've been playing
Don't drive me over the edge of it
Don't push me too far
Can't you see I've got mixed-up emotions
I'm feeling confused and overwhelmed
Joined the crowd just to be part of it
I'm following society's expectations
That was the start of it
That's when it began
Oh, now I'm over the edge
I've gone too far
(Don't drive me over the edge of it)
Please don't push me even further
Oh, over the edge
I'm past the point of no return
The world is turning upside-down
Things are changing in unexpected ways
Civilization's dead, over the edge
Society is falling apart
Economic turmoil, now the world is in the red
The economy is failing and we're in debt
Democracy's a shadow of its former glory
Our democracy is not as strong as it used to be
Law and orders broken-down
The legal system is failing
End of story
That's the end of that
My next door neighbour's totally snapped
My neighbor has lost it
He's gone over the edge
He's gone too far
He's putting up barbed wire barricades
He's building defenses
Around the garden hedge
To guard his property
And planting land mines on the lawn
He's prepared to use violence to protect himself
He's gone barmy
He's lost his mind
According to his wife, he's formed a secret army
He's even more prepared for violence than we thought
Ever since he got laid off
Losing his job was the tipping point
Something inside snapped
He reached his breaking point
His wife says he's gone 'round the twist
His wife thinks he's completely insane
Now there's no turning back
He's gone too far to come back
All night he waits in the garden shed
He's prepared for a fight
For the enemy to attack
He's ready to defend himself
A suburban vigilante
He's become a dangerous vigilante
Dressed up in a union jack
He's using nationalistic symbols to justify his actions
He's over the edge, oh, over the edge
He's gone too far and there's no turning back
Woman, you are gonna drive me
You're going to push me to the brink
Totally over the edge
I'm going to lose it
Is it yes or is it no
Are you with me or against me
Are you gonna take the pledge
Will you stand by my side
The pressures of society are getting to your brain
Society is having a toxic impact on your thinking
And forced you to act weird
Society is forcing you to act strangely
And put me under all this strain
Your actions are putting a lot of pressure on me
Stop while I've still got emotions
Please don't push me so far that I become numb
Oh, over the edge
Things have gone too far
Don't drive me over the edge of it
Please don't push me to the brink
Everybody is a victim of society
Society has an effect on everyone and their actions
Comedy, tragedy
Society thrusts people into all kinds of roles
Vaudeville, variety
People are expected to entertain and amuse others
Forced into roles that leave them totally driven
People have little choice but to play the roles that society expects of them
Right over the edge
Pushed to the brink by society's expectations
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVIES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Chedgey
on Do It Again
Great song but also a memorable music video. Why is it unavailable?