From 1974 until 1985, Van Halen consisted of Eddie Van Halen; Eddie's brother, drummer Alex Van Halen; vocalist David Lee Roth; and bassist/vocalist Michael Anthony. Upon its release in 1978, the band's self-titled debut album reached No. 19 on the Billboard pop music charts and would sell over 10 million copies in the U.S. By 1982, the band released four more albums (Van Halen II, Women and Children First, Fair Warning, and Diver Down), all of which have since been certified multi-platinum. By the early 1980s, Van Halen was one of the most successful rock acts of the day. The album 1984 was a commercial success with U.S. sales of 10 million copies and four hit singles; its lead single, "Jump", was the band's only U.S. number one single.
In 1985, Roth left the band to embark on a solo career and was replaced by former Montrose lead vocalist Sammy Hagar. With Hagar, the group released four U.S. number-one, multi-platinum albums over the course of 11 years (5150 in 1986, OU812 in 1988, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge in 1991, and Balance in 1995). Hagar left the band in 1996 shortly before the release of the band's first greatest hits collection, Best of Volume 1. Former Extreme frontman Gary Cherone replaced Hagar and recorded the commercially unsuccessful album Van Halen III with the band in 1998, before parting ways in 1999. Van Halen then went on hiatus until reuniting with Hagar in 2003 for a worldwide tour in 2004 and the double-disc greatest hits collection The Best of Both Worlds. Hagar again left Van Halen in 2005. In 2006 Roth returned, but Anthony was replaced on bass guitar by Eddie's son, Wolfgang Van Halen. In 2012, the band released their final studio album A Different Kind of Truth, which was commercially and critically successful; it was also Van Halen's first album with Roth in 28 years and the only one to feature Wolfgang.
As of March 2019, Van Halen is 20th on the RIAA list of best-selling artists in the United States; the band has sold 56 million albums in the States and more than 80 million worldwide, making them one of the best-selling groups of all time. As of 2007, Van Halen is one of only five rock bands with two studio albums to sell more than 10 million copies in the United States and is tied for the most multi-platinum albums by an American band. Additionally, Van Halen has charted 13 number-one hits on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart. VH1 ranked the band seventh on a list of the top 100 Hard Rock artists of all time.
Eddie was diagnosed with cancer in 2001, and died of the disease on October 6, 2020. A month after his father's death, Wolfgang confirmed that Van Halen had disbanded.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen
Studio albums
Van Halen (1978)
Van Halen II (1979)
Women and Children First (1980)
Fair Warning (1981)
Diver Down (1982)
1984 (1984)
5150 (1986)
OU812 (1988)
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991)
Balance (1995)
Van Halen III (1998)
A Different Kind of Truth (2012)
In 'n' Out
Van Halen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'll pay for the rest of your life
As long as I mail my bills and look me in the eye
You can have it now, but you gotta pay for it later
Oh, you work me up, I pay my plan
Now you're working for the man, yeah
They got you comin' out
Same amount, woo, in 'n' out
There ain't no way 'round the system
Money makes this world go 'round
All the way, they got you down
Sing and add it up for throwing yourself out the window, oh
My conscience loves to stick around
One more payment, lay it down on the ground
Well, they got you comin' in
They got you goin' out
Same amount, woo, in 'n' out, oh
Uh, uh, uh, yeah
Uh, uh, uh, yeah
Uh, uh, uh, yeah
Woo, come on
Hey, it all depends how you see it
It's a plan or an opportunity
One thing for certain, you're gettin' nothin' free
I never met a man doesn't owe somebody somethin', no
No way to get free and clear
Only deeper, year after year, oh yeah
Well, they got you comin' in
Well, they got you goin' out
Got you comin' in for the same amount
Goin' out
Uh, uh, uh, yeah
(In 'n' out) uh, uh, uh, yeah
(In 'n' out) uh, uh, uh, yeah
(In 'n' out) uh, uh, uh, yeah
(In 'n' out)
Well, they got you goin' in
They got you comin' out
Same amount, in 'n' out
Uh, uh, uh (in 'n' out)
Uh, uh, uh (in 'n' out)
Uh, uh, uh (in 'n' out)
Uh, uh, uh (in 'n' out)
Oh, they got you comin' in for the same amount
Goin' out, in 'n' out
Uh, uh, uh (in 'n' out)
Yeah, they got you comin' in
The lyrics in Van Halen's song "In 'n' Out" talk about the theme of debt and how it is a never-ending cycle that one cannot avoid. The lyrics suggest that one is in debt from the time of conception and it becomes a part of their life. Even after they die, their children would be paying for their debts. This is seen in the line "And I'll pay for the rest of your life." Furthermore, the lyrics suggest that even if one decides to enjoy the pleasures of life now, they will have to pay for it later. The line, "You can have it now, but you gotta pay for it later" suggests that there are always consequences to one's actions. The theme of being trapped in a financial system is evident in the lines, "There ain't no way 'round the system, Money makes this world go 'round."
