"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 been sinning
I've been livin'
I've been beaten
By Saturdays
On a diamond
I lay on a diamond
On a diamond
I lay awake
D'Artagnan
Good ol' D'Artagnan
He ain't got a thing on me
I've been minding
To my field of timing
Too bad your time in
It just never came
Well I don't know how else to say it
In a different way
But why don't you just fade away
'Cause there's a battle going on
Down south of Babylon
So why don't you just fade away
I've been dealing
I've been healing
I've been dealing
A crooked game
Thieving pirates
I've been livin'
I've been beaten
By Saturdays
On a diamond
I lay on a diamond
On a diamond
I lay awake
D'Artagnan
Good ol' D'Artagnan
He ain't got a thing on me
I've been minding
To my field of timing
Too bad your time in
It just never came
Well I don't know how else to say it
In a different way
But why don't you just fade away
'Cause there's a battle going on
Down south of Babylon
So why don't you just fade away
I've been dealing
I've been healing
I've been dealing
A crooked game
Thieving pirates
Lyrics submitted by pnkseashel
D'Artagnan's Theme Lyrics as written by Clarence Greenwood
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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ickmusic.com/2007/08/23/citizen-cope-dartagnans-theme/
D'Artagnan was the lieutenant of the Grey Musketeers, one of King Louis' elite units. The King held the highest trust and faith in D'Artagnan, often entrusting him to deliver secret messages and guard high profile prisoners. The lyric reads, "out of gold that they stole from the queen...stole from a man...whose favorite hand...is one that he will always land." The gold was stole from the Queen (wife of the King). A man who's "favorite hand" is one that D'Artagnan "will always land."
Unlike much of the fables of the 3 musketeers, D'Artagnan was an actual person. The French hold him in high regards as a symbol of fidelity, much like Robin Hood. He is believed to be buried in an "unmarked grave" near the Saint Peter and Paul church in Wolder, Netherlands (Wolder is a suburb of Maastricht....google map it if you don't believe me). His grave is believed to have been discovered in November 2008:
.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html
He died in the siege of Maarsicht of a musket slug to the throat in 1673. The siege occured the night of Saturday, June 25. The Citizen Cope lyric goes, "I've been beaten...by Saturdays."
His wife, who was from a very wealthy family, bore him 2 children. However she was unhappy with the relationship and even hired spies to watch D'Artagnan when he was away. She left D'Artagnan after a brief marriage amongst many rumors of his exploits with other women while away. I can't really pick out any lyrics to reference D'Artagnan's love life (or the many fables which surround it)
This song is definitely written with D'Artagnan the musketeer in mind. I think Mr. Greenwood (aka Citizen Cope) is using the values which D'Artagnan represents to describe someone whom he knows, possibly even himself at one time. I don't think its written as a metaphor to today's wars or soldiers.
@clhatch13 Good job. I think he simply admires D'Artagnan, who died fighting in a fairly stupid war, considering his position. Death by musket shot to throat is a rather grim end for such an admired man. D'Artagnan is a metaphor for all the good men who we value who fall in the battle "South of Babylon" and there will be so many more lying in unmarked graves as we continue to toss our sons and duaghters into the great gaping maw that are the Forver Wars in the Middle East. That's my take. the Helicopter taking off at the end may be lifting a dying modern soldier off the field of battle. The wishing a certain person would just fade away suggest there are enemies of righteousness who are on the side of evil and are stoking the battle "South of Babylon." He doesn't seem to want D'Artagnan to "just fade away" since he just spent an entire song reminding us that he was a real person whose struggles he consideres similar to those in his own time.
In no way do I give my interpretation as fact, but I think you are all wrong. I don't believe this song has anything to do with the wars America is involved in. I believe this song is about a woman. Its about loving a woman he cannot be with. I don't believe every song an artist writes has direct literal meaning to the words they use. When Cope talks about "Babylon" I believe he's speaking about a woman who he is in love with who lives in New York City. Take Cope's background of living in NYC and D.C. and his hip hop background. I am an hip hop head. I have been for over 20 years. In the hip hop world many hip hop artists refer to NYC as "Babylon." They refer to New Jersey as "New Jerusalem."
This song speaks to me as the song writer is very lonesome for an woman who either left him, or left her, and he can't get her out of his head. I know for myself that there is a certain woman in my life that things are incomplete, we are on 2 different sides of the nation, and no matter how much I try to get her out of my head, the battle continues. I've tried dating other women, I've tried sleeping with other women, boozing to forget her, working vigorously to forget her, and nothing works. I wish she would fade away. She was my diamond that I still lay awake for. I do believe the song writer is comparing his love to D'Artaganan, but not in the since of American wars, but war of the heart for a woman he still loves but cannot have.
The lyrics, "I've been minding, To my field of timing,Too bad your timing, It just never came." these are key to understanding this song as a song about lost love.
Just my opinion though. Interpret the song however you like.
@VisualArte I agree, but I think the woman did him serious wrong. I have an Ex-BF who to this day tells people that "when you're done with a woman, she should just die, just be GONE! I hate it when Ex-GF's show up in MY city after I've finished with them." Kinda harsh, I know, and this guy sys this about everyone who leaves him. Cope, I think is just wanting the whole sad story finished. D'Artagnan may be mentioned because of his own broken marriage. His wife was a real piece of work, too. The whole diamond thing is such a clever image to bring up. I assumed he was laying in a deserted baseball diamond in DC just ruminating about this recently ended relationship and comparing himself and his values to D'Artagnan's and the commonality that they both got burned badly by a woman. I don't know much about his life though so, this could all be my own life bleeding thru. BTW, about "Babylon" - that is not just the name for NYC but ANY and ALL Cities of man. it's a Rasta thing taken from the Bible. Babylon is the entire world that is ruled by satan - the material world. I agree that it means NYC in this song, but it doesn't always mean that.
@VisualArte Hey, I like your idea about NYC being Babalon. But I kinda have a different idea about the "battle going on", to an extend. My interpretation is that he feels remorse about the kind of life he leads. He has the success of venture, but lays wake restlessly, longing. I think he left the other person. I think he vilifies himself when talking about thieving pirates.
these lyrics are incomplete. the rest:
i'm thieving pirates out of gold that they stole from the queen stole from a man whose favorite hand is one that he will always land
well, i'm building this levee by the mississippi before i die in an unmarked grave
well, i don't know how else to say it in a different way why don't you just fade away 'cause there's a battle going on down south of babylon so why don't you just fade away
yeah, i don't know how else to say it in a different way but why don't you just fade away 'cause there's a battle going on down south of babylon so why don't you just fade away
Great great great song. I've listened to this one three times in a row now.
d'artagnan is a character in the three musketeers. don't see a connection, though.
yes no connection. but this song is amazing.
Firstly, i think this is the best song on the album; it's beautiful. I'm not sure if i interpreted it right but here goes... D'Artagnan was one of the Three Musketeers, and he died in battle. At the end of the song you hear choppers and what sounds like a bus or something...I'm guessin this is a soldiers' song, kind of a modern day D'Artagnan...
well, i don't know how else to say it in a different way why don't you just fade away 'cause there's a battle going on down south of babylon so why don't you just fade away
i think he is talking to a loved one, like a parent, friend or girlfriend and telling them that he has to go to war and he knows they are going to miss him, so he asks them to not worry about him, basically to let him fade out of their lives because he cares too much about them to hurt them. And the Babylon reference could be religious or a reference to the fighting in the Middle East... ...but this is just me, i could be completely wrong.
note they lyrics say...."down south of Babylon." the battle is south of the Babylon region which makes absolutely no sense in this song. D'Artagnan was French and died in the Netherlands which are all well Northwest of Babylon. I can't find anything in D'Artagnan's history which points to any place anywhere near Babylon (or south of it for that matter)
So... I've got to agree with thilighthousestale on this one. He says "D'Artagnan, good ol' D'Artagnan, he aint got a thing on me...", to me that sounds like this soldier who can't stand to hurt anyone but himself (south of Babylon) is saying he is not D'Artagnan.
ok, here's my final idea. the first verse and chorus is D'Artagnan's wife speaking to/of D'Artagnan. The second verse and chorus is his reply to her. i still don't understand the south of Babylon reference though.
@clhatch13 South of babylon would be anywhere south of NYC. Someone else here earlier mentioned that Cities have specific names within RAP music and while in Reggae, Babylon means ANY city here on earth that is too wordly or simply the evil world of men in general, in RAp, it specifically means NYC. Cope was living in DC AND New Orleans after having spent time in a relationship with a woman in NYC. "The battle goin' on somewhere south of babylon" seems to be a reference to his own personal struggles at the time and his move back south. Just my guess.
okay i have an idea of what i think this is all about. D'artagnan is from the three msketeers but he was also real. he was trusted by the queen and thats where the line "out of gold that they stole from the queen" comes in. anyways when he says that d'artagnan doesnt have anything on him i think is a modern idea. like citzen cope is singing of a modern day soldier that is trusted a.k.a D'artagnan. thats why at the end of the song you hear helocopters and stuff.
i could be completley off though
I believe that the song might talk about a soldier who is comaparing himself with D'artagnan. And when it says "well, i don't know how else to say it in a different way, why don't you just fade away...'cause there's a battle going on down south of babylon...so why don't you just fade away" He might be talking about the fear of going to the battle field, like he wants to be as good as d'artagnan or better than him, and maybe that's why it says "well, i'm building this levee by the mississippi before i die in an unmarked grave" (because d'artagnan died in an unmarked grave) and this soldier might want to be recognised as the faithful soldier he is. what do u think?