"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.
Long night
Last call
Bloodshot eyes from some drinks too tall
Breathe in deep and I swear to god I'll die
If I go home alone tonight.
I raise my head slow hoping to find
A girl I don't know,
Who wouldn't mind showing a good time,
To feeling alright with
Doing something we might
Regret in the morning.
You, in a cardigan,
You're tired of all your friends.
You, in love with the cock-toed twins,
You're bored with your boyfriend.
I want to be with you tonight,
With our legs crossed, our tongues tied.
Which one of you poor souls
Wants to drive me home?
I swear to god I'll die
If I go home alone tonight.
Last call
Bloodshot eyes from some drinks too tall
Breathe in deep and I swear to god I'll die
If I go home alone tonight.
I raise my head slow hoping to find
A girl I don't know,
Who wouldn't mind showing a good time,
To feeling alright with
Doing something we might
Regret in the morning.
You, in a cardigan,
You're tired of all your friends.
You, in love with the cock-toed twins,
You're bored with your boyfriend.
I want to be with you tonight,
With our legs crossed, our tongues tied.
Which one of you poor souls
Wants to drive me home?
I swear to god I'll die
If I go home alone tonight.
Lyrics submitted by vacant skies, edited by joey2_96, r0dwin
Poor Souls Lyrics as written by Michael Kinsella
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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this is a weird song to hear coming from mike kinsella. usually his lyrics are sparse, but very deep. but in his new cd especially, he has written more lyrics for the songs, and they are more easily interpreted, or talk of a more common theme.
he actually wrote them in the first-person narrative of another dude. pretty fucking cool if you ask me. very original.
you in the cardigan, your tired of all your friends you in love with the cocteau twins, your bored with your boyfriend.
i have these lyrics on a demo cd i got. when were they changed?
not expecting an answer anytime soon...
i have a later version of the cd and that those same lyrics... dont know if when it changed (never heard the others)
this version is from the split CD owen did with The Rutebega... it's a different recording of the song. The version you got on your demo CD is probably the same as the one off of the No Good For No One Now CD. at least thats my best guess hope it helps
This song led me to buy two cardigans. I don't know why that line always stuck with me.
This song makes me think of a guy that's at a bar or party and he's feeling lonely and depressed. Possibly lonely because he just got out of a relationship. So, he feels an exaggerated need to be with someone "I swear to God I'll die if I go home alone tonight." And he's drunk and doesn't care about the consequences. All that matters is if he's with someone.
"i want to be with you tonight. our legs crossed, our tongues tied..."
...marvelous