- published: 10 Sep 2006
- views: 71719
On the Edge is a 2001 Irish film directed by John Carney and starring Cillian Murphy, Tricia Vessey, Jonathan Jackson and Stephen Rea. The dramedy tells the story of a suicidal, young man and his stay in a Dublin psychiatric hospital where he meets new friends who greatly impact his life.
Within a space of twenty-four hours, Jonathan Breech (Murphy) attends his father's funeral, gets high, steals a car, picks up someone else's girlfriend, dumps her on the side of the road and then drives himself off a cliff. Having suffered no more than a broken finger, he is faced with either a spell in prison or a stay in a psychiatric hospital. Donning blinkers and pyjamas, he puts himself into the care of Dr Figure (Rea), making it clear he's there for a holiday and not an evaluation. But as Jonathan reluctantly agrees to attend Dr Figure's therapy sessions, and comes into contact with fellow patients Rachel (Vessey) and Toby (Jackson), he begins to rethink his attitude on life.
Jonathan Breech (Cillian Murphy) is 19 when his father drinks himself to death. After a night with a gram of cocaine, another man's girlfriend and already stolen convertible, he goes to his older brother Mikey's (Paul Hickey) house at five in the morning to get his father's ashes. With the urn in the back seat he then goes on a suicidal drive.
[Verse 1: Woodie]
Feel the weight on my shoulders, put yourself in my shoes
Before you past judgment upon the choices I choose
I'm just a man with a gun in hand protecting what I love
With a deadly alter plan to persevere and stay above
Cause at any time the walls can come tumbling down
And knock you off the top of the ladder back down to the ground
And now you're back to point A with a strike against you
And society don't like you though they might pretend to
It ain't right what men do but dam it's reality
And I'm a do the best I can to not become a casualty
And stand up for my faculty at any time required
Hammers cocked back gripped the devil ain't getting fired
Just another buried sin till my life comes to an end
Lost my feeling for remorse around the age of nine to ten
Then gave up half my soul when I lost my closest friend
To his brother who went from youngest to oldest then
[Chorus:]
Everyday and every night of my life!
My sanity is standin' on the edge lookin' over the ledge
While mama prays I fight to keep my mind right!
Sleepin' with my lead under my head quick to hop out the bed
And point and aim at every noise in the night!
Pacin' my house 'til sunlight in my armored vest, boxers, socks and cortez
Been infected by life's poisonous bite!
Since I left a man spread, full of lead, fled and left him for dead
[Verse 2: Woodie]
Show a little mercy Lord
You did drop us in the middle of some dirty wars
I know lucifer but still I give my love to you
Please understand my actions stem from what these judges do
In '98 when blackbird died yeah I cried
In '99 again I cried after Raymond died
For several years shed so many tears they dried up
Pain manifested to anger that keeps me fired up
Yeah I smile and crack jokes when I'm with the homies
But when alone I'm in a zone where few would wanna know me
I'm murder prone every time I step outside my home
Law enforcement I despise make 'em taste their own
Bad medicine they force on citizens everyday
Kidnap 'em, lock 'em in a cage watch 'em beg and pray
Humiliate 'em strip 'em butt naked bend 'em over
Make 'em cough 4 times for the fallen soldiers
Use their billy club to break their bones how they do us
Then shock 'em with their tazer gun while restrained in cuffs
Pepper spray their eyes blind and their throat 'til they can't breathe
Then let 'em die slowly knowin' that they can't leave
To finish up use their own gun to shoot 'em in the gut
Releasin' acid from their stomach that'll eat 'em up
And to anybody questionin' my way of thinkin'
Obviously haven't smelled the death these demonz reepin'
[Chorus:]
Everyday and every night of my life!
My sanity is standin' on the edge lookin' over the ledge
While mama prays I fight to keep my mind right!
Sleepin' with my lead under my head quick to hop out the bed
And point and aim at every noise in the night!
Pacin' my house 'til sunlight in my armored vest, boxers, socks and cortez
Been infected by life's poisonous bite!