From the recording Sparrows
Story
Living on the Edge was inspired by a conversation with a stranger, a man approaching his 40th or 50th birthday (I forget which) with dread. He was questioning absolutely everything about his life and had a desperation about him and a sense of urgency that bordered on subdued panic. I hope I gave him a voice in this song. Women are generally more open about questioning everything, but in my experience men are still expected to "hold it together, tow the line, be brave, suck it up... " etc. As a professional told me once, sometimes we need to fall apart; disassemble in order to reassemble, stronger, leaner and wiser.
Back to the song... I had fun with the five/four time in the chorus. I submitted it to a song contest once and had to smile at the comments of one of the judges who said something like..."Interesting polyrhythms going on in the the chorus. Not very commercial." Uh.... no polyrhythms darlin', just a little time change. A guy by the name of Sting used them a lot in his very commercial top-10 hits. He kinda got famous, I think (insert wicked grin here). Oh well. A little misunderstanding, I guess.
Lyrics
Living On The Edge
(c) 2003, Serina Jung
Tag, Band-Aids and bicycles
my, how the years have flown
he tries to grasp a piece of the past
to claim it as something he owns
he asks himself, what is success?
how much of it can I afford?
if the end of a day brings nothing but pay
it may not be worth suffering for
living on the edge, living on the edge
what if I die and leave nothing
to be remembered by?
living on the edge, living on the edge
what if my pulse is the only reason I'm alive?
in the midst of his private earthquake
he quietly starts to dress
he says, I still know how to patch all the holes
so there may be some hope for me yet
living on the edge, living on the edge
what if God is a theory borne of a desperate mind?
living on the edge, living on the edge
what if, all this time, I've been praying
to an empty sky?