The song also touches on the concept of the American Dream, which suggests that anyone can be successful if they work hard enough. The lines "Sing and add it up for throwing yourself out the window" and "My conscience loves to stick around" could be interpreted as the artist questioning the idea that hard work pays off in the end, as it seems like people are stuck in a never-ending cycle of debt. Ultimately, the message of the song is that money dominates our lives and there is no escape from it.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, I been in debt from conception
I have been in debt since before I was even born
And I'll pay for the rest of your life
I will be in debt for the rest of my life
As long as I mail my bills and look me in the eye
As long as I keep paying my bills and face my debts head-on
You can have it now, but you gotta pay for it later
You may enjoy the benefits now, but you will have to pay the price later
Oh, you work me up, I pay my plan
You motivate me, and I am following through with my financial plan
Now you're working for the man, yeah
Now you are working hard to pay off the debt and interest owed to creditors
They got you goin' in
Creditors have you coming in, taking your money
They got you comin' out
You are still paying the same amount of money, each time, with no end to the debt in sight
Same amount, woo, in 'n' out
The cycle goes on and on, with the same amount of debt always looming ahead
There ain't no way 'round the system
There is no way to avoid the financial system and the need to pay off debts
Money makes this world go 'round
Money is what drives the economy and the society we live in
All the way, they got you down
Creditors and the debt you owe weigh heavily on you and can be crushing
Sing and add it up for throwing yourself out the window, oh
You can count up all of your debts and feel like you are throwing yourself out of a window
My conscience loves to stick around
You may feel guilty or ashamed about the debt you owe
One more payment, lay it down on the ground
Another debt payment is due, and you need to pay it off
Well, they got you comin' in
Creditors have you constantly coming in, taking your money
They got you goin' out
You are constantly paying off debts, with no end in sight
Uh, uh, uh, yeah
A repeated vocalization, possibly showing frustration with the situation
Hey, it all depends how you see it
How you choose to view your financial situation can impact your perspective on it
It's a plan or an opportunity
Your financial situation can be seen as either an intentional plan or a chance for something better
One thing for certain, you're gettin' nothin' free
Regardless of how you view it, you will need to pay for everything you have and owe
I never met a man doesn't owe somebody somethin', no
Everyone has debts, no matter who they are
No way to get free and clear
There is no way to be completely free of debt
Only deeper, year after year, oh yeah
Your debts may continue to grow as time goes on
Uh, uh, uh (in 'n' out)
A repeated vocalization, possibly showing continued frustration with the cycle of debt
Yeah, they got you comin' in
Creditors have you coming in, taking your money
They got you comin' in for the same amount
Each debt payment you make is for the same amount as the last
Goin' out, in 'n' out
You are constantly paying off debts and never seem to get ahead
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alex Van Halen, Edward Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
KingGrio
That reprise at 04:00 is absolutely nuts. Makes me want to turn up the volume dial until it breaks off my stereo and my whole neighborhood has to hear this glorious sound.
Dav
I've only started checking the Hagar person of VH since Ed passed and I feel like a complete fool for ignoring his work with the band til now, DLR or Sammy on the mic, the music is still bad ass, Rip in Paradise Eddie!!!
Dan Tana
There are so many David Lee Roth Fanboys it's hard to keep track Sammy did his due diligence rest in peace King Edward
Jack Hanson
Q PO 0qp
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KingGrio
I don't like Van Hagar so much but i think it's not necessarily because of Sammy: I realized recently 2 albums of Van Hagar I like a lot are F.U.C.K. and 5150... And I found out the reason I like them so much is because the former was produced by Ted Templeman (who returned) that had done all the DLR albums, and the latter was produced by Donn Landee, who was Ted's engineer and protégé.
It made me realize an important part of Van Halen's greatest sounds is Ted Templeman. I wish he had produced A Different Kind of Truth
Anthony Fragomeni
I’ve been a Hagar fan all my life. Underrated for sure, especially since Eddie is behind the work! Agreed, bad ass music!
Zach Moring
RIP Eddie Van Halen. Lost the battle today 10-6-2020.
Junior Pontes
- Simply Edward Lodowijk Van Halen 🎵🎼🎶🎸😭🙏
Sb Joey_
“Ain’t no way around the system money makes this world go around💸👏”such a hidden Van Halen Gem.
Corrosive1
I remember when I was like 7 years old and sang the chorus of this when there was no one hearing :) IN N OUT!! The hard rocker inside me was growing up