"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.
Pop culture with a pin
Watch it wheeze in the air like a dying balloon
A mistake dawned on me
And the rest of my tribe: "Your wish is my command"
No really, it's OK
Give yourself a group hug and a pat on the back
No really, it's alright
Pose your best for a shot from the firing squad
Choosing my defence
I'll stay on the fence
Sneak a gun through the gates of heaven
Raiding tomorrow's prayers with a stained silver bullet
Oh how it kills me waiting to follow through
On a dare
Pop culture with a pill
Watch it make all the worms in your mind disappear
Maybe so, maybe not
Never sure if it's me underneath a white sheet
Halloween Halloween
With a mask I can be your new friend for a while
Trick or treat, trick or treat
There's a razorblade inside your candy bar
Choosing my defence
I'll stay on the fence
Choosing my defence
I'll stay on the fence
Sneak a gun through the gates of heaven
Raiding tomorrow's prayers with a stained silver bullet
Oh how it kills me waiting to follow through
On a dare, dare
Choosing my defence
I'll stay on the fence
Pop culture on your skin
You cannot keep your fingers away from your face
Memories are haunting me
Like fish floating dead at the top of a tank
Sneak a gun through the gates of heaven
Raiding tomorrow's prayers with a stained silver bullet
Oh how it kills me waiting to follow through
On a dare, dare
Choosing my defence
I'll stay on the fence
On a dare, dare
On a dare, dare!
Watch it wheeze in the air like a dying balloon
A mistake dawned on me
And the rest of my tribe: "Your wish is my command"
No really, it's OK
Give yourself a group hug and a pat on the back
No really, it's alright
Pose your best for a shot from the firing squad
Choosing my defence
I'll stay on the fence
Sneak a gun through the gates of heaven
Raiding tomorrow's prayers with a stained silver bullet
Oh how it kills me waiting to follow through
On a dare
Pop culture with a pill
Watch it make all the worms in your mind disappear
Maybe so, maybe not
Never sure if it's me underneath a white sheet
Halloween Halloween
With a mask I can be your new friend for a while
Trick or treat, trick or treat
There's a razorblade inside your candy bar
Choosing my defence
I'll stay on the fence
Choosing my defence
I'll stay on the fence
Sneak a gun through the gates of heaven
Raiding tomorrow's prayers with a stained silver bullet
Oh how it kills me waiting to follow through
On a dare, dare
Choosing my defence
I'll stay on the fence
Pop culture on your skin
You cannot keep your fingers away from your face
Memories are haunting me
Like fish floating dead at the top of a tank
Sneak a gun through the gates of heaven
Raiding tomorrow's prayers with a stained silver bullet
Oh how it kills me waiting to follow through
On a dare, dare
Choosing my defence
I'll stay on the fence
On a dare, dare
On a dare, dare!
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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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,
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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.
I think this is some of Cave In's best yet... all the new stuff (Lost in the Air, Lift Off, Bigger Riff) is great. I messed up a couple of the lyrics here, but they're going to fix them hopefully. And I should have Bigger Riff lyrics up shortly as well.
Thanks for putting up these lyrics, Bigger Riff is an amazing song too, hope to see it up soon.
God youre right those lyrics are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO wrong!
Below are the correct lyrics.
Pop culture with a pin Watch it wheeze in the air like a dying balloon A mistake dawned on me And the rest of my tribe Your wish is our command No really, it's ok Give yourselves a group hug and a pat on the back No really, it's alright Pose your best for the shot from the firing squad
Choosing my defence I'll stay on the fence
Sneak a gun through the gates of heaven Failing tomorrow's prayer Stained silver bullet how it kills me Waiting to follow through On a dare
Pop culture, with a pin Watch it make all the worms in your mind disappear Maybe so, maybe not Never sure if it's me underneath the white sheet Halloween, Halloween With a mask I can be your new friend for a while Trick or treat, trick or treat There's a razorblade inside your candy bar
Choosing my defence I'll stay on the fence
Sneak a gun through the gates of heaven Failing tomorrow's prayer Stained silver bullet how it kills me Waiting to follow through On a dare
Pop culture on your skin You cannot keep your fingers away from your face Memories haunting me Like a fish floating dead at the top of a tank
(repeats bits of bridge and chorus throughout)
yah but he did it without the lyrics sheet, unlike you CHEATOR.
yes i purposely mispelled cheater.
i also did it without the lyric sheet. i worked the words out from the demo version, before i bought antenna. so there!
BURN! PS: I dig the hell outta this song.
The line "Sneak a gun through the gates of heaven failing tomorrow's prayer" is pretty kick ass.
This song is about suicide.
And godsendconspirator, yours is wrong too, because at the second verse its: "Pop culture, with a PILL" :).
He mostly aims at the fact that these lately years, the suicide amount is gone up so high, it has become a "pop culture".
I love you idiots that think every song is about suicide, drugs or a breakup. It's pretty obvious to me that it's simply about his disdain for pop culture and the herd-like mentality its followers adopt. The first verse is some great lyrics btw.