"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.
They think they know who I am.
All they know is I love to kill.
Face down, dead on the ground.
Find me before another is found.
[Chorus]
I come alive in the darkness.
Left murdered and nameless.
Dead, unburied, and rotten.
Half eaten by insects.
She was so beautiful
I had to kill her.
Tied her up,
And taped her mouth shut;
Couldn't scream;
Raped violently.
Rope tight around her throat;
Her body twitches
As she chokes.
Strangulation caused her death,
Just like all the others.
Raped before and after death;
Stripped, naked, tortured.
They're all dead; they're all dead.
They're all dead, by strangulation.
[Chorus]
It felt so good to kill.
I took their lives away.
Seven dead, lying rotten.
Unburied victims;
Their naked bodies putrify.
Strangulation caused her death,
Just like all the others.
Raped before and after death;
Stripped, naked, tortured.
They're all dead; they're all dead.
They're all dead, by strangulation.
[Chorus]
They think they know who I am.
All they know is I love to kill.
Face down, dead on the ground.
Find me before another is found.
All they know is I love to kill.
Face down, dead on the ground.
Find me before another is found.
[Chorus]
I come alive in the darkness.
Left murdered and nameless.
Dead, unburied, and rotten.
Half eaten by insects.
She was so beautiful
I had to kill her.
Tied her up,
And taped her mouth shut;
Couldn't scream;
Raped violently.
Rope tight around her throat;
Her body twitches
As she chokes.
Strangulation caused her death,
Just like all the others.
Raped before and after death;
Stripped, naked, tortured.
They're all dead; they're all dead.
They're all dead, by strangulation.
[Chorus]
It felt so good to kill.
I took their lives away.
Seven dead, lying rotten.
Unburied victims;
Their naked bodies putrify.
Strangulation caused her death,
Just like all the others.
Raped before and after death;
Stripped, naked, tortured.
They're all dead; they're all dead.
They're all dead, by strangulation.
[Chorus]
They think they know who I am.
All they know is I love to kill.
Face down, dead on the ground.
Find me before another is found.
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
The thing that made me like this song more was Tori Amos giving the womans abuse hotline number....
@MushroomheadJuggalo when
well obvioulsy its about a serial rapist! hahah but its cool... Just proves how open minded i am for a female not to get offended by these lyrics.
This song is Fucking Awsome!
The end part is sweet...
"I come alive in the darkness Left murdered and nameless Dead unburied and rotten Half eaten by insects They think they know who I am All they know is I love to kill Face down, dead on the ground Find me before another is found"
FUCKING AMAZING LYRICS!
The heaviest cannibal corpse song, i'd say. This song is about the serial rapist "Ted Bundy". Well i'm not positive the band wrote it based on ted, but everything that is said in the song points to Ted. Just my own conclusion.
first off, chris barnes is amazing. he is keeping gore alive. the lyrics pay a little homage to gein, but in his head i dont believe he was meaning to be violent with what he did. but yes, the song is more just about a serial rapist that loves what he does
Yeah, I thought it was about Ted Bundy aswell.
yeah, I wonder how in the hell they got Tori Amos to do a song with cannibal corpse. 'here tori, great idea for ya! do a song with the most notorious gore metal band and let them mess with a sample of your voice! it'll help publicity!' the song kicks ass, too. favorite line- the they're all dead part.....in barnes' creepy-ass high-pitched voice. best showing of it besides on pulverized (another excellent song on that album)
Good for you.
ted bundy and tori amos should get married. i love the song cooling by tori, i might look her up now bye bye now you sick fucks into cannibal corpse, i love them too. i bass for a death metal band called slaughter culture, let me know what you think of that title ( 3 out of 4 members dont like it, we've only kept it bacause the guitarist came up with it and dusnt like anything else)