"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.
Well I'm waiting on the day
When the people walk free to see
When the penitentiary is on fire
When there's no need
To bleed
For your mother or your brother
Or the one that bomes before you whoa
Well I'm waiting on a time when people walk free to see
From the renitentiary in our mind
When there's no need to bleed
For your father
Or your son
Or the one that you've become
When the penitentiary is on fire
When the penitentiary is on fire
When the people walk free to see
When the penitentiary is on fire
When there's no need
To bleed
For your mother or your brother
Or the one that bomes before you whoa
Well I'm waiting on a time when people walk free to see
From the renitentiary in our mind
When there's no need to bleed
For your father
Or your son
Or the one that you've become
When the penitentiary is on fire
When the penitentiary is on fire
Lyrics submitted by pnkseashel, edited by Whitecocoa
Penitentiary Lyrics as written by Clarence Greenwood
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Great version of a great song,
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"When there's no need to bleed For your father Or your son"
These lines give me a reason to believe this song might actually be about war. Jail might be a symbol of something greater, like the constant fight for a greater good but with so many different cultures, it has to start with a change in the people, hence"in our mind."
I'm gonna have to agree with rusty4099 on this one; I think he's saying he can't wait for the day that we don't need penitentiaries.
"When there's no need to bleed For your mother or your brother Or the one that comes before you"
I think these lyrics are pointing toward the ridiculous amount of 'revenge' homicides in inner cities. Someone is shot for drugs or money or whatever the f@ck the problem is that day, and then someone has to go after the killer for 'respect' for the person who was killed---hints the bleeding for your mother or brother or one who comes before you (in rankings in gangs and whatnot). Its a chain reaction of killings that's seen way too often.
PS I'm just a spoiled kid from a well-to-do area, so I could be wrong on this one, but I think I might be close. For the love of god--- stop shooting eachother over 10 year old grudges
I would have to disagree that is just crazy thinking that we should have a world without physical penitentiaries. as long as their is free will we will need physical penitentiaries. What I believe he is talking about is the penitentiary that many people have in their minds. This penitentiary of ones mind causes them to be ignorant and close minded. Not receptive to other people. Dictators and Warlords are often these kinds of people all they see is their one goal and they are ignorant to what harm they are doing to others. Politicians and businessmen bend laws to make money but they are ignorant to the millions they are hurting in the process. Religious fanatics throughout history from the christian crusades to more recent perversion of the islamic faith have caused countless of innocent blood to be spilled in the name of their gods, their way of thinking. I think he hopes for the day where these penitentiaries in our minds are on fire and have been dismantled so we can all be more considerate to one another as fellow humans instead of having all these mental blocks that prevent itm
I don't think it's necessarily a protest against the jail systems, I think he's just saying he can't wait until we don't have a need for them. When crime just stops so we don't even need the penitentiary. That's just me though.
Or maybe we've been to jail and the way it's run just makes nooo fuckin sense.
"From the Penitentiary in our mind" was the most thought provoking line for me. We have to free ourselves mental slavery, the great late Bob once said.
Think for yourselves, always doubt what you're told, don't make assumptions, and come to your own conclusions.
"When there's no need To bleed For your mother or your brother Or the one that comes before you" -Any thoughts on this?
you must emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds
When there's no need To bleed For your mother or your brother Or the one that bomes before you whoa
i jsut cant seem to grasp the real meaning of this song. what does this line eman any thoughts? i actauly met the band after a show in jax fl. we sat down and talked for a good 30. im so mad i didnt think to ask him!
I'm sure it's not religious but maybe when it says "There's no need to bleed for your mother or your brother or the one that comes before you" Jesus anyone? I agree with Rusty4099. There's no sins to die for and no reason for jail systems
I think this song is about being free of crime and violence. Like he is saying he wants to see nobody in jails, from his people walk free line, and when the jails are useless they will just be burnt down to make room for other things, from his on fire line. I could be completely off but that is my thought about the meaning.
this song is a straightforward protest against the system of putting people in jail, it seems to me.