"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.
Wrapping paper in the gutter
Moving slowly as the wind on the sea,
(Faces calling, waves moving)
In your picture on a wall of a house of old times.
(Can you hear me) Can you hear me
(Can you hear me) Wandering sadly?
In the city, feeling pretty,
Down and out and making love to you on the shore,
(Ruined buildings, faces empty)
In the picture as I gaze ahead and don't see
(That they're calling) That they're calling.
(That they're calling) Wandering sadly.
Shattered windows, stairs to nowhere.
(Hear you calling) Hear you calling
(Hear you calling) As I wander so sadly.
Wish I knew what you'd done to me;
Turned me on to things I never knew.
It's all broken, weeds are growing.
Wish I was going home to the house by the shore
(Where you loved me) Where you loved me,
(Where you loved me) Loved me so sadly.
Someday I'll get back, somehow I'll do it.
I'll arrive there and you'll be there to meet me.
(Walk together, tread the weeds down)
Kiss again in the picture on the wall
(Where I loved you) In the old house.
(Where I loved you) Loved you so well.
Moving slowly as the wind on the sea,
(Faces calling, waves moving)
In your picture on a wall of a house of old times.
(Can you hear me) Can you hear me
(Can you hear me) Wandering sadly?
In the city, feeling pretty,
Down and out and making love to you on the shore,
(Ruined buildings, faces empty)
In the picture as I gaze ahead and don't see
(That they're calling) That they're calling.
(That they're calling) Wandering sadly.
Shattered windows, stairs to nowhere.
(Hear you calling) Hear you calling
(Hear you calling) As I wander so sadly.
Wish I knew what you'd done to me;
Turned me on to things I never knew.
It's all broken, weeds are growing.
Wish I was going home to the house by the shore
(Where you loved me) Where you loved me,
(Where you loved me) Loved me so sadly.
Someday I'll get back, somehow I'll do it.
I'll arrive there and you'll be there to meet me.
(Walk together, tread the weeds down)
Kiss again in the picture on the wall
(Where I loved you) In the old house.
(Where I loved you) Loved you so well.
Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery
Wrapping Paper Lyrics as written by Peter Constantine Brown Jack Bruce
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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A slow blues ballad, released as Cream's first single (just ahead of "I Feel Free"), fall 1966. It's true Baker frequently has stated that he hated it, but then Baker was often quite free in his disdain for Bruce and his music, and the two men infamously did not get along well, both before Cream formed and during its heyday (their mutual dislike eventually led to Cream's demise, fall 1968). Baker has also claimed that Clapton hated it as well; since I've never seen any statements from Clapton one way or the other about this song, who knows if that's true or if it's simply Baker trying to enlist Clapton in his feud with/hatred of Bruce?
In any case, as I write (fall 2017), Jack Bruce has been dead three years and Baker, who may or may not have been sincere, posted an expression of condolence on his website at the time of Bruce's death.
I happen to like the song. I also feel Bruce was the main driving force and creative engine of the trio, while Baker was competing with the likes of Keith Moon for most-showboating-drummer (this was before Bonzo John Bonham had become famous, or infamous, for the same thing) and Clapton was overplaying and taking longer and longer guitar solos in Cream's live performances. Yes, Bruce had his myriad faults as well, but without him Cream had no heart or soul. As for the person who said he didn't care for Baker's "Toad," I agree. You can toss in "Pressed Rat and Warthog" for good measure. Some people can do spoken lyrics/raps (Bob Dylan, the late Gil Scott Heron, and thousands of good hip hop artists, not to mention Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant"), and some people can't. At least "Wrapping Paper" wraps up in less than four minutes' time. Live in concert, "Toad" could drag on forever, eliciting Grateful-Dead-on-a-particularly-bad-night tedium.