The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
pet the dog
pet the dog
pet the dog
yeah scratch my ass
scratch my ear
scratch my head
please play with
play with me
play with me
oh but Jessie
it's cold outside
and I'm not coming home
I don't know where to be
when the morning comes
and Jessie you're a good dog
please don't follow me
just go on home
I ran away
dog tagged along
I lost the dog
dog tagged along
I lost the dog
it broke my heart
please stay with me
and play with me
stay with me
ah but Jessie
it's cold outside
and I'm not coming home
I don't know where to be
oh when the morning comes
and Jessie, you're a good dog
please don't follow me
just go on home
just go on home
Jessie, don't follow me
Jessie, go on home
Jessie you're a good dog
such a good dog
yeah Jessie you're a good dog
such a good dog
yeah Jessie you're a good dog
such a good dog
oh Jessie you're a good dog
such a good dog
Jessie you're a good dog
such a good dog
Jessie you're a good dog
such a good dog
go home boy
pet the dog
pet the dog
yeah scratch my ass
scratch my ear
scratch my head
please play with
play with me
play with me
oh but Jessie
it's cold outside
and I'm not coming home
I don't know where to be
when the morning comes
and Jessie you're a good dog
please don't follow me
just go on home
I ran away
dog tagged along
I lost the dog
dog tagged along
I lost the dog
it broke my heart
please stay with me
and play with me
stay with me
ah but Jessie
it's cold outside
and I'm not coming home
I don't know where to be
oh when the morning comes
and Jessie, you're a good dog
please don't follow me
just go on home
just go on home
Jessie, don't follow me
Jessie, go on home
Jessie you're a good dog
such a good dog
yeah Jessie you're a good dog
such a good dog
yeah Jessie you're a good dog
such a good dog
oh Jessie you're a good dog
such a good dog
Jessie you're a good dog
such a good dog
Jessie you're a good dog
such a good dog
go home boy
Lyrics submitted by AlternativeMoth, edited by unlessyoucravedanger
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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"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.
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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 think that It's a song about a man that it´s going to leave his home, but his dog is following him. He's trying to make it go back but at the same time he wants to stay with his Dog, perhaps the only friend that he has, but he can't take the dog to the place that he is going, so he ran away, and finally he got rid of Jessie, but that leaves him with a broken heart.