"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.
Hey you on public assistance
Why don't you get a job?
Sell some dope and buy some pride
It's the only thing you couldn't rob
Socioparasite
How does it feel to live for free?
Get off society's back
Skells like you allowed to live
You wonder why we're taxed
Socioparasite
Getting fucked up on Classon Avenue
Smoking crack and drinking booze
Spike in your arm
No money for food
But there's plenty of gas in your BMW
There's a dopewhore waiting at home
Dealing your shit on the chemophone
Poor Tawana gets born with a birth defect
But it only increases your welfare check
Been doing some thinking and I have an answer
To arrest the spreading cancer
Send you back to where you came from
Get the fuck rid of you (sub)human scum
If you don't pay taxes you shouldn't vote
So get in line and get back on the boat
I'd love to tear down all those projects
Kiss my ass home relief reject
Waste of life
You're a waste of life
Why don't you get a job?
Sell some dope and buy some pride
It's the only thing you couldn't rob
Socioparasite
How does it feel to live for free?
Get off society's back
Skells like you allowed to live
You wonder why we're taxed
Socioparasite
Getting fucked up on Classon Avenue
Smoking crack and drinking booze
Spike in your arm
No money for food
But there's plenty of gas in your BMW
There's a dopewhore waiting at home
Dealing your shit on the chemophone
Poor Tawana gets born with a birth defect
But it only increases your welfare check
Been doing some thinking and I have an answer
To arrest the spreading cancer
Send you back to where you came from
Get the fuck rid of you (sub)human scum
If you don't pay taxes you shouldn't vote
So get in line and get back on the boat
I'd love to tear down all those projects
Kiss my ass home relief reject
Waste of life
You're a waste of life
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Yo La Tengo
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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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
There's no denying the racist content in this song. However, with Peter Steele, you have to take it with a pinch of salt.
Considerated the theme of the other songs of this album, I don't think Steele is angry against people on pubblic assistance becouse of racism or political reasons. I read that Steele wrote the lyrics of the album after the end of a relation. In the previous song (Unsuccessfully Coping etc...) it's obvious he should enormously depend on this relation. He is angry with the people of the song only becouse he is angry with himself and sees in them his own defect: dependence. References at drug addiction are also present and I think it's not casual.
The best take on the song right there.
oh just so happens most social scum isn't white (NOW THAT'S FUCKING RACIST) LOL.
You are being disingenuous when you deny that this song takes a positive, pro-White racist's stance. That is exactly what it is, and it is done flawlessly. IYDKMIGTHTKY (Gimme dat) is another fine piece of neo-hate recruiting material.<br /> What Peter was trying to accomplish with the music was for you, the listener, to become freed; from a self-imposed exile. Each of us goes for the ride, some never come back, others come back, feeling alive again, with a sense of urgency to do your best at managing your family.<br /> He found in me one convert.
When you call a human being something other than human, it is a mandate for murder. The fact that so many are giving him a pass is really revealing, isn't it... Subhumans is what the nazis called Jews, Slavs, Romani, the disabled, gays, and anyone else who wasn't a western European christian. When you call someone on disability/welfare "scum", you sound just like a brownshirt. Saying "Peter Steele wasn't racist, because he had a Jewish friend", is exactly like saying, "I'm not racist. I have a black friend"...
No it isn't. I think the meaning is pretty obvious.
Okay, that really irritates me when people go out of their way to find something racist. He's just being completely honest with people about their social dependence. And I tell you, there are white people on welfare too, not just ethnic minorities. This song is OBVIOUSLY about those on welfare who don't help society and who don't try to improve themselves. There are some people who really need to be on welfare, but others are just draining the system. And he's right, if you don't pay taxes, why should you be allowed to vote? Think about it. It affects everyone.
Very well said...
"Der Untermensch" means "the lower person", the opposite of "Der Ubermensch" ("the higher person") a term which I think was coined by Kafka to describe the great few who can actually make it through life. The title makes sense then, as the song is describing the scum of society. Pretty clever.
Germany called slavic people "untermensch" during WWII too, also.
Der Übermensch is NIETSCHEs idea!!! Anyway this song expresses what I feel everyday sitting in the metro going to work and back.
Send you back to where you came from Get the fuck rid of you (sub)human scum
Fuck for political corectness!!!!!
Yeah. The song isn't racist at all. I know plenty of white people called Tawana who should go back where they came from (merry old England).
At the same time this song may be highly ironic which is personally what I think.
Maybe he accidently took a flight to the South and was inspired!
Name one line in this song that implies racism against anyone. There isn't.