"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
I must've dreamed a thousand dreams
Been haunted by a million screams
But I can hear the marching feet
They're moving into the street
Now did you read the news today?
They say the danger's gone away
But I can see the fire's still alight
They're burning into the night
There's too many men
Too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go 'round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion?
Well, this is the world we live in (oh oh oh)
And these are the hands we're given (oh oh oh)
Use them and let's start trying (oh oh oh)
To make it a place worth living in
Ooh, Superman, where are you now
When everything's gone wrong somehow?
The men of steel, the men of power
Are losing control by the hour
This is the time
This is the place
So we look for the future
But there's not much love to go 'round
Tell me why this is a land of confusion?
This is the world we live in (oh oh oh)
And these are the hands we're given (oh oh oh)
Use them and let's start trying (oh oh oh)
To make it a place worth living in
I remember long ago
Ooh, when the sun was shining
Yes, and the stars were bright
All through the night
And the sound of your laughter
As I held you tight
So long ago
I won't be coming home tonight
My generation will put it right
We're not just making promises
That we know we'll never keep
Too many men
There's too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go 'round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion?
Now this is the world we live in (oh oh oh)
And these are the hands we're given (oh oh oh)
Use them and let's start trying (oh oh oh)
To make it a place worth fighting for
This is the world we live in (oh oh oh)
And these are the names we're given (oh oh oh)
Stand up and let's start showing (oh oh oh)
Just where our lives are going to
Been haunted by a million screams
But I can hear the marching feet
They're moving into the street
Now did you read the news today?
They say the danger's gone away
But I can see the fire's still alight
They're burning into the night
There's too many men
Too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go 'round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion?
Well, this is the world we live in (oh oh oh)
And these are the hands we're given (oh oh oh)
Use them and let's start trying (oh oh oh)
To make it a place worth living in
Ooh, Superman, where are you now
When everything's gone wrong somehow?
The men of steel, the men of power
Are losing control by the hour
This is the time
This is the place
So we look for the future
But there's not much love to go 'round
Tell me why this is a land of confusion?
This is the world we live in (oh oh oh)
And these are the hands we're given (oh oh oh)
Use them and let's start trying (oh oh oh)
To make it a place worth living in
I remember long ago
Ooh, when the sun was shining
Yes, and the stars were bright
All through the night
And the sound of your laughter
As I held you tight
So long ago
I won't be coming home tonight
My generation will put it right
We're not just making promises
That we know we'll never keep
Too many men
There's too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go 'round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion?
Now this is the world we live in (oh oh oh)
And these are the hands we're given (oh oh oh)
Use them and let's start trying (oh oh oh)
To make it a place worth fighting for
This is the world we live in (oh oh oh)
And these are the names we're given (oh oh oh)
Stand up and let's start showing (oh oh oh)
Just where our lives are going to
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by Chuckles01
Land of Confusion Lyrics as written by Phillip David Charles Collins Anthony George Banks
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Just A Little Lovin'
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
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Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
I think it's about the general abuse of political power, applying to any such situation throughout the ages
It isn't about any particular event or war. It is a relevant at ANY point in time. The video to this song was excellently made. The guitar riff was also taken from The Who, which is subtly hinted with a last minute change made to the original lyrics. "MY GENERATION will set it right"
Oh hells yeah! Particularly when he sings "my generation will put it right........we're not just making promises, that we know WE'LL NEVER KEEP". That sounds an awful lot like the Baby Boomers who promised to change the world for the better but never kept those promises and never really intended to after all.
It's just about how the major world powers seem intent on damaging our world. Think the spitting image / sartirical video to this song says it all.
In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority.
This song talks about the political power of the government and how they make it"the land of confusion". Song is a warning to those in power
No, not really the government. The government is just the result of the societ.
Best video ever
It's about how Ronald Reagan and the Russians were going to blow up the planet in the 1980s. Pretty scary.
Quozzerx: I don't see how that's possible since the album containing this song was released in 1986 while the Gulf War was 1991.
I think quozzerx meant to say Cold War. I think it's an anti-Reagan song. The video for this song is the wierdest I've ever seen, but it's fun to watch. Download it sometime if you haven't seen it. They make fun of Ronald Reagan alot in the video too.
It discuss the greed and uncertainty of the Cold War-era 1980s, but evoke a sense of hope for the future. And indeed its such a cool song
Definitely anti-Reagan. The first part of the video makes it obvious that Reagan is living in the "land of confusion".