"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.
Me and John rode out from ocean heading east
I had to see with my own eyes the factories.
I'm buggin out, we've never strayed this far
Right out of town, south east and down, inside my filthy car.
But when we got there all we saw were more malls and marble mansions.
In emerald parks the singing larks told claim the great expansion
There is no beautiful garbage, they cleared it up already.
Tears roll out the eyes even though I cry I hold the wheel steady, Steady,
Do do do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do do do
When I get home, I cannot stand my house
My father's still fighting with his drunken, unfaithful spouse
I hear the echo and now I see it's someone else
A thousand ways, a thousand days, a thousand times across the commonwealth.
Out on a date but like a dog she smells the fear and runs
Until we make our cheeks on torturted artists are no fun
I dream of anger, sex with her should I succeed, but still
Caught me popping pills, this emptiness will not be filled OK
Do do do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do do do
Look at the earth, its just so green
Perhaps its envious of all the galaxies its seen
Where forces swirl in symbiotic harmony
Free of the taint, the gas and paint of parasites like me
Keep using love as the excuse to why we're fat and lazy
Wait to grow old like we've been told go bald, go west and crazy
This is so pointless it actually holds up our evolution
Sing it to the bastards, free yourself from mental prostitution
Do do do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do do do
I had to see with my own eyes the factories.
I'm buggin out, we've never strayed this far
Right out of town, south east and down, inside my filthy car.
But when we got there all we saw were more malls and marble mansions.
In emerald parks the singing larks told claim the great expansion
There is no beautiful garbage, they cleared it up already.
Tears roll out the eyes even though I cry I hold the wheel steady, Steady,
Do do do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do do do
When I get home, I cannot stand my house
My father's still fighting with his drunken, unfaithful spouse
I hear the echo and now I see it's someone else
A thousand ways, a thousand days, a thousand times across the commonwealth.
Out on a date but like a dog she smells the fear and runs
Until we make our cheeks on torturted artists are no fun
I dream of anger, sex with her should I succeed, but still
Caught me popping pills, this emptiness will not be filled OK
Do do do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do do do
Look at the earth, its just so green
Perhaps its envious of all the galaxies its seen
Where forces swirl in symbiotic harmony
Free of the taint, the gas and paint of parasites like me
Keep using love as the excuse to why we're fat and lazy
Wait to grow old like we've been told go bald, go west and crazy
This is so pointless it actually holds up our evolution
Sing it to the bastards, free yourself from mental prostitution
Do do do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do do do
Lyrics submitted by xmakeitlegible, edited by drtomoe123, zach117252
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Fast Car
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
American Town
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Ed Sheeran
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Holy shit. Does anyone else hear the "Doug" theme song in the "Doo-doo-doo"s? Please, someone say yes.
Yea so, I've been listening to alot of Say Anything stuff and instantly I fell in love with this song. I love Max something about how he is so emotional with his lyrics makes it that much better. I see that alot of his lyrics tie back to him being controlled by drugs.
The song progressively gets more and more in depth as it goes on. It starts of with just a random day with a random friend. He breaks it up with the "do do do", its more upbeat in the begining of the song. He is angry in the second chorus, he is pissed about his homelife then wants to escape as he says "I dream of anger, sex with urge, should I see secret searching" then decides to pop some pills. The pills are what settle him down as you hear in the next chorus he is calm. It is all tying back to his problems with bipolar disorder, that's when things go calm in the last chorus...he stops thinking about himself. The drugs take him away from his own matters thinking about worldly ones ha... I'm bad with the last chorus.
Over a decade and a half later and no one put an interpretation of the song's meaning, lol. This song seems to be Bemis illustrating the frustrations of late stage capitalism. At the beginning, you have the "slumming it with johnny," where Bemis places himself outside of his bubble and witnesses the commonplace extremes of wealth inequality (aka the definition of "slumming it" with someone). Later on, he returns to his life and holds disdain for the social norms and rituals adopted by the benefactors of the system he has witnessed. He points out how mundane he believes wealthy life is, and how that life breeds consumption/consumerism of anything and everything, but still leaves you feeling empty. At the end, he sort of condemns humanity as a plague to the earth, seeing as though we solely act as such under capitalism. He urges everyone to "free yourself from mental prostitution," because we are all fooled into mindlessly perpetuating and never recognizing the systems around us. Capitalism is mental prostitution, and this is one of the most straightforwardly punk songs Bemis has written. I love it. Also, I think Max being from california really drives this point home, because the wealth inequality there is extremely palpable; one block may be "marble mansions" while a camp of homeless people sit around the corner, only separated from the wealthy by a golden fence and security code number pad.
perhaps the best ((((say anything)))) song ever
should be "my father's still fighting with his drunk and unfaithful spouse"
also "Free of the tank, the gas and paid to parasites like me" should be "free of the taint, the gas, the paint of parasites like me"
I absolutely LOVE this song, say anything is amazing
this is my favorite song. not just say anything, but in the whole world. i saw sa play in nj (sooo good live.) and max said that when he was younger he was fascinated with new jersey. so the begining part is about nj. i love how he describes industry as beautiful garbage. perfect. i think its beautiful in its own way myself. almost as if humankind's mistakes may be ugly and dirty, but they're also beautiful because we learn from them and move on. i love new jersey. the place he played in was certainly a shithole town, so i think he definitely got a taste of the beautiful garbage. i think when he talks about his family (and its TROPHY unfaithful spouse) he says he sees the same things over and over again in his travels across the country, which i guess he resents, because that means he may be as original and smart as he likes, but some aspects of his life can still mirror others peoples. i also love the way he says the earth is green with envy. so poetic. and my favorite part is his last when he tells us to free ourselves from mental prostitution- my favorite quote.
where can i get this song? i can't find it anywhere, only heard it. and yeh, it's amazing
I love this song!!!....
Ya, know i was watching "Dirty Daceing" and at one point in the movie somone said to the main girl."what are you,.."Slumming It With Johnny??" I was like...hmm Connection??.. lol