"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.
Jack was really a jester
Who held his one good eye on the queen
And there sat the king beside her
He's pointing his sword up and down with every scene
And the wizard's in the corner
Catching peanuts between his teeth
And the dogs lying in the shadow in the archway
There's one good dog sleeping filled with good ol' dog dreams
He slipped next to the wizard
Whispered something deep, to the bottom of his ear
A little joke, the one about the farmer's daughter
How she was stomping on grapes, coming up with blue feet and beer
And he slipped behind the queen
Where the fools go the rich don't mind
Lately the king's (k)nights have turned a little rusty
And his halo - I mean his crown - has gone and slipped down around his eyes
The wizard's in the corner
Pulling lizards between his knees
And the dog he been long gone
Gone to pitch for the winning team
Fifty-two, I mean fifty-four bicycles on the wall
Ready to ride, ready to ride until the last of them falls
Jack's been cooking in the kitchen
Whompin' up some biscuits for us all
For us all, For us all
Ready to ride, ready to ride, ride
Who held his one good eye on the queen
And there sat the king beside her
He's pointing his sword up and down with every scene
And the wizard's in the corner
Catching peanuts between his teeth
And the dogs lying in the shadow in the archway
There's one good dog sleeping filled with good ol' dog dreams
He slipped next to the wizard
Whispered something deep, to the bottom of his ear
A little joke, the one about the farmer's daughter
How she was stomping on grapes, coming up with blue feet and beer
And he slipped behind the queen
Where the fools go the rich don't mind
Lately the king's (k)nights have turned a little rusty
And his halo - I mean his crown - has gone and slipped down around his eyes
The wizard's in the corner
Pulling lizards between his knees
And the dog he been long gone
Gone to pitch for the winning team
Fifty-two, I mean fifty-four bicycles on the wall
Ready to ride, ready to ride until the last of them falls
Jack's been cooking in the kitchen
Whompin' up some biscuits for us all
For us all, For us all
Ready to ride, ready to ride, ride
Lyrics submitted by demo0043, edited by Goodlkngbear
Jack Lyrics as written by J. Bell D. Schools
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Someone posted this on Spreadnet. I don't know who to give credit to, but I think he/she nailed it. Everything below is someone else's words:
Re: Jack Translation
OK, so I was listening to the weekly MP3 of Jack and for an unknown reason it occurred to me what that song was about. All of these years, I guess I had never given it any thought. If you already know, then disregard this.
Its about a card game. Actually a Straight Flush.
"Jack was really a jester who held his one good eye on the queen"
This means that One Eyed Jacks are wild and that the card holder also has a Queen.
"And there sat the king beside her. He's pointing his sword up and down with every scene"
Obviously he has the King of the suit. But this also tells you what suit is held. There are only two one Eyed Jacks. Spades and Hearts. The King of Hearts is a Suicide King meaning that his sword is horizontal, so it means that the holder has a Jack, Queen, and King of Spades.
"And the wizard's in the corner, catching peanuts between his teeth"
The Corners of a straight are your high and low cards. Now, I have never heard of an Ace being referred to as a Wizard, so I am guessing that Jokers are also wild and that the holder has a Joker to represent his Ace. I will get back to that in a second.
"And the dogs lying in the shadow in the archway. There's one good dog sleeping filled with good ole' dog dreams"
Your Dog is your low card in a straight. In this case it is a two of Spades. I will come back to this.
"He slipped next to the wizard, whispered something deep, to the bottom of his ear. A little joke, the one about the farmer's daughter. How she was stomping on grapes, coming up with blue feet and beer. And he slipped behind the queen"
Whats important here is that the holder rearranged his cards. He moves his Jack behind his wizard. In any Poker game, it is important to rearrange your cards even if it is an old trick. Or an old Joke, maybe about a farmers daughter. Then he slips the Jack right back behind the queen where it started.
"Where the fools go the rich don't mind"
Wild cards can go anywhere.
"Lately the king's (k)nights have turned a little rusty, and his halo - I mean his crown - has gone and slipped around his eyes"
He is going to have to go from a Royal Flush to a lesser flush. I will demonstrate that.
"The wizard's in the corner, pulling lizards between his knees. And the dog hesbeen long gone, gone to pitch for the winning team"
The Wizard, or Joker had been the corner or high card in the hand. Now he pulls the Lizard (Two) to the top card corner. By doing this the two is no longer a Dog and it completes the straight and wins the game.
"Fifty-two, I mean fifty-four bicycles on the wall, ready to ride, ready to ride until the last of them falls. Jack's been cooking in the kitchen, whompin' up some biscuits for us all. For us all. For us all. Ready to ride, ready to ride, ride"
52 Bicycle playing cards in a standard game. 54 when playing with Jokers. The One Eyed Jack was really the pivotal card in this game and "cooked" up a win. His hand was Jack, Queen, King, Joker, Deuce. Spades.
Well, what do you think???
The only thing I don't know is "catching peanuts between his teeth."
How bout a little help.