"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.
I've got my eye on top shelf liquor,
With taste so smooth it
Hits you quicker.
But you've only got the well.
And I've got an eye for top tier women
With legs so long they go straight to heaven,
But this old bunch looks like hell.
But tonight I'll take what I can get.
I'd like to hear a great musician
With strange ideas and grand ambition,
But this guy, he's got trouble with chords.
And I'd like to leave this game a winner
Head held high, the luck of beginners
But this old losers crawling out on all fours.
But tonight I'll take what I can get.
Well this drink will do,
And girl you look all right,
And this band is playing like hell tonight.
These dice are loaded
And man I am too
I might be losing but I'm leaving soon.
With the prettiest girl
To enter this dump,
She drank all of the whiskey but she left me the rum
And tonight I'll take what I can get
I've got my sights on brand new beginnings
Brand new starts make saints of sinners
But I'm doomed to live in my past
Live nude girls says the sign out front,
But old dead dreams are dancing in front,
Of old dead dreamers with washed up luck,
Selling love for cash
Well tonight I'll take what I can get.
This old story gets stale and dry,
No matter how I try and try
To spin this fable
Fresh and new
You strung me along
Like a tease on prom night
Getting me loose but
Leaving me uptight
Please tell me that
Some of that love was true.
Tonight I'll take what I can get
Well this drink will do,
And girl you look all right,
And this band is playing like hell tonight.
These dice are loaded
And man I am too
I might be losing but I'm leaving soon.
With the prettiest girl
To enter this dump,
She drank all of the whiskey but she left me the rum
And tonight I'll take what I can get.
With taste so smooth it
Hits you quicker.
But you've only got the well.
And I've got an eye for top tier women
With legs so long they go straight to heaven,
But this old bunch looks like hell.
But tonight I'll take what I can get.
I'd like to hear a great musician
With strange ideas and grand ambition,
But this guy, he's got trouble with chords.
And I'd like to leave this game a winner
Head held high, the luck of beginners
But this old losers crawling out on all fours.
But tonight I'll take what I can get.
Well this drink will do,
And girl you look all right,
And this band is playing like hell tonight.
These dice are loaded
And man I am too
I might be losing but I'm leaving soon.
With the prettiest girl
To enter this dump,
She drank all of the whiskey but she left me the rum
And tonight I'll take what I can get
I've got my sights on brand new beginnings
Brand new starts make saints of sinners
But I'm doomed to live in my past
Live nude girls says the sign out front,
But old dead dreams are dancing in front,
Of old dead dreamers with washed up luck,
Selling love for cash
Well tonight I'll take what I can get.
This old story gets stale and dry,
No matter how I try and try
To spin this fable
Fresh and new
You strung me along
Like a tease on prom night
Getting me loose but
Leaving me uptight
Please tell me that
Some of that love was true.
Tonight I'll take what I can get
Well this drink will do,
And girl you look all right,
And this band is playing like hell tonight.
These dice are loaded
And man I am too
I might be losing but I'm leaving soon.
With the prettiest girl
To enter this dump,
She drank all of the whiskey but she left me the rum
And tonight I'll take what I can get.
Lyrics submitted by JustNEmoKid
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Jane's Addiction
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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."
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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
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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 is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
i love this song so much, its so fun! At the show in worcester ma yesterday, when they played it i couldnt stop smiling/laughing. chris enjoyed this thoroughly. :) yay.