"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.
Substation submerging
Suburban disturbance
Incoherent gourding
Coat of arms they came
Hack a knocking paranoia
In the walls, we heard family dying
While the band played on
Told sky to leave to the east bay clone
Weren't you taking me home
Secret service, we deserve this
We lost the friends to the pavement
To the pavement
Substation, subconscious
Let's do our William tell routine
Let's do it
Chewing on the Goodyear's handcuffs
Are the wristwatch
Suburban disturbance
Incoherent gourding
Coat of arms they came
Hack a knocking paranoia
In the walls, we heard family dying
While the band played on
Told sky to leave to the east bay clone
Weren't you taking me home
Secret service, we deserve this
We lost the friends to the pavement
To the pavement
Substation, subconscious
Let's do our William tell routine
Let's do it
Chewing on the Goodyear's handcuffs
Are the wristwatch
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Gentle Hour
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,
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Just wanted to note that the "William Tell" routine in naked lunch is based off a real life event that happened to William S. Burroughs the writer of the book "Naked Lunch" (the movie itself has very little in common with the book, as its a really abstract piece of literature. The movie acts as more of a Bio pic for Burroughs)
While drunk in Mexico Burrough's wife jumped up and said "lets do our William Tell Routine) in which she placed a glass on her head and Burroughs shot it off, unfortunately Burroughs ended up accidently shooting his wife.
I mention this because I read somewhere that Cedric has some lyrical inspiration from William Burroughs (which would make alot of sense if you ever read Burroughs and are familiar with Ced's lyrics) so many Cedric is referencing that event in that line, I dunno just a guess.
william tell routine could be from david cronenberg's film "naked lunch", where somebody says "lets do our william tell routine"....who knows
"in the walls, we heard family dying while the band played on told sky to leave to the east bay clone weren't you taking me home"
that always reminded me of the titanic.
'we lost the friends to the pavement to the pavement'
Cedric was previously the drummer for a band called 'The Fall On Deaf Ears'. The band ended when two members died in a car accident.
good insight but those girls didn't die until a year after this album was released. but it might have to do with their other friend who died, inspiring the song "televators" by the mars volta. if you want his story go the the songmeaning of that song.
I think the meaning in this song are just his memory of the night before 2 of the members from "The Fall On deaf Ears" died in that car accident..
"let's do our William tell routine let's do it"
seems like a re-enactment of the night
"in the walls, we heard family dying while the band played on told sky to leave to the east bay clone weren't you taking me home"
maybe he had a bad feeling something was going to happen..
lol, I dont know its hard to explain what I have in my mind about this, so it might not make sense to anyone haha
William Tell was an expert crossbow marksman from the Alps in Switzerland. He refusd to bow to the statue of the new emperor, and as a result was forced to shoot an apple off the head of his son with his bow. He successfully shot the apple from his son's head with no problems.
However, you are right about the William Tell routine being mentioned in Cronenberg's Naked Lunch. It is frequently mentioned in other movies and songs as well. :)
"chewing on the goodyear's handcuffs are the wristwatch "
Cedric was arrested under the influence of lsd. He had said he thought ww3 was happening and he tried to warn everyone about it because he knew what was going on.
A cop car became present and during this moment in time Cedric had chewed the tires on the cop car because he believed they were donuts.
hahaha are you serious!!! that's so funny ha!!!! lsd is the shit
"We lost friends to the pavement"
yeah. this line is a bit easier to figure out from reading on the bands background. two female friends died in a car crash when atdi was on the road. Cedric played drums in that band with them and the song Napoleon Solo is dedicated to them.
also of course their very close friend Julio who the song embroglio and the album Deloused is dedicated to died from jumping off a bridge onto traffic.
"secret service do we deserve this"
also reminds me of the song quarantined where cedric says "binoculars watch cardboard towns" his lyrics take on and cover so many meanings